serial killer to sharpen your knives while you take a shower.”
 
 The goon walked away to a part of the warehouse that was distinctly less
 
 filled with LaSalles.
 
 And yet, they were letting Casey cast his spell. That spoke volumes. What
 
 Jaxson commanded, they did.
 
 I had to shimmy closer to the bleachers to let a couple of burly wolves by,
 
 who were loaded down with water, food, and blankets. It was like preparation
 
 for a natural disaster. People had already started arriving, even though
 
 Casey’s circle wouldn’t be done for hours.
 
 Sounds of children’s laughter echoed through the warehouse. A mother
 
 slapped her hands together as she played games with her kids in the
 
 bleachers. It was only noon. Was she here in hopes of keeping them safe
 
 while they took a nap?
 
 The enormous tragedy of the situation overwhelmed me. It was madness.
 
 We had to find a way to stop Kahanov.
 
 Footsteps approached behind me, and a vitriolic scent filled the air. The
 
 hair on my neck stood on end, and my fingernails began to itch. I spun.
 
 Regina, Jaxson’s second.
 
 “So, you’re one of us now,” she snarled, her voice brimming with
 
 disdain.
 
 “I’m not,” I snapped.
 
 “Oh, yes, you are. You have claws, fangs, and turn into a wolf. More to
 
 the point, Jaxson has claimed you for the pack, so you’re one of ours, no
 
 matter if you or I like it.”
 
 Jaxson had claimed me for the pack? Irritation simmered under my skin.
 
 That fucker.
 
 Her eyes burned with barely controlled fury, and her voice quaked with
 
 rage and resentment. “You know this is all your fault, right?”
 
 She tilted her chin toward a werewolf who was taping pictures of the
 
 sleepers on the wall underneath a string of cut-out words that read, In our