"Why the feud in the first place?" I ask, admiring Galina's clean technique while trying to ignore my glee at the revelation that Clayton is only engaged to Gemma out of duty. "I mean, I certainly don't know a lot about pack dynamics, but it seems quite odd to me to have two packs living side-by-side like this whether they like each other or not. So what's the deal here?"

"Oh, it's a long story that goes back at least two centuries if not more, so let me see if I can get the basics right," she says before raising her butt into the air for a downward-facing dog. "So Clayton's grandfather's grandmother Serafina became a widow really young, just a few years after marrying and having her first child. She apparently didn't want to remarry, but you know that women back then—this was even pre-1900—didn't have much of a choice, especially if they wanted to provide for their children. So after her official mourning period, Serafina accepted the proposal of a local steel magnate and likewise recent widower, Theodore Packard. But, she had one condition. Serafina demanded that Packard fund the building of a school for orphaned girls in exchange for her hand in marriage."

"Good for her," I mumble while rotating my neck, not having the faintest idea where this is going, but enjoying the story. "Go on."

Nearing the end of this sequence, Galina does a forward bend again. "Theodore Packard had a daughter from his own first marriage called Annabeth. Born into wealth, she married into an even more prominent family when she wed railroad CEO William Calhoun," she says.

"Calhoun!" I burst out at the mention of the name and Galina's face lights up.

"Ding, ding, ding," she says, standing straight to finish the sun salutation. "It's starting to come together, right? William and Annabeth are Douglas Calhoun's grandparents, which makes them Gemma's great-grandparents."

"Wait. Are Clayton and Gemma related?" I ask, trying to keep track of the relationships between these ancestors. Because if they are . . . eww.

"Only by marriage. But that's not even the good part," Galina says to my relief as she drops to the mat next to me and crosses her legs.

"There's more?"

"Oh, you bet. So you asked about the feud," she says, turning serious. "Well, Annabeth Packard always hated her stepmother Serafina. I guess she probably thought there was a rivalry between them for her father's affections. Who knows. The important thing is that Annabeth wanted to win whatever hypothetical contest was between them so she used a large part of her fortune to establish an institution of higher education for men and women."

"Packard University," I say, now following along, yet there's one thing that doesn't make sense. "And since the families lead the packs, it explains both of their ties to this place, but I still don't get what they're fighting over."

"What's the saying? The devil's in the details? Well, that's what the Calhouns and the Wards can't agree on. More specifically the detail of who exactly founded Packard University," she says.

But I frown. "Isn't it clear that Annabeth started Packard? It even has her name."

Galina nods. "That's the Calhoun argument, yes. But there's one minor wrinkle," she says. "You see, the Wards are claiming that there never would have been a Packard University had there been no rivalry between Annabeth and their ancestor Serafina. Plus, Serafina's school for orphans became the first building in the newly established university, and thereby, according to Clayton's family, it was truly the origin of the entire place."

"Fair enough, I guess," I say. "But why is the question of which came first so important that they'd feud over it for so long?"

"Because right now with the uncertainty, both families can lay claim so they must share," she says. "Once a definitive decision is made, then one has to concede and leave."

Aha. There it is. Ultimately, this dispute is over the same thing that most wolf packs quarrel over: territory. But with the family histories so intertwined and the cause-and-effect so muddled, this problem is all about interpretation, and obviously, each side thinks it's right.

"I bet the lawyers are—"

I don't get to finish as Clayton walks in, the creaking of the door signaling his arrival.

"Afternoon, ladies. Pardon the interruption, but I wanted to check that everything was going well in here," he says, stopping a few feet inside the room. Wearing a thin, but tight sweater and tailored slacks, he looks as delicious as ever and I hate myself for thinking it.

"We've just finished warming up," Galina says and I'm grateful to her for not revealing the topic of our little chat. This was a lot of information to get all at once and I need time to process everything.

"Wonderful. Carry on," Clayton says, heading toward the door before turning back. "Oh, I almost forgot. For dinner tonight, Barlow, would you prefer shrimp or scallops on your pasta because my chef can do either."

It is only now that I'm reminded that his summons came with a demand to join him for dinner. And while my attraction to Clayton may have paid off by learning about the packs, it isn't strong enough for me to ever accept being ordered around.

"Neither, thank you," I say, rising to my feet. "In fact, I need to be going now."

Grabbing my shoes and bag, I step around Clayton and slip out the door before he has a chance to grasp what just happened.

"Barlow, wait!" he yells after me, but I ignore it.

Speed-walking to the front door, I tug on the handle and pull. But instead of being able to use the existing momentum to leave, I nearly run into a man on the other side. Coming to a standstill, I see that it's a uniformed officer with the Woodhurst police department.

"Evening, ma'am," he says as drops of water roll off the visor of his cap. Apparently, it had begun to rain while we had been inside.

I nod to return the greeting and prepare to walk around the lawman in spite of the downpour, but before I do, he catches sight of Clayton over my shoulder.

"Dr. Ward, I'm sorry for disturbing you, but you're going to want to come with me," he says.

Clayton steps up and stands beside me. "Is everything all right?"

The officer takes a deep breath. "I'm afraid not, sir. We . . . we found a body."