had fall

were now nothing more than memories lingering in the air. Upstairs, Mina and Tasha had long since

ver, the night w

key glass. The amber liquid inside barely rippled, but his mind was anything but still. Across fro

here for

's voice was low, controlled, but laced with something sharp. "You to

ng a sip of his drink. "Because it's tr

id that to her. She doesn't know anything, abo

efully, his gaze stea

ponse was immediat

nths," he reminded her. "Mina's birthday is just three days before Tasha's. We don

unding herself. "You don't know if Mina will shift," she mur

s voice was calm but

d no a

rves to know what she is before she finds out the hard way. You and I both know how dangero

been prepared, who had no idea they carried the gene, suddenly thrust in

was d

he has to be ready," Aaron co

she asked, her voice quieter now. "If she's fully human, do we still t

s the one question neith

knew the

until she came of age. The one destined to stand beside the most po

ad never named

they had

aised in secrecy. Two who had werewolf blood in

e of them c

na the truth, and Tasha never shifts..." She looked

his glass. "Then we protect her,"

nce settled

r the truth could put her in danger, knowledge alone could be a death s

ness above. "Mina has always been skeptical," he murmured. "She doesn't belie

dry laugh. "Iro

is," he admitted. "She won't believe me at first. But I'd rather have that argument with

She didn't blame him for

she had the same

between them, heavy

ivia br

pha, weren't you?" Her voice w

stif

eard that n

ycan

ast of his kind. The one prophesied to retu

But even then, he had felt it. The unnatural power that radiated

said, his tone careful. "But

o you think the prophe

e met hers,

if it is, then the girl he's mea

through Ol

that, neither of them kn

f they were truly read