of lemon oil and old wood and something faintly s

oked out over the water tower and the highway. Someone had put a jar of wildflowers on the nightstand and

rway for a long ti

n arguing about coffee. Under all of it, the low murmur of wolves talking about me. I did not need to hear the words.

n the nightstand, face up. The box of letters went in the bottom drawer. The s

of the bed and let my

u did the thing, and then later, alone in a room, your

ad burned him. I had shaken hands with plenty of wolves. It had never felt like that. I told myself

ve it, but I to

window had gone silver. I lay on top of the quilt with m

eone was standing in t

his before my mind caught up, and I l

One light, one heavier.

said. "Leave it, Cal. Whatever i

door low and tight, strained, like a

hat happened at

ng hap

ng the house for four ho

eliberate, the way you breathe when you

y mate,"

I stopped breathing. My heart hammered once, hard, and I made it be still,

or a long moment. Then,

N

al

hing at all." A pause. "And if she did feel it, she'll hate me for it. The Council will v

things," the woman said. "Most of it written

our voi

u're the one standing in the ha

rboards

t a whisper. Not to Tomas, not to Dorian, not to your sister. As far as

e to lie to

. There's a difference, an

eremony comes and the w

ot tonight." His voice dropped

not quite a laugh. "You've never

aying

down the hall. "You should tell her. Before Dorian do

kno

he hall opened and close

ow. My mate. The words sat in my chest like a coal, and I could

ce failed, and Rafael was going to get himself killed doing it, and I had crossed that riv

ant the packs dissolved, and dissolved meant the water going somewhere else, and

pack and his Gamma and a Council envoy and pretend the borro

the pillow. My wolf was awake behind my ribs, a

at seven and found the kitchen full of

when I came in, and his face did the same thing it had done at the riverbed, cl

Yusuf will be here at nine with the pact text. I

you,"

aked hair and sharp eyes watched us both. Behind her, a tall wolf with

." He tilted his head. "You smell like a drugstore, bo

o answer, and Cal s

oice was flat.

th a click and walked out through the back door. Cal fol

hen window and watched the two of them in the yard. Cal was talking. Dorian was not smiling an

al went still, and the Gamma turn

and he said, to the whole kitchen, in a voice that carried, "The borrowed Luna

said an

ed old man with white hair stood there ho

. "I'm Yusuf. I've

in," I

ned the book on his knees, and he looked up at

mething. The pact is not a contract. It is a story. An

n on the dresser

and smoothed it flat. "The