Over the next two hours, my texts to Paul were ignored. Since his departure, there had been nothing but radio silence. Wherever Paul had gone, he did so on foot. The truck still sat parked outside the cabin.

The quicker I found Lucille, the sooner I would see an end in sight. She may be scared and on her guard but so was I.

I crept to the window, cautious not to make a sound.

An early moon now slanted through the pines, casting shadows across the forest floor. A breeze ruffled the leaves and brought a hint of lavender on its wings, reminding me of Lucille's home.

Inhaling deeply, I scanned the tree line. There, between two ancient oaks was a flash of silver. I blinked and leaned closer to the glass. A wolf with fur the color of starlight stood watching me. Our eyes met and recognition jolted through me.

My grandmother, the original pack Alpha who'd been driven into exile...Lucille.

In her wolf form, she bowed her head; a quick flit of her eyes left and right. Last time I had seen her she had tried to attack me. If Luke had not been there... but he was there... Realization crashed over me. Had Lucille aimed for me or for him? After all, he was the Alpha in her place after the uprising had caused her to flee?

Perhaps Luke suspected what I was only now piecing together. Lucille was a direct threat to his status. A cold dread seeped into my bones. There was the potential that Luke was no ally—he might've been behind Lucille's exile himself.

I placed my palm on the windowpane, overcome with emotion. My grandmother is the last of my family. I ached to run to her, to beg her counsel. But I couldn't risk it with Luke so near. For now, she was safer keeping her distance.

I tried to convey without words that I would find a way to her soon. I would discover the truth of her banishment and set right the wrongs done to her. This was my destiny now - I felt it in my soul.

With a solemn nod, Lucille turned and disappeared into the shadows, and the woods seemed to close protectively around her.

I sighed and rested my forehead against the cool glass. The path ahead would be difficult, but I would walk it for her, for the pack. And for myself. With Carlyle's help, I would find Lucille on my own and get my answers directly from her.

Later, the bed dipped as Paul climbed in. Sleep had evaded me for hours. Guilt was gnawing a giant, heart-shaped-sized hole in my chest.

"You can't feel guilty," he suddenly said. He blew out a slow, shaky breath. "I know this isn't your fault, but it's not easy for me either."

I nodded. What else could I do? The shared dreams we'd had were now threatening to spill over into the harsh light of day.

None of us wanted to verbalize what they were thinking. I had missed him way too much. Instead, his hand tilted under my chin until I was gazing deep into hazel eyes with the sweetest threads of caramel. The hurt and sadness were easy to see. His mouth lingered in front of mine.

Every ounce of longing for this boy, every stolen glance I ever made, every time I imagined what it might be like to trust someone fully, never did it feel as good as it did with him. No one would ever take away my feelings for Paul or replace them with somebody else. My heart and its contents were mine to own.

My arms looped around his neck as I brought his mouth down hard to mine. I kissed him with such an intensity I thought I would bruise. The feeling of his lips on mine was indescribable. But there was nothing gentle or sweet about the way he kissed me back. He pushed forward with such a need it obliterated my senses, leaving me only weak.

His fingers glided from my jaw to my neck, sparking a series of fires under my overheated skin. The tangible stings of our predicament snapped until there was nothing else but Paul's touch.

Trailing lower, he hooked my leg over his, flipping me on top of him and bringing us impossibly close. My breath hitched, caught in my throat; a shiver identifying the exact spot I wanted him to hit.

"You are the one I want," I said against his lips. "You are the one I cannot stop thinking about." I stopped, as he claimed my lips again.

Paul's eyes glowed Amber. In seconds, the t-shirt on my back was gone, up and over my head. His eyes roamed over every part of my body, now exposed to him. Never in my life had a man looked at me with such adoration and fragility at the same time; he was irresistible to me.

"How did I get so fucking lucky?" Paul breathed out. My legs shook and I was desperately trying to focus on just the feeling of having him back and anywhere else but Paul's neck, because, shit, it was happening again.

I wanted to bite.

"I love you, Dana."

That's all I needed for my mind to vacate and keep my canines to retract. The sensations that took over next replaced my need to breathe. And for one rainy summer's night, as a vicious rain lashed outside, the same as it had on the night I arrived in Benton, no one spoke; we only felt, and our worst-case scenarios were pushed aside until the morning.