Katie


    “Xander, don’t,” Zane warned.


    | might not have known too much about how things worked in the Constantine pack, but | did know it was wrong to threaten your


    Luna.


    But when Xander looked at me, his eyes were full of concern, like he was worried for me.


    Was he being a mega a sshole to his mom? Yes.


    But was he doing it to protect me? It seemed like maybe.


    Sh it. If | wanted to stop thinking about Xander and Zane, then they were going to have to stop going all Alpha on my behalf.


    “I''m going to pretend like you didn’t just say that,” Gabri said icily. “Usingpulsion on your own mother... despicable.”


    | agreed, but the tiniest, most evilly curious part of me wanted to Xander to do it. Then maybe I''d know more about that woman in


    the cafe, or why she mentioned me and someone named Selena.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    | tried to bring it up in the car, but Gabri had filled every silence with inane questions.


    Xander was right. She was hiding something. But | was pretty sure everyone else in the room was, too.


    Xander took a deep breath in and stepped back, looking away from his mother.


    “I''m not actually going to, and I’m sorry to even threaten it. But | won’t tolerate more lies and secrets.


    Ahand fell hard on my shoulder. | flinched, but it was only Mason.


    “Are you okay?” he mouthed.


    thing.


    | reached for Ste, the could quiet the restlessness in my mind and body.


    | nodded at Mason, but | was very much not okay.


    When we got back up to our quarters, | put Ste to bed and then climbed in to sleep next to Mason


    without a word.


    | knew he wanted to ask me how it had gone with Gabri, but it was thest thing | felt like talking.


    about.


    Instead, | went through the checklist of weirdness that seemed to follow me all over Constantine for thest few days


    | had incessant deja vu that Lily felt, too.


    Gabri told Mason to keep me away from town.


    ange


    town recognized me.


    So many secrets, and none of them shared with me.


    Nknew there was more | was missing, too, but before | could conjure them all, I’d slipped away into sleep.


    | finally got out of bed the next morning when | heard a knock at the door.


    Mason had woken me a little while before with a deep kiss that sent a jolt of electricity straight from my lips down to my core.


    At that moment, | wondered why I’d ever questioned what | had with Mason, Just his brief touch sent my head spinning and


    made me desperate to pull him into bed and yank all his clothes off.


    hips.


    My mind just hadn’t been right yesterday. I''d been stressed and tired, that was all.


    | knew Mason would’ve obliged me, too, if Ste hadn''t stirred just as his hands were drifting down my


    “Do you need me to stay?” he’d asked.


    | shook my head and got up, grabbing Ste and feeding her from bed.


    Now, walking to the door, my heart rate quickened.


    Without Mason here with me, | was afraid to face the rest of the people who lived in the mansion.


    | opened the door slowly, still holding Ste in my other hand.


    “Hello, Katie,” Gabri said, an apologetic smile on her face. “I’m so sorry for yesterday”


    | shrugged, not really knowing how to respond.


    “| have an idea if you''re interested,” she said.


    “What is it?” | asked apprehensively.


    “As you now know, Xander and Zane no longer have a mate. And this means that | no longer have a Luna-in-training to help with


    tasks concerning the house and caring for the pack.”


    Where was she going with this?


    “| was wondering... she eyed me closely, “If you might be interested in helping me out. It''ll get you and Ste out of these stuffy


    quarters, and it would allow me to reintroduce myself. | feel like we’ve gotten off on


    the wrong foot.”


    That should’ve been an immediate red g. She was obviously making this offer to soften the blow of my being trapped in the


    mansion.


    But some kind of instinct told me that | could trust her, that she was here to protect me, too.


    Plus, she was a total ba das s and | really didn’t want to get on her bad side.


    Lauallowed hard. “Umhem that sounds neast


    She led me and Ste downstairs and out the back door to a greenhouse where a petite girl with a ponytail was fiddling with


    some kind of vine.


    “This is my other pair of helping hands,” Gabri said, waving toward the girl.


    When she spun around, my throat tightened.


    “Her name is...” Gabri started to say, but | cut her off.


    “Mindy,” | said. “We''ve met before.”