The pounding on the bedroom door woke Rowena up. It was two in the morning.

"Rowena, it's me. Open the door!" Reed's voice, thick with urgency, broke through her haze of tiredness.

"Reed?" Rowena whispered, shoving herself out of bed and to the doorway.

The banging continued. "Hurry up, Rowena. It isn't safe."

"What's going on?"

She opened the door and he slammed into her, almost knocking her off her feet. He shoved the door behind him. "We have to go. Now. Put your shoes on."

She was wearing Care Bear pajamas. "Are you kidding me right now, Reed? It's two in the morning and Abby said I shouldn't leave this room."

"It isn't safe here," he repeated. He seemed wired. His hair stood up in different directions as if he'd been tugging at it. His pupils were dilated and his mouth was twitching.

"Are you okay?" she asked tentatively, reaching for her phone and sneaking her hand under the pillow that held the stun gun.

"O-of course I am. We just need to go. Now."

"Reed, you don't seem well. I think you should go. By yourself."

"No! I have to protect you. Before he gets here."

"He? Who is he?" Rowena asked.

Reed shook his head. "King—he's King."

"Who is? Who's King?"

"I should've put it together before, but I didn't. I lived with him, Rowena. He was always singing but it didn't occur to me until Darlene said it."

"Said what?"

"Wyatt, Rowena. It's Wyatt! He's King. He's always singing Elvis songs. Elvis was the king of rock and roll. He's our guy!"

"Are you nuts? You're thinking Wyatt was Casey's partner because he likes Elvis?"

"It's not just that. I lived with him, Rowena. I missed all the signs. I went over there before I was here and I read it."

"What did you read?" Her heart was racing as her hand tightened on her stun gun.

"Wyatt had a journal. I snuck into his bedroom and I saw it. There were pictures of her. He was in love with her. He loved her and he was waiting for her to leave me for him. He thought she'd get tired of me."

"Wyatt was in love with Casey?" Rowena asked. She took a step back as he stepped forward.

"Yes. He loved her and he thought she'd eventually leave me because she knew how I felt about you." He inhaled deeply. "God, you smell so good, Rowena. I knew it the first time I got a whiff."

"That's gross, Reed," Rowena muttered.

"No, no, no—it's not gross. Red velvet cupcakes, sun-dried linens, and burnt vanilla. That's what you smell like. It's comforting but addictive. I wish you could smell it so you could understand." He took another step forward.

"Reed, you need to step back. You're getting too close to my safety circle," Rowena warned him.

"You don't understand, Rowena. He's on the way. We have to go. I heard them."

"You're not making sense. Wyatt is on his way? Should I call Cross?"

"I heard them arguing. Wyatt and Maybelle. I had to hide until I could escape his bedroom. Did you know he was her stepson?" Reed asked.

"Abby told me. I was surprised but she said it wasn't a big deal."

Reed nodded and his eye twitched. "You really smell good, Rowena. Can I touch you?"

"No! Step back, Reed."

"Just one touch. Just a finger. Maybe another whiff of your scent."

"You're freaking me out, Reed. Focus!"

"Focus, right? I need to focus. It's the moon, Rowena. I c-can't control myself. I'm afraid I'm going to do something bad. Something else bad."

"Reed, what did you do?"

He began scratching his scalp uncontrollably. He tugged at his hair and leaned over. "Ramona, I can't think st-straight. I heard him. He's in love with Casey."

"You said that already. You need to leave, Reed."

Fur sprouted down his arms and hands. His teeth grew sharp.

"Reed, you need to go. Now!"

"I'm sorry, Rowena." He leaped forward.

Rowena could hear her cat hissing as she lifted her arm and pressed the on-button for her stun gun. He growled and flew back a few inches, landing on his hind legs.

"Why did you do that? I'm trying to save you!" Reed cried.

"If you don't leave now, I will stun-gun you in the face!"

He stood up and smirked. "You're mine, Rowena. You've always been mine. The alpha is not your soulmate. I am!"

He jumped forward when the door was pushed open, slamming against the wall. A scream echoed around them as Maybelle leaped forward swinging a baseball bat at Reed's head. He grunted and fell face first onto the floor.

"Are you okay?" Maybelle asked. She was wearing jeans and a red shirt. On her ears were earrings made up of baby elephants.

"Yes, thank you! He was turning into a wolf. I don't think he could control the moon's urges," Rowena said, her eyes still on Reed. She'd seen enough scary movies to know the monster always attacked right when you thought he was dead.

"We need to get him out of here and lock ourselves in. Wyatt is on his way," Maybelle said.

"Wyatt? Reed said he's King. That he was Casey's partner in the illegal races. He was her dog in wolf form." Rowena said. "Is that true?"

Maybelle tossed the baseball bat to the floor. "Yes, it's true."

"He also said Wyatt was in love with Casey."

"Yes, he admitted that to me tonight," Maybelle said. "It makes sense now when I look back at how he talked about Casey and waited for her to end it or Reed to leave her. That poor boy is just like his father. He falls in love and he falls deep."

"So, you really are his stepmother?" Rowena asked, picking up her phone.

Maybelle gave a tired smile. "Yes. He was a teen when I married his father so our relationship was that of friends as opposed to a mother and son."

"That makes sense." Rowena nodded. She glanced at her phone, placing it on silent. "I don't know if I should call Cross."

"He's busy dealing with all the fighting out there," Maybelle said, picking up Reed by the ankles and dragging him out of the room. "We're safer inside."

"Where's Darlene?"

"At home. She's old enough to combat the moon with no problem and even though she can't hear anymore, she's stronger than she looks. It's us that need to stay safe. Wyatt could be here any minute."

"Do you think he killed Casey?"

"What else did Reed tell you?" Maybelle asked, locking the doors to the room. Besides her cat, Rowena and Maybelle were alone and would be forced to defend themselves if Wyatt came over.

"Just that you and Wyatt were related by marriage."

Maybelle nodded. "So, he didn't tell you about Wyatt's relationship with Bobby?"

"They had a relationship?" Was Wyatt Bobby's ex-lover?

"They were brothers," Maybelle said. "Both of those idiots fell for Casey."

Rowena gasped. She had not seen that coming. Then who was Bobby's secret lover?

Her phone buzzed and she looked down. It was a series of texts from Jeremiah.

Found out the secret identity of the gym owner's ex

It was a taboo relationship

Bobby was sleeping with his stepmother!!!