ong time, Hunter had been my forbidden passion, the father o

nse was firm. "My children don't have a fathe

"So, did you opt for in vitro fert

of the lie on my shoulders.

in his notepad. He seemed to understand that

ea where we can start the investigation, or if there's a

"I don't know, Officer Moore. I just want them back. In two days, my childr

nvestigation is just beginning, Mrs. Silver. So far, there are no signs of violence beyon

reased as the minutes passed. I could barely believe that in just two days, my children would turn six. Their b

lling up in my eyes again. "They're all I have, and I can'

r. We'll investigate calmly, but it's important not to set too high expectations at this time. We'll find your children a

ren, without the laughter and joy they brought to my existence. But I knew that r

promising myself that I would do anything to have them back in my arms and

*

r seemed never to have dissipated. Stacy, the nanny who had become a dear part of our lives, was now dead, and m

were in danger. There was something inside me, a beast that had been dormant for a long time, somethin

rm to search for my children. It was an ability I hadn't used in six years since the tr

asting an ethereal light over the space. I knew this transformation wasn't easy, especia

h my inner wolf, that wild being that wa

I last transformed, when I left my pack and came to Seattle. I remembered the sensation of my bones elongating

me, but something was wrong. My skin didn't prickle,

hold of me, claws would appear, senses would sharpen, and I

if calling an old friend

gth I had known since childhood. It simply was

ying to find that hidden part of my soul. "Y

hs of my essence. For years, I had always known how to invoke my

elf, feeling a deep and dark void in the core of my so

lf. I had never had trouble transforming before, even when it wasn't necessary. But at t

in my eyes. My wolf, who had always been my strength, see

voke the most primitive part of my nature, but nothing happened. Tears welled up

ou? What hap

engulfed me, and I felt more vulnerable than ever. My inner wolf had always been a

red, as if it had been erased. Fear began t

ock. Frustration mixed with fear, and I felt powerless. My most fundamental ability as a werewolf, my connection to my wild

amed down

indifferent to my pain. What would I do now? How would I fin

its light didn't bring me the same sense of power and comfort as it used to. I looked out at the forest surrounding