Things only bother you if you let them.

It was advice her therapist gave Rowena during their last session together. She stared at the text message from her cousin Lorena.

Family dinner tonight. Be there. Your parents are back.

Her parents had gone to Hawaii on an extended vacation without telling her. Carmen mentioned there being a Flores family text group and Rowena had not been invited. A ball of discomfort sat heavy in her stomach.

Her fingers moved across the touchscreen of her phone.

Have plans with Cross and work. Maybe next time.

"You okay, Rowena?" Abby asked from across the breakfast table, causing Liam, Matt, and Cross to stop eating.

Her boyfriend's eyes narrowed. "Did someone else threaten you?"

"Say the word, Rowena," Matt added. "We'll kill them."

Liam gave a single nod. "Slowly."

Abby chuckled. "Clearly, the upcoming full moon is making the men violent."

Winona and Bruce, Cross and Abby's parents were both at the table. Winona chewed a piece of bacon thoughtfully while her husband leaned forward. "Back in my day, men used to hole up in the bedroom with their mates a few days before the full moon. Took the edge off."

His lids lowered slightly, and the corner of his mouth twisted up. "It's how Selig was born."

Abby spat out her orange juice. "Do you mind? I'm trying to eat here. I don't need to know these things."

Winona rolled her eyes. "It's human nature, Abby. When you find your mate, the full moon will burn in your blood."

"What if she mates with a different shifter?" Rowena asked, genuinely curious. Her eyes widened, and she turned to Abby. "I read about penguin shifters once. They fall in love and mate for life."

Winona coughed. "There are no such things as penguin shifters." She glared at her son. "Haven't you told your human anything about our world?"

"Mother." His voice was a warning.

"I read my tarot cards last night," a plain-looking woman said. "Trouble is brewing."

Rowena leaned closer to Cross and whispered, "Who is that?"

"Angelina," Cross reminded her. "You saw her yesterday, remember?"

Rowena glanced back at Angelina. "Is it just me, or does she look worse than yesterday?"

Cross nodded. "She's still angry about the curse. It's probably making her soul uglier."

"Which is making her look different." Abby sighed. "Maybe I should remove the curse."

Everyone stopped eating.

"You'll remove my curse?" Angelina hissed. "Are you pretending to be a forgiving person, Rowena? First, you steal my boyfriend. Then, you steal my beauty. Well, I don't need your help. I know how to get my beauty back."

"Angelina," Winona said, tugging on the woman's arm.

"I will never let you cheat me of what's mine!" Angelina growled.

Cross stood up, growling. "Are you threatening my mate?"

"She isn't your mate!" Angelina shrieked.

A low chuckle came from Rowena.

"You think this is funny?" Angelina shouted.

Rowena placed her fork by her plate, taking the time to straighten it before glancing back at Angelina. "I thought crazy women like you only existed in cheesy romance books or on true crime shows. Never in my life did I think I'd have the pleasure of going up against one. So, yes. I think it's hilarious. You think I cheated you? Chick, you never deserved Cross and you certainly never deserved your beauty."

"False advertising," Abby muttered, earning a glare from Winona.

Rowena smiled. "If you want to gain your beauty back on your own, go for it. I will not stop you." She leaned forward, her smile dropping and her features transforming into a mask of fury. "But if you think you can steal Cross from me, think again. I'll curse you to have roaches come out of your mouth when you speak."

Angelina's confident stance faltered.

"Never cheat a witch," Rowena warned her. "You won't like the consequences."

The tension filled the room like a heavy fog. Selig's entrance broke through the silence. Oblivious to what had just occurred, he strode into the dining room dancing. He was singing off key to Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

Cross shook his head and sat down while Winona chuckled at her youngest son.

Angelina huffed before stomping out of the room. Once she exited, he took her seat.

"So, what did I miss?" Selig asked, digging into Angelina's untouched plate.

"You mother's chihuahua tried to attack a pit bull and learned a valuable lesson," Bruce answered.

Winona rolled her eyes. "Let's go, Bruce.

"Mom got a Chihuahua?" Selig asked no one in particular, pulling his parents' dishes closer to him.

A woman dressed in a maid's outfit walked in carrying a calico cat. Rowena smiled. "Kitty!"

"I had one of my wolves pick her up for you. You'll need to stay here for a few days," Cross ordered.

Kitty purred and wrapped herself around Rowena's ankles before making her way to Selig. He lifted the fluffy cat and stroked her before saying, "I knew I'd get my hands on Rowena's Kitty one day. You're just as soft as I imagined."

Cross growled.

Selig snickered. "So, when is the interrogation?"

"Interrogation?" Abby repeated.

"A troll attacked her last night," Matt shared.

Abby gasped. "Are you okay? Why didn't you tell me? I could've been there for you!"

"I was there for her," Cross explained.

Rowena's phone dinged with her cousin Lorena's response.

They're your family.

Were they? Technically and by blood, they were. She remembered the last time she'd been injured. Except for Lorena, no one really cared. She'd been in the hospital and none of them came to visit her. She shook her head.

They didn't tell me they went to Hawaii. They didn't answer my calls or respond to my texts. That's not family.

Cross grasped one of her hands and gave it a light squeeze. "Are you okay?"

She turned off her phone and nodded. An hour later, they entered the Howler police department. Rowena and Abby wore long brown Inverness coats and deerstalker caps.

"I can't be the only one wondering. Why are you two dressed like Sherlock Holmes?" Liam asked the two women.

"So, we can look professional while interrogating Warning," Rowena answered. She leaned into Abby. "I told you we should've dressed like Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler from SVU."

"You aren't questioning her," Cross said. "I am."

"I'm the head enforcer," Matt reminded him. "It's my job."

"I'm an attorney," Selig huffed. "I'm a professional question-asker. I should do it."

As the three men argued, Liam jerked his head at Abby and Rowena to step into the cell area. He followed behind them.

They stopped in front of the cell holding the troll. She was sitting cross-legged, meditating.

"Warning," Rowena called out. "You ready to talk now?"

The troll smiled, her teeth a row of sharp points. How had Rowena not noticed that the night prior?

"You should let me go, human. My people won't appreciate you and the wolves holding me captive."

"Not until you answer my questions. Did you kill Karen?"

Warning smirked. "No."

"Do you know who killed Karen?"

Warning's eye twitched. "No."

"Liar," Abby hissed. "Who killed her?"

Warning sighed, uncrossing her legs. Her eyes darted to Liam. "Hiya, hot stuff. If you get me out of here, I'll make it worth your while."

Liam frowned, but ignored her.

"He already has one psycho sending him naked pictures. He doesn't need another," Rowena told her. "Why won't you tell us who killed Karen? Was it another troll?"

"We're mean, not stupid," Warning snapped. "If I tell you what happened, I want his phone number." She pointed to Liam.

"Done!" Abby answered.

"Abby!" Liam growled.

"What? You should be flattered all the crazy women are attracted to you," Abby said.

"I'm not crazy!" Warning yelled.

"Fine, you're not crazy," Rowena agreed. Now, can you tell us what you know?"

Warning cleared her throat. "A couple of months ago, someone asked us to do a job for them. They wanted some humans killed. Had the names and where it could be done."

"Was Karen one of the humans?" Rowena asked.

"I don't recall. All I know is they wanted us to do the job at Sweeter Homes where the woman worked, and make it very obvious it was done by a paranormal species-- the fairies."

"Wait, the trolls act as hitmen?" Abby asked.

"If we don't take those jobs, someone else will," Warning defended. "At least we get paid if we take them."

"Murderers," Rowena whispered.

"Anyway, Rocky, our leader, turned the job down. He didn't want to out a paranormal race."

"So murdering the humans was okay, but your moral compass was alarmed by the idea of letting the world know fairies exist?" Rowena sneered.

"What's a moral compass?" Warning asked.

"That doesn't tell us anything about Karen's murder," Liam reminded them.

"I'm not finished," Warning said. "After that, we got another request, but this time it was to kill one woman at the store in Clarkton. Again, they wanted to make it seem like the fairies did it. Wanted glitter everywhere and to leave a note about how fairies exist."

"That must've been a hit on Karen," Rowena said. "But there was nothing to suggest it was anyone but a human who killed Karen. They even found the medicine someone used on Karen in my friend Gina's home."

"Before you ask, we don't know who made the request. Everything is anonymous. What we found odd is whoever made the request on the human was willing to pay three times the amount than the first request. Even Rocky was tempted, but the fairies have been fighting for years about letting everyone know of their existence. They want humans to bow down to their power."

"Why is the money they offered unusual?" Rowena asked.

Warning laughed. "Have you ever met the fairies before? They like to party and they are gluttonous. They quickly spend any money they have. Fairies aren't rich enough to offer the money they offered."

"Unless it's the royal family," Abby suggested. "I bet they have money."

"Maybe," Liam said, nodding. "We can ask Selig. Only he would know out of our group."

"The fairies aren't rich like the wolves," Warning reminded them. "Everyone knows King Giles depends on the queen for money. Queen Daisy discovered how to spell rocks and paper to look like money. It was another reason Rocky was hesitant to take the deal. Everyone thinks fairies are nice. They're diabolical. At least with us trolls, you know what you're getting."

The door behind them opened to reveal an angry group of men.

"You questioned her without us?" Cross growled.

Rowena stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry. I couldn't wait. It's my fault."

He ran a hand up and down her back as a comforting gesture before kissing the top of her head. "It's okay, baby. I know you were eager."

He looked up to see the men staring at him with their mouths open. Abby was smirking.

"I never thought I'd see the day to have the alpha wolf whipped by a human," Warning joked.

Rowena lifted her head to look back at Warning. "I'm also a witch."

The troll's eyes widened.

"Cross, I think we're back to square one on this investigation. All we know is someone put out a hit on Karen and offered a lot of money. Warning said the fairies don't have that kind of money."

"They don't," Selig said from behind them. "It was one reason the princess and I fought. She was too proud to accept any help. They're strong in magic but horrible with money."

"So where does that leave us?" Rowena asked. "Where does it leave Gina?"

"Tonight is the full moon," Liam reminded them.

"Right. Tonight, we deal with the full moon, but tomorrow, I say we pay a visit to Little Mikey," Cross said. "He knew what Karen was up to, but wouldn't tell us."

"He will not break his code of criminal activity. Not even for Gina," Rowena reminded him. "She should dump him."

"The troll is going to help us," Cross said, smiling.

"I am?" Warning asked, a brow raised.

"I'll pay you."

"I am," Warning agreed, nodding.

"Thank you. Gina's my friend, but all of you are helping anyway," Rowena said softly.

"You're family." Abby shrugged. "It's what we do."

Rowena tightened her hold on Cross, closing her eyes as warmth spread in her chest. He kissed her head again and inhaled.

"Stop sniffing me!" Rowena grumbled.

Laughter surrounded her. Yes, this was definitely her new family.

NOTE FROM SHEHOPES: Do you think Little Mikey is hiding secrets?
Also, Saturday is the official update day BUT I'll also be posting chapters on random days. In the meantime, AMAZING and check out my open novella story. I'm so excited for it.