I curl up and snuggle deep into my overly-large Colorado State sweatshirt. It's from the box of Braxton's things that Conner left for me. I don't even care if it's ridiculous to find some comfort in his clothes. Class was miserable today. Rumors of Sean's fall from grace are rife and they know it revolves around me and Georgina. The details aren't known, thank the goddess for small favors, but just the idea of a love triangle involving sisters has sent tongues wagging.

Not as many wolves seem to be aware of Braxton's imprisonment. He was in the north and most of ClearHowl just assume that he's still there. The Mark on my neck only lets wolves know I'm Claimed, not who my mate is. I'm dreading the day when the pack realizes just who Marked me. I'm already the trash who stole my sister's male.

Then I went to skating practice and the rink is just so damn cold. Even my she-wolf was miserable, pouting and whining the entire time. The physical exertion is getting easier every day, but my mind wasn't on the ice today. Will could tell, of course, and he let me go early.

With nothing left to do, I decided to visit Mom and Phoebe, only to find that they've gone back home to Dad. I guess that makes a sort of sobering sense. Phoebe loves Dad and Mom can't really live without him. I don't blame Dad, anyway. He probably didn't know how to tell Mom the truth about Sean.

I trudge up the steps of what used to be my home, looking at the door and wondering if I should knock or walk right in? Lucky for me, I don't have to decide, and it swings open when my foot hits the top step.

"Ili!" Dad opens the door, then his arms, wide. Before I can get both feet through the door I'm engulfed in his arms, tighter than I've been hugged since I was a tiny pup. I think I even hear the tiniest sob come from his shuddering chest.

"Didn't Hank come with you?" he asks gruffly, before hustling me into the house. Another set of arms closed around me, and I hear Mom cry out my name in joy.

"Ili! My sweet pup, are you doing better? Hank didn't tell us you were coming?" Mom looks out the open door worriedly, before shutting and locking it securely.

My she-wolf and I are a little stunned. We left Mom and Dad with nary a word and haven't heard anything from them in nearly a month except that one time Mom came to visit. I knew Hank was acting as the gatekeeper, but it only just occurred to me that maybe my parents allowed it. Maybe they were happy to let Hank hide me away. They seem to expect his steps behind me, shotgun at the ready. Am I so fragile that Mom and Dad avoided me for fear of setting my recovery back?

"Hank had to go to the office today," I explain. Mom and Dad share an uneasy look.

"You walked here by yourself?" Dad asks. He guides me down the hallway with a protective hand at my back. "I would have picked you up if you called."

"I haven't spoken to you in weeks."

Mom and Dad are quiet as we enter the kitchen, the heart of the home. Mom bustles around, preparing coffee and tea, and Dad rummages in the pantry for snacks.

"We weren't sure you would want to see us..." Mom's voice trails off. "I thought about that day, Ili. I can't stop thinking about that day. I brought your sister there," she whispers brokenly. Tears well up in her eyes. "I didn't know about Sean and I... I left the door unlocked." Mom starts to cry, "I can't believe I just walked away and didn't think to lock it."

Dad stops putting bags of chips on the table to embrace her. "We both fucked up," he tells me bluntly. "We're so sorry, Ili."

I burrow deeper into Braxton's sweatshirt.

"Iliana!" the scream of pure, unadulterated joy makes a smile bloom on my face as Phoebe comes rushing around the corner and straight toward me.

Mom and Dad don't have the same happy reaction, though. My parents react defensively, both of them snarling, posturing angrily at the empty doorway to the hall that Phoebe just passed through. Instinctively I gather my younger sister in my arms, pushing her down to protect her and baring my own teeth at the unknown threat.

My she-wolf slowly circles, canines bared, eyes narrowed, chest rumbling. Georgina is here.

Dad moves into the hallway, a once-graceful predator, limping now, but still formidable. He intercepts her and I listen, silent, to every word with Phoebe still clutched safely in my arms.

"Why is she here?" Georgina cries out. Her voice trembles.

Dad's response is too low to hear, but Georgina's voice is clear as a bell, "she's not my sister! She's the slut that stole my mate!"

"He is Iliana's truemate," Dad roars. "I told you to stop this! You were ordered to steer clear of Iliana!" Georgina screams, "this is my home! She left! Why don't you kick her out!"

The front door slams. Mom's chandelier of upside-down Mason jars glowing with oblong Edison bulbs shudders. A photograph of Phoebe on her first day of school hangs crookedly on the wall.

My heart is pounding. Phoebe buries her head in my shoulder as Dad comes stomping back into the room, his feet clomping unsteadily, step, thunk, step, thunk. "Ili, when you're ready to leave, I'll drive you, understand? Don't leave on your own."

"I understand," I whisper. Alpha Alex's worries echo in my brain. I'm not ready to compete for alpha female. Dad and Mom are acting as though Georgina is out for my blood and I have a horrible, sinking feeling that they're right. My she-wolf and I are utterly grateful that we didn't actually have to confront Georgina today. All of the bravado that we have during school with Bailey at our side fled as soon as she walked into the house.

Bailey's guards and the pack would stop a fight between my sister and me... unless I declared myself in the race to be alpha female. My shoulders slump and a frisson of fear races down my spine. I can still hear the faint echo of Dad's stride, of that stilted thunk. Wolves are meant to be in top physical shape and the leaders of a pack even more.

Standing up, I wander out into the hallway and down to Dad's den. It's his office, I suppose, but it also holds his exercise equipment and whatever paraphernalia he needs for his latest hobby. Before my disastrous heat, it was woodworking. There was a workbench with small hand tools and the room always smelled of wood shavings.

I see Dad's weight bench pulled out of its corner. It's not covered in scraps of wood and half-finished pieces anymore. Now it gleams, the dust gone, the hinges and bolts oiled. The faint smell of sweat clings to the leather bench.

Swallowing, I turn back around to see Dad looking at the weightbench with a defeated stare. "You've started training again?" I ask him. Dad hates physical therapy. Loathes it with every fiber of his being.

He shrugs one shoulder, his face going blank. "I shouldn't have stopped my physical therapy," he says calmly. "Then..." He swallows. "I didn't protect you," he says softly. "I called that little prick because your heat was so dangerous and I didn't stay to make sure you were safe." His voice has softened to a croak. "I didn't realize that Braxton Grim was gunning for you, pumpkin. I thought... If I were there then I could have prevented that." His eyes, filled with tears, focus in on the faint Mark on my shoulder, mostly hidden under Braxton's sweatshirt.

"Could you have?" I said sadly. "No one else could. Wrecking your leg isn't going to change anything, Dad."

He swallows hard. "It was my job to protect you and I couldn't do it. I failed with Georgina. Failed to stop them from hurting you. Failed to find an alternative to calling that prick. I failed you."

Tears slip down my cheeks. I failed myself. I should have tattled like a pup whose ice cream was stolen. "Georgina knew Sean was my mate."

Dad nods, jaw clenching. "Alpha has already begun an investigation. He spoke with Mom and me yesterday."

"An investigation into Georgina?" I ask, astonished. "What for?" It can't just be her and Sean. I mean, I guess it could be... Maybe Bailey found something in the orange juice? But then they would have to link it back to Georgina.

"He didn't say," Dad admits quietly.

"I think... I'd like to go home," I tell Dad. "I mean, back to Hank's," I amend when I see him wince. Dad just nods, looking sad, his jaw flexing.

"I'll wait in the hallway," I say to him. Numb, head whirling, I leave the den and my dad's self-inflicted torture device behind. As I say goodbye to Mom and Phoebe, my she-wolf curls up and starts to lick her sore paws, wishing that her males were the ones grooming her.

---

"So..." I lean against the craggy face of the cliff and cross my arms and legs. "How is being feral treating you? Fun? Exciting?"

Sean's dark eyes turn to me, emotionless and cold. I swear he used to have dark brown irises, but they've blown out to black now. Or he just looks like a fucking creep in the shadows.

"We are not feral," he replies in a low, calm tone.

"You aren't the king, either, so I'm not sure why you're using the royal 'we.' Unless you've decided it's your new pronoun. Are you woke, Seanie? 'We are all the genders and none of the genders at the same time?'"

Those creepy-ass dark eyes blink at me slowly. "You are annoying, Brat," he announces, but without any inflection.

"You're creepy," I shoot out.

"I am male. I have a cock," he answers back.

The impending sense of doom, being locked away from Ili and stuck with a feral nutjob, makes that comment fucking hilarious. The laughter pours out until I'm bent in half, the rock wall digging into my ass and thighs until I can catch my breath.

Sean is watching me, head cocked to one side. "What is funny?" he asks.

"You have a cock," I mockingly imitate him. "That's not even what matters, because if you feel like your a female but were born male and you... You know what?" I stop when I don't see the light dawning in his eyes, "nevermind."

"You are male?" he asks me, dark gaze traveling up and down my naked body as if he has to doubt his own eyes.

"Yes!" I huff, offended despite my failed attempt at an equality lecture.

He goes quiet for a minute. His gaze swings back out toward the forest. He's been perched under the outcropping for hours, as still as if he's carved from the rock.

"Mate feels like a female?" he asks suddenly.

"Ili is a female, yes," I answer, then I think about it. "Unless you scarred her for life and she's gone lesbo with Bailey." I should ask Conner the next time he comes here, just to see his face.

"That is all that matters," Sean turns back. "We are what she wants."

"She doesn't want you," I snap back.

"She likes males," Sean replies.

"Fucking goddess, why are we talking about this?" I ask in disbelief.

He shrugs, "you began the conversation, Brat."

"Stop calling me that," I grit out.

"This is what we call you." A cruel smile curls at the corner of his mouth.

"You," I stress, "are an asshole. Or maybe two assholes," I mutter.

"The one that patrols the east trail is lazy," he remarks.

"What?" I can feel my head spin to catch up.

"He is the weak spot," Sean replies, dark eyes staring into the forest. "We use his weakness to escape. Are you ready?"

I kneel down next to him. "We should escape at night."

"He does not patrol at night," Sean replies with the same eerie calm that he's exhibited all week.

"Listen, it's been a month up here alone with you," I tell him harshly, "but c'mon, be reasonable. We're sitting ducks during the day. Even now they're tracking our positions. One patrol being lazy doesn't mean the others are, too."

Sean is silent, thinking, coming up with a better plan, I hope.

"You were right," I begrudgingly tell him. "It was stupid to keep trying to escape without a good plan in place." They increased patrols, adding a few more wolves scattered through the forest, because of my stupidity.

Sean suddenly moves, abruptly leaving the outcropping to jog to the fence. I follow on his heels, lifting my face in the air to try and catch the scent he has.

We are at the fence, somewhere close to the middle of the metal expanse stretching across the perimeter when I smell her.

A low snarl tumbles from my lips, "your whore is here."

"Yes," he intones. "The other female. Crying, can you feel it?" That cruel smile pulls at his mouth again.

I scowl, my wolf growling at his choice of words. "Feel it? Do you have some sort of bond with that bitch?" I ask. Horror ripples over me. Fucking goddess, does Ili know?

"I fucked her," Sean points out blandly.

"You sound real thoughtful for a feral fuck," I snap, except I notice that he used the singular "I." My wolf paces, back and forth, Clawing at the dead ground under his broken, bleeding paws. Streaks of blood follow in his wake. Blood that should be spilling from the blonde bitch approaching the fence, tears glittering prettily on her painted cheeks.

The fence shorts out, the low buzzing that makes my wolf's hair stand up on end disappearing after one last crackle of electricity.

Sean strolls to the fence, loping almost casually, nothing like the mad sprint we both made when Ili came. Goddess, I miss her beautiful eyes staring at me.

"Sweetheart," Sean croons. His fingers wrap around the fence, sans claws. Their absence is noteworthy after a week of Sean rubbing them together as he stared into the forest.

"Sean," Georgina sobs, the tears coming in earnest now that the Feral Fuck has opened his dipshit mouth.

Rage burns hot. My wolf shows his displeasure to the two lovebirds by flashing fang as I mimic his movement, pacing a few yards behind Sean.

"Why are you crying, Sweetheart?" Sean asks lovingly.

"She came to visit our parents today," she whimpers. "It was awful! They both blame me for loving you so much. But it hurts, Sean! The way they stared at me..." she buries her face in her hands and cries.

"It's alright, Sweetheart," Sean murmurs. "Tell me what she said."

"She told me that I'm a slut and a nasty whore," Georgina says.

I can hear the lie. The first she's told this morning, but I doubt it's the last.

"Lying bitch!" I throw at her. My canines snap in the air. I take in her scent, the false blonde bitch, and catch the faintest whiff of pure fury.

So, Sean is upset with me calling out his girlfriend?

"Don't be sad, Sweetheart," Sean says softly. "Brat is just upset that we're locked away in here. I'm so sorry I haven't been here for you. That I've been so confused. I'm sorry I told you it's over. Forgive me?"

Georgina stops crying her fake-ass tears, a smile blooming on my face. I don't hear her first words because I'm trying to hold back the wolf in me.

"I asked alpha to let you go, but he didn't listen at all. I'll try again, try to tell him that you love me and Braxton can have her."

My wolf goes quiet. Yes, we can have Ili. That's cool. That's good. Except it'll kill Ili if Georgina and Sean fuck before I can fully complete my Claim. Maybe literally.

"I'll need to Claim Ili," I announce. My wolf shivers eagerly.

Sean reaches back behind his head to scratch at his hair with wickedly sharp claws. "We need to get out of here, first," he replies calmly. "And, Alpha won't let me out if he thinks we'll run away together," he says to Georgina. "He can't know. No one can know, Sweetheart. We have to escape." He moves closer to the fence, closing his eyes, looking for all he's worth like a male painfully in love. "Help us, Sweetheart. We can't get out of here without you."

This clever mother-fucker. Goddess, fuck me in the shitter with a pike. He's playing with the dumb female, and judging by the look of hope and greed on her face, Georgina is falling for it.

"Just you," she whispers, glancing behind Sean toward me with a disdainful glare. "He frightens me. We can't trust him." I reward her with a nasty smirk.

"Of course not," Sean agrees, "but, Brat has to come. Otherwise, he'll let the patrol know I'm gone. Besides, the pack is less likely to hunt us down if Brat can fully Claim her before we mate." He reaches out and strokes her cheek gently, claws retracted. I wonder what that effort cost him? Am I the only one who can hear Sean's strangled tone when he says, 'mate?' Goddess, I'm stunned his feral ass can handle this shit right now.

Georgina practically melts against the fence into Sean's touch, until a frown crosses her face. "Tomorrow night, they're announcing the candidates for alpha female," she says. "Can we mate before that? If I'm the Beta's mate, then I'm a shoo-in for alpha female!"

"That's great, Sweetheart," I hear the thread of panic in Sean's voice and wonder if he feels the same fear for Ili that I do. She can't be ready to announce her candidacy for alpha female. "Tell me who is patrolling tonight and I'll escape and meet you in our glen, OK?" He runs his thumb over her lips.

"Really?" Georgina smiles, tears pouring down her cheeks. "It's almost over, isn't it? And we won't have to worry about her anymore?"

"I'll even take her north," I promise out of the blue. "You won't have to see your sister ever again."

"She's not my sister!" Georgina snaps at me, eyes flaring insanely.

I wisely step back. Let Sean handle the cray-cray. I'll just stay over here, looking as innocent as a naked, locked-up insane fucker can. Hey, just over here, balls swinging in the wind because my big brother didn't bother to give us new clothes. Not that it matters, there isn't a shower in the cave.

"It's a good idea. Soon everyone will forget all about her and the Brat. You and I will rule this pack," Sean soothes her.

A patrolling wolf approaches and I see Sean lean even closer to Georgina. "Tonight, Sweetheart. Be careful." He strokes her again.

The anger drops from her face immediately as she turns back to Sean. "I love you," she tells him.

"Love you, too," he rasps out.

The patrolling wolf approaches the fence. "Time's up," he orders. Howie is usually jovial, but right now his glare could melt steel. I wonder if he knows how Sean, Ili, and Georgina are all connected?

Georgina walks away with one more longing look back over her shoulder for Sean. We wait in silence as she disappears, Howie on her heels.

"So, that was an impressive-" I stop talking as Sean bolts from the fence to the bushes and starts to vomit.

I saunter over slowly, enjoying the sounds of him retching up the rabbit we ate earlier as he pays the price for his lies. Swearing, Sean straightens, then stalks over to the bucket from the well and dumps it over his head. He pulls up another bucket of water quickly, then sits in the puddle with the bar of soap and starts to scrub his hands.

"Ili. Our Ili. Our mate. Sorry, mate, sorry," he whispers to himself furiously. "Don't love the other. Love you, sorry."

"Pull it together," I warn. "You got her to help us. Don't fuck it up, now."

Burning dark eyes meet mine. Fangs flash. I understand. My wolf needs to let off some steam, too.

We clash in a fury of fur and claw, yowling almost like scalded cats instead of wolves. Two of the patrol approach the fence as it crackles with electricity again, entertained by our fight.