my bandaged hand, and he licked it. Ezra shoved him, and Gil jumped back just like Slightly did when we played. I pulled away, my mind slowly getting it.
They were wolves.
“All good?” Ezra asked.
“Sure.” Not really, but I wasn’t sure what I could do about it.
Micah reached down to pet his brother’s furry head. “This goes no further than this house, Sophie.”
I nodded. “I get it.”
Footsteps thumped down the stairs and through the living room before Jules stood at the open door, staring at us all. She looked at Gil as a wolf then met my gaze. Her eyes went wide and unbelieving. “You told her,” she said accusingly to Ezra.
“Couldn’t really not, Juliet. You phased right in front of her,” Micah stated calmly.
She snapped her head over to him, her eyes flashing. “I didn’t know!”
I approached her tentatively. “Jules?”
The blue of her eyes seemed darker, full of fear and sorrow. “Sophie.”
“You OK?” I wanted to ask her much more, but not in front of a bunch of boys. Wolves. Boy-wolves.
Could this really be happening?
She stared at me for so long, not saying a word.
“We need to get Sophie home,” Ezra said. “And I’ve got to get to the fair.”
“The fair?” I looked at my hands. “I have to perform. Like this.”
“That’s hardly the worst of your problems, Sophie,” Micah said, his hand still on Gil’s head. “Someone will need to drive you home. I’ll take Gil, Nick, and Aidan home.” He walked over to me. “Not a word to anyone. You tripped and broke a vase, hurting your hands, got it?”
Jules shoved between us. “Are you threatening her?”
Micah smiled. Jules’s nostrils flared, and he took a step back. He led the rest of the guys inside, Gil-wolf padding behind them, with his jeans in his mouth.
Jules turned to me. “I’m sorry.”
I nodded. I wanted to hug her, but my hands were bandaged, and then, she was… If I could even believe it.
Jules hugged me, which was awkward since I couldn’t hug back. She felt the same. Maybe warmer. I wanted to cry, but I didn’t know why exactly.
“I’ll drive you, Sophie. Nick’ll take my car.” Ezra walked past us, glancing back. “Come on.”
Jules didn’t let go of me first like she usually did. She held on. Eventually she released me, and I followed Ezra into the house. I saw both Mr. Varden and Meredith in the kitchen as I passed, their faces carefully blank.
Jules watched me as I left. Ezra helped me into my car and fastened the seatbelt for me, which put him so close I could have brushed my cheek against his. I didn’t, thankfully. He started my car and, with a glance at Nick behind us, Ezra drove out onto the road. He didn’t say anything, and my brain was too full to talk.
After ten minutes, I asked, “What’s gonna happen to Jules?”
Ezra turned down the radio and put his hand back on the steering wheel before answering me. “We’ll train her. She’ll be part of the pack.” He glanced over at me. “You OK?”
“Oh, I don’t think I’ve had a weirder day. Ever.”
He smiled.
“So, you’re one.”
He nodded. “Yep. So’s my sister. And Dad. Mom’s like you. Human.”
I watched his profile. “You’ve always been one.”
“Yes.”
“Wow.” I looked out at the passing trees, which made me think about the walking stick I’d bought from him. “Wait. The wolves. That you carve.”
“Yeah, not from pictures.”
“Who did I buy then?”
“Gil.” He tapped his hand on the steering wheel a few times. “That was Gil.”
“Wow.”
He looked at me for a second. “Look Sophie, I know that Micah probably beat it into the ground, but this is the biggest secret. You can’t tell anyone. Ever. That includes your parents.”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Why is it such a big secret?”
He exhaled noisily. “We’re not the only ones. Shifters. There are others. We don’t want them to know about us.” His face was smooth and serious.
“Why not?”
“It’s
They were wolves.
“All good?” Ezra asked.
“Sure.” Not really, but I wasn’t sure what I could do about it.
Micah reached down to pet his brother’s furry head. “This goes no further than this house, Sophie.”
I nodded. “I get it.”
Footsteps thumped down the stairs and through the living room before Jules stood at the open door, staring at us all. She looked at Gil as a wolf then met my gaze. Her eyes went wide and unbelieving. “You told her,” she said accusingly to Ezra.
“Couldn’t really not, Juliet. You phased right in front of her,” Micah stated calmly.
She snapped her head over to him, her eyes flashing. “I didn’t know!”
I approached her tentatively. “Jules?”
The blue of her eyes seemed darker, full of fear and sorrow. “Sophie.”
“You OK?” I wanted to ask her much more, but not in front of a bunch of boys. Wolves. Boy-wolves.
Could this really be happening?
She stared at me for so long, not saying a word.
“We need to get Sophie home,” Ezra said. “And I’ve got to get to the fair.”
“The fair?” I looked at my hands. “I have to perform. Like this.”
“That’s hardly the worst of your problems, Sophie,” Micah said, his hand still on Gil’s head. “Someone will need to drive you home. I’ll take Gil, Nick, and Aidan home.” He walked over to me. “Not a word to anyone. You tripped and broke a vase, hurting your hands, got it?”
Jules shoved between us. “Are you threatening her?”
Micah smiled. Jules’s nostrils flared, and he took a step back. He led the rest of the guys inside, Gil-wolf padding behind them, with his jeans in his mouth.
Jules turned to me. “I’m sorry.”
I nodded. I wanted to hug her, but my hands were bandaged, and then, she was… If I could even believe it.
Jules hugged me, which was awkward since I couldn’t hug back. She felt the same. Maybe warmer. I wanted to cry, but I didn’t know why exactly.
“I’ll drive you, Sophie. Nick’ll take my car.” Ezra walked past us, glancing back. “Come on.”
Jules didn’t let go of me first like she usually did. She held on. Eventually she released me, and I followed Ezra into the house. I saw both Mr. Varden and Meredith in the kitchen as I passed, their faces carefully blank.
Jules watched me as I left. Ezra helped me into my car and fastened the seatbelt for me, which put him so close I could have brushed my cheek against his. I didn’t, thankfully. He started my car and, with a glance at Nick behind us, Ezra drove out onto the road. He didn’t say anything, and my brain was too full to talk.
After ten minutes, I asked, “What’s gonna happen to Jules?”
Ezra turned down the radio and put his hand back on the steering wheel before answering me. “We’ll train her. She’ll be part of the pack.” He glanced over at me. “You OK?”
“Oh, I don’t think I’ve had a weirder day. Ever.”
He smiled.
“So, you’re one.”
He nodded. “Yep. So’s my sister. And Dad. Mom’s like you. Human.”
I watched his profile. “You’ve always been one.”
“Yes.”
“Wow.” I looked out at the passing trees, which made me think about the walking stick I’d bought from him. “Wait. The wolves. That you carve.”
“Yeah, not from pictures.”
“Who did I buy then?”
“Gil.” He tapped his hand on the steering wheel a few times. “That was Gil.”
“Wow.”
He looked at me for a second. “Look Sophie, I know that Micah probably beat it into the ground, but this is the biggest secret. You can’t tell anyone. Ever. That includes your parents.”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Why is it such a big secret?”
He exhaled noisily. “We’re not the only ones. Shifters. There are others. We don’t want them to know about us.” His face was smooth and serious.
“Why not?”
“It’s
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