Lily's Point of View

Barring the occasional hum of the fridge and the clock ticking in the kitchen, it was a quiet night. I'd just gotten Aiden settled and cleaned up, and the fatigue crept into my muscles. Work, banal conversation, and keeping the pack's ever-present specter under wraps had not been effortless and had left me feeling a bit the worse for wear.

And then there was a knock on the door.

A firm, insistent knock.

I approached the door, frowning, and dried my hands on a towel. Too late for an unplanned visitor. The first face that occurred to me was Marcus. He was a compulsive habitué of...