Ben insisted that I take a shower before we went to see Luna Sam, and I only agreed when he threatened to drag me in himself. My wolf growled softly in protest, and I warned him that if she didn''t get her act together, I''d be sleeping in a different room tonight.


    Guiding us through the familiar corridors of the packhouse, I retraced our previous steps, following Luna Sam''s scent like a thread leading me forward.


    "Where are they getting this from?" Luna Sam''s voice was low and filled with worry. "We''ve searched every inch of our territory. How is this still being distributed without our knowledge?" I knew Ben caught every word too, his jaw tightening beside me.


    We turned the corner and stepped into her office. "What''s going on, Luna Sam?" I asked, letting the unease in my voice show, but I cloaked it with my aura-there would be no lies or half-truths here. Junior wasn''t present, but Beta, Gamma, and Delta sat around, their faces grim. "What are you hiding from Ma?"


    She sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping in resignation. "He''s not ready to hear this yet. It''s too personal." Her words left me frustrated; I hated being kept in the dark, especially when it involved Junior.


    "What exactly is ''this''?" Ben''s voice was calm but firm, standing close beside me. "We''ve had two more pups die from overdoses,” she admitted quietly.


    "Overdose? Of what?" I asked sharply. It''s notoriously difficult to harm us. Our senses can detect poisons in food or drink, and we heal from injuries at an incredible rate.


    "Our teenagers have been getting their hands on something or more likely, they''ve been given something unknowingly. We don''t know for sure. But when theye to the clinic, they''repletely out of their minds. Thest two were caught mid- change. Their bodies couldn''t decide which form to take, which means their wolf was affected as well. They foamed at the mouth like rabid wolves, growling and snarling nonsense, sometimes spewing random words." Her description sent a chill down my spine.


    "Why can''t Junior be told about this?" I asked, my voice tight with anger. If my father kept something this serious from me, especially during my transition, I''d be furious.


    "One of them was his girlfriend," she said quietly.


    I froze. Girlfriend? Junior had a girlfriend? He wasn''t old enough to have chosen a mate yet—was he nning to? The thought unsettled me deeply. Even as I wrestled with my feelings, I knew I was being hypocritical. I wasn''t rejecting my own mate; I just needed to put the pack''s safety first for now. "He won''t take the news well," Luna Sam continued. “I''m afraid he might react impulsively."


    "How many more?" Ben''s question was steady, probing for every detail. His expression was unreadable, but I could tell he was absorbing everything, preparing to make sense of it all.


    "Eight in total. Always two at a time," she replied.


    "Why didn''t you tell us sooner?” Ben''s voice carried a sharper edge now.


    “We only had one incident before you arrivedst time. Thest three have happened since," she said, her tone tired but stubborn.


    "You should have informed us after the second incident, especially now that it''s affecting those close to Junior," I said, struggling to keep my snarl in check. Luna Sam flinched slightly, but I wasn''t going to back down. Had she not considered the implications? The moment she mentioned ''girlfriend,'' that was my immediate concern—and judging by Ben''s tense stance beside me, it was his too. If she had let us know earlier, maybe we could have done something to help. Junior, Jeremiah, and I are young, yes, but that doesn''t mean we''re na?ve. We''re willing to work together now that this crisis has pulled us all in. To make sure she understood how serious this was-and to show her I trusted her I shared a bit about my own mother. "We could be facing a simr problem, or maybe something entirely different. Every time we think we''ve solved one piece, another mystery pops up, and I''m tired of the missing links."


    I sank into the small couch against the wall of her office, and Ben settled beside me. “Have your healers been able to determine what they overdosed on?" I asked her, ncing at Ben. We needed to exchange everything we''d learned today, no matter how grim.