Page 14 of Due North

“I know.” And I really do. I’ve met shifters all over, from one coast to the other, so I know that some wolves are good. Genuine.

Our parents taught us an important lesson, though. One I can never forget. The more shifters you collect, the more chances you give yourself to be disappointed. Our parents thought having a dozen pups would strengthen the family, and instead, all it did was tear all of us apart.

I don’t even know if all of my siblings are still alive. And I don’t really care enough to find out. As far as I’m concerned, Callie is the only one who matters.

“You’re thinking so hard right now I can practically feel the brain waves radiating off of you.” Callie smiles up at me so I know she’s only teasing, but she’s not wrong.

Usually, my mind focuses on what’s necessary for survival and not much else. But ever since I laid eyes on that photo of Tasha… “She’s my mate, Callie. I have to have her.”

If we have Callie and our mate, we’ll never need anyone else,my wolf promises.

“If I help you with this, you have to promise me you’re going to treat her the way you treat me. She’s allowed to think for herself. You don’t get to take over her life and steamroll her.”

Callie stares at me expectantly until I nod.

“Then I do have one idea for you, but you’re going to need to come up with one hell of a distraction.”

5

Tasha

Someone is either courting me or stalking me. And either way, it’s making my stomach turn.

Lydia’s smile wanes as she realizes I’m not reaching for the flowers she’s holding out. “They’re pretty,” she offers, wiggling them slightly as if that will somehow make them more enticing.

“Yeah.” They are pretty… in a very troubling way.

I can’t stop staring at the colorful Dahlias that the rest of the bouquet is centered around. They’re beautiful flowers, but I can’t help but wonder why someone would pick them. They’re not exactly popular around here. Not to mention the negative connotations. I’m not comfortable having someone mysteriously sending me flowers that just so happen to make most people think of a mutilated dead woman.

I shiver slightly.

“Why don’t you take them to the pack house? I don’t really have the extra space here to set a vase out properly.” It’s the truth. The small house that is my temporary accommodation barely has room for anything besides my bed and a desk—which is currently already covered in aging shifter books.

“Are you sure?” She looks wistfully at the colorful bouquet, clearly wanting to take them. “We don’t get a lot of flowers like this around here. Everything we have is usually grown on the property.”

Which also begs the question, how did someone even manage to deliver flowers to this place? But instead of questioning her, I smile and nod. I don’t need to worry her when I’m already alarmed enough for the both of us. “Yes, let’s definitely put them out where everyone can enjoy them.”

And hopefully when Waverly gets back today, she’ll ask all the questions I’m dying to and get to the bottom of why the hell I keep receiving mysterious gifts that seem to come from out of nowhere. I want my life post-Jimmy to be quiet and unassuming to help me heal. I don’t like the attention that these mysterious gifts brings.

I’ve gotten chocolates, a stuffed wolf, a framed picture of a family photo that I thought went missing years ago, and now the flowers.

Lydia swears the gifts are probably just in celebration of the announcement that I’ll be the next Luna Sovereign, but I’m not convinced. The fact that someone would track down a family photo feels more than a little threatening.

It also means I’m desperate to check on both of my siblings. The urge to worry about them is ingrained in me, and I don’t feel comfortable with how long it’s been since I talked to either of them. It’s my own fault, Lydia offered a couple weeks ago to let me start making calls but I wasn’t ready yet. Now, I know it’s time. I have to face all of the guilt I feel from going this long without talking to my sister and not letting her know where I’ve been.

“Hey, Lydia?” I catch her as she turns to leave. “I’m ready to make some phone calls now.”

“Oh, great! That’s great. Let’s put these in water and find a quiet place for you, that way you’ll have some privacy for your calls.”

“Actually, could I take the phone and make my calls out in the garden? I like the fresh air.” And I feel naturally suspicious enough to think the pack house could be bugged. I’m not actually sure if shifters do that kind of thing, but if anyone does, it would be this pack. There’s just something… off about the Sovereign Pack. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but this place doesn’t have the nurturing vibe I would expect from a pack meant to be my support system. There’s a standoffishness I would never have expected.

“Yeah, of course. We all love what you’ve managed to do with that back garden. Let me go grab one of the cell phones, and I’ll bring it out to you.” She might as well be skipping as she heads toward the pack house with the flowers in tow.

I can’t help shaking my head as I pull the door shut behind me and start toward the garden I’ve come to claim as my own.

Lydia seems too naive to me to be part of this place. I know outsiders think of the Sovereign Pack as some kind of protective utopia, but I’ve seen behind the curtain now.

Waverly rules this pack with an iron fist. Most of the shifters in this pack won’t even look me in the eyes even when they’re speaking directly to me.

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