“I’ll do that tomorrow.” Flint’s eyes trailed up the hill to the roof of the house, almost visible.

Spencer nodded. “And where were you today?”

Flint ran his hand down his face. This wasn’t the first time in the last six months he’d considered moving away from Hundsburg, where everyone knew everything about everyone. Hell, he couldn’t have a date without alerting the whole town. Maybe he should announce it to the entire pack right now? How would that go over, just shouting out, I almost screwed Emma Davis, the hot redhead working at the old school. No, that wouldn’t happen. “I had a date.”

Spencer laughed.

Ashton reached out for Flint. He took him from Duncan. “Where’s your little one?” Duncan had a little cub too with his mate, Aurora.

“Up at the house. Aurora’s keeping her in tonight. Her mother’s visiting. I’m going to really take the opportunity and run hard.”

“That sounds like a challenge.” Flint smiled at his cousin. Duncan was a few years older than him.

“Perhaps it is, cousin.”

“You’re so grown up, Ashton. Are you going to run with your uncle Duncan?”

The little boy giggled. “Noo, he too big for me.” Ashton poked himself in the chest.

Flint tossed Ashton up and down. Many years from now, the two-year-old he was bouncing would be his alpha. And so far, that sat okay with both him and his wolf.

“Look how fast I can shift,” Ashton said as Flint tossed him in the air. On the way down, Flint grasped at the fur of the little cub and caught him safely, but not before his mother was at their side. He lowered Ashton to the grass next to him.

“Ashton, you can’t do that. Flint was expecting to catch you in skin, not fur.” Lauren’s blonde hair was piled high on top of her head. She had on a thick scarf and a woolen coat.

Ashton’s enormous eyes looked up at his mother, his pointed ears flat against his head. He dropped his head to his paws, and a low whine pitched out of him.

“I’m glad you’re sorry. But you need to be safe too.” Lauren said. “It’s good to see you, Flint. It’s been too long.”

Flint nodded. “It’s good to see you too.” Lauren had mated Spencer right after his powers had come unbound. And it wasn’t long after that when Flint moved to his cabin on the other side of town. To him, Spencer’s mate, Lauren, was a virtual stranger.

Snow floated down, a slow steady pace to start with as the pack milled around greeting each other, some in skin, some in fur, as the snow picked up its intensity. It wouldn’t accumulate too much. This time of year would find it melted soon, even if it did.

“I’d love to have you to the house for dinner,” said Lauren.

“Thanks, I’m not sure of my work schedule, but I’ll let you know.” Which was total bull. Anyone who knew him well enough was aware that for the last ten years, he’d had the same schedule. Off Saturday to Tuesday for three weeks and then he worked straight through the weekend in his fourth week. It hadn’t varied in ten years, and he didn’t expect it to ever vary as long as Chief Ledger was the chief.

His aunt Jodi came over. Unlike Spencer’s mother or his, she wasn’t a witch but a wolf shifter by birth. “Timothy and I would love to have Ashton join us. Most of the other young are going to run with us, too.” She looked between Lauren and Spencer.

“Ashton, do you want to go with Great Aunt Jodie?” Lauren picked up Aston from where he was running around her legs.

The cub yipped and ran after his great aunt.

The little ones gone, the group gathered around Spencer. “We honor our traditions and our elders,” Spencer called out to the masses. He placed one hand on his uncle and the other on his aunt, the parents of Beck. She was the youngest sister of Flint’s dad.

They shed their clothes and shifted. His aunt’s wolf’s fur was black like Flint’s, his uncle’s a tawny color. They trotted down the path and then took off at an impressive speed.

Clothing peeled off, bones popped, and howls filled the snowy sky. Flint ran alongside Duncan, their strides matching each other. He stuck with Duncan while keeping a peripheral watch on Reagan.

Eloise and Vivianne headed toward the back of the pack. Vivianne had given birth not long ago, but she’d never liked running anyway. Eloise, newly pregnant, would be taking it easy, no doubt. Flint expected Eloise to be watching out for any small action Ross did wrong. His older sister was a hawk for any danger to the baby of the family. She’d rip the soft belly out from underneath the slimy East Coast fur ball.

Why would he ever come back here? It made no sense. He and Reagan had dated in college, and when she’d told him she didn’t want anything more to do with him, he couldn’t understand why. It didn’t occur to him that his cheating might have had a thing or two to do with it.

The pack ran through the center of the land, following the river. The teenagers showing off raced ahead of the elders. Flint shook his dark snout, laughing, and inclined his head to Duncan for him to see their youngest cousin making a play at a group of four young females.

Duncan chuffed out a laugh.

A few minutes into the run, the pack had thinned to a long stream of age and ability. Flint let Duncan run ahead while he throttled his speed to keep Reagan in his sights. He stayed close enough to keep her safe and far enough to give her space. It was the only thing preventing his wolf from taking off across town and up the bridge to a little witch’s house.

The mud beneath his paws had firmed with the cold weather. They’d left the fields and lake behind, circling the back of the lake until the trail zigzagged through the woods. Not everyone stayed on the trail. Reagan was one of those who liked free running through the woods. Keeping her in his sights was becoming increasingly difficult as they entered a section with more underbrush. Her brown fur matched the tree trunks. He trailed behind her, catching and losing her scent. He was going to box her ears when he reminded her she was the one who’d wanted him to come to the trail run for protection.

They entered the boulder field, a section of woods with large craggy rocks and little dens. Flint had spent more than one night curled up against a female in the little half caves. He pulled to the side, hoping Reagan would too. But when he exited the boulder field, her scent wasn’t one of the ones he picked up on.

Flint let out a little howl. The yipping he got back from Reagan had his hackles up.

She was in danger. He called to her again, and she yelled out.

In a flash, he pinpointed her location behind one of the largest boulders. Ross’s white wolf had her backed against the shale cliff. He wasn’t touching her, but he wasn’t letting her move, either. His muzzle moved closer and closer. Like he intended to give her a mating bite.

Flint growled through his teeth. Ross tossed his head with a growl rumbling from his throat.

The scent of fear rolled off of Reagan. Flint lined himself up with his sister and hip-checked her out of the way to run. He howled again. And soon Duncan, Spencer, and Beckham were there. Vivianne and Eloise had caught up, and Reagan ran to them. Eloise bared her teeth and slowly moved toward Ross.

It took Spencer commanding her to take Eloise away before she stopped challenging the male twice the size of her fawn-colored wolf.

Reagan ran away. The three males of Flint’s family surrounded Ross. They were in their rights to take him down. End him. But doing so would start a war. A war that would come one day anyway. A war that had been on the horizon for a long time. But one no one wanted.

Spencer moved toward the outsider. And for a minute, Flint didn’t think the stupid male would submit, but with some hesitation, he did. Spencer raised his snout to one of the older enforcers in the pack, and they pushed him back the way they’d come, four more following along behind as they did. Reagan and his sisters were well away, and with that, the tension in Flint’s wolf snapped. There was nothing holding him here on the pack run now.

Flint bolted off the trail for the bridge across the river.

15

“Emma,” Mia whispered. “Emma.”

The vision slammed shut before she remembered who or what was going on. She’d spent so much of her life shutting the visions down. Now that she wanted them, they were really hard to place and focus on. She let her eyes open slowly.

Mia put her hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Emma, there’s something outside.”

“Right.” Emma let out a breath, not quite awake. “What is it?”

“I don’t know. Should I turn on your porch lights? That might scare whatever it is, but is that a bad thing? Or maybe a good thing.”

Emma opened her eyes wider. Mia’s bright, sparkly pajamas were blinding. Emma hadn’t had much to drink, but then again, she hadn’t eaten much yesterday either. She needed all of her power for work, but she needed to think for work too. She cast a rehydration spell on herself to get rid of her tiny hangover and give her enough strength to at least look at Mia.

“Turn the lights on.” Emma rolled over.

Mia didn’t leave the room.