Chapter 1

Izzy's life has been turned upside down. As the local high school freak, she's never really fit in before, but things have lately gotten worse. To top it all off, her mom decided to suddenly move them in with her Aunt Luna and Uncle Alpha at their so-called PACK. Everything changed when she met their triplet sons. There are secrets in this village. And Izzy is slowly realizing that things aren't quite as they seem. The more questions she asks, the more questions she has. As events unfold, can Izzy find out the truth about herself, the strange village, and the strange Triplets?

Chapter 1

Isadora POV

The grass was cool under my bare feet and the breeze was sweet smelling. I tipped my head up into the wind and sniffed, appreciating the whirl of scents that it brought me. The season was changing from spring to summer and berries were beginning to ripen. I could smell rain in the distance and the yeasty scent of fresh baked bread wafted from town.

I frowned. I could smell something else, something rotten and dirty. I looked towards the woods and could see two men and a woman approaching me. I wrinkled my nose but put a smile on my face. They were probably lost and needed help. They couldn’t help how they smelled.

Before my eyes, they turned into wolves. The largest of the wolves bared his teeth at me and growled. I could see the sharpness of his teeth and I could feel the hatred radiating off from him. I cried out and took a step back and bumped into something warm and soft.

I turned to see a wolf, the largest and most beautiful wolf that I have ever seen. She was snow white with icy blue eyes and a little silver streak down the middle of her forehead. Her fur was longer and softer than the fur on the wolves from the forest. Somehow, I knew her name was Heka, and she was there to help me, not hurt me. Behind her, three more wolves stood, identical. They were a chocolate brown color with black markings on their faces. I could sense that they were just like Heka, and they wouldn’t hurt me, either.

I turned back to the wolves that had come from the forest and was alarmed to see that they were close to me. Too close. I tried to back up, but Heka was right behind me, her warm body a solid presence behind me. I watched in terror as the wolves came closer and then the leader leaped at me. I screamed.

I continued to scream, thrashing around until I felt a cool hand on my forehead.

“Isadora!” my mother said, urgently. “Izzy, wake up. It was a bad dream.”

I forced my eyes open and saw her sitting on the side of the bed, concerned, frown lines between her eyes. “Same dream?”

I shook my head. “No. Well, kind of. Heka was there again. And there were werewolves. But this time they came from the forest, and they smelled bad.”

I took the glass of water she offered me and tossed back the blankets. I was hot and sweaty and desperately needed to cool off. I drained the glass and put the empty cup on the nightstand, trying to avoid my mom’s concerned look.

“What happened?” she finally asked. I shrugged.

“I tried to leave but Heka was blocking me, even though the wolves wanted to attack me. I felt like she wanted me to stay and fight.”

“Did you?” she asked, her voice funny. I shook my head no.

“I woke up before anything happened.” I flopped back onto my pillow. “Why is it so hot in here?” I complained. My mom didn’t say anything, just stood up and opened the window next to my bed. Cold night air poured in, drying the sweat on my body.

“There were more good wolves there, this time,” I said, remembering. Mom stilled.

“How many?” she asked, her voice still funny.

“Three,” I answered. “They were beautiful. Dark brown with black markings on their face.” I closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the cool air blowing across my face.

“Better?” she asked with a smile. I nodded, lying. I was still too hot, and I felt like I was burning up from the inside out. It was painful and it made me feel weak.

She studied me for a minute, fussing with the sheets and brushing her cool hand against my face again. I thought she was going to ask me more questions, but she didn’t. “Good,” was all she said. “Try to go back to sleep. You have school in a few hours.”

I stifled a groan and rolled my eyes. In my dream summer was almost here. In reality, school had just started, and I was beginning my senior year. I would be eighteen in a few months, and I was looking forward to graduating early and getting out of this stupid town.

Mom left, shutting the door firmly behind her and I lay back, closing my eyes. I hated how she looked at me. I knew she was worried about me but, quite frankly, I was worried about her.

She and I were super close, but I knew she had secrets. And they all had to do with her past. She was beautiful, tall and fit with gorgeous auburn curls that always stayed in place. She was a personal trainer to the rich and famous and she had so many clients she had a waiting list. She told me I look exactly the way she did when she was my age. I hope so, because now doesn’t look so great. My auburn curls are always a mess, and my arms and legs are too long for my body. With my glasses on, I thought I looked like an oversized bug.

Mom never talked about her past. I don’t remember my dad and when I ask her about him all she says is that he abandoned us. I think things were hard for mom in the beginning, but I don’t remember those parts. All I remember is loads of people loving my mom. She never dated but she always had tons of guys hanging around, buying her presents and taking us out to dinner. Most of the guys were good guys and would buy me things, too. It was usually some cheesy present I thanked them nicely for and then went down to the pawn and sold later.

Not everyone in town loved us. There were a lot of people who seemed to think my mom was a gold digger and they didn’t like that all the eligible guys were hanging around, trying to earn her favor. It made for a rough high school experience. I don’t care what they say about me, but no one talks crap about my mom. I was constantly getting punished for fighting in school. It’s been so often, lately, that my mom has quit talking to me about it. She just gives me a funny look and changes the subject.

Speaking of school. I sighed and sat up. I wasn’t going back to sleep so I might as well get ready. I had an early morning detention I had to serve for fighting last week.

I got dressed and went into the kitchen, grabbing the smoothie mom had left for me off the kitchen table. I locked the door to our apartment behind me and began walking to the bus stop.

Three people turned on to my street and came into view; Bryce, captain of the football team, and two of his buddies, Danny and Julian, were sauntering down the street. They must have had an early practice and then come into town to grab some breakfast before school.

Squaring my shoulders, I kept walking towards them.

Bryce caught sight of me. “Hey, freak,” Bryce called, tauntingly. “What are you doing out here?”

“Move out of my way,” I said, trying to get around him, ignoring his question.

“What did the little freak say?” Danny asked Bryce, his eyes narrowing.

“She told me to move,” Bryce said, hands on hips, blocking my way.

“That’s not very respectful,” Danny said, looking me up and down. I glared at him.

“Where’s your wh0re mom?” Bryce asked, looking around. “I hear she’s real good at her job. I’ve got twenty bucks. How much time do you think that will buy me?” He guffawed and the other boys laughed with him.

That’s it. You could say what you wanted about me but not about my mom. I took my fist and pulled it back, slamming it into Danny’s face while looking straight at Bryce. Danny never saw it coming. I could feel cartilage crunch under my fist. I stepped forward and hooked my foot behind his leg and yanked, knocking him on his back with a satisfying crash. I grinned at him, pleased that move worked.

“Teach her a lesson!” Danny’s muffled voice came from the ground. I sensed, rather than saw, him roll to the side and get up on his knees. I lowered myself into a fighting stance, ignoring the jeers and hoots from the boys, ready for them.

Bryce and Julian split up, each of them coming towards me but from a different side. I chose to go after Bryce first, mostly because I was sick and tired of how much he picked on me.

I let out a shriek of rage and rushed towards Bryce, meeting him. I didn’t stop, crashing into him and causing him to stumble backwards. I used the same trick I used on Danny and used my foot to hook behind his ankle, effectively sending him crashing backwards to the ground, me on top of him. While he was still stunned, I raised up on my knees and began using my fists to pummel him, getting in my blows where I could.

I felt my body being grabbed and dragged back by the other two boys. They threw me to the dirt, hard and my glasses bounced off my face. I rolled over to get up and was hit was a wave of fever, weakening me. I tried moving, but I wasn’t fast enough, and Danny was on top of me, pinning me. I could hear Bryce getting to his feet making painful noises.

“Get her up,” he said, harshly. His eye was already beginning to swell shut and I grinned a lopsided grin, proud of myself.

Danny and Julian both grabbed me, pulling me to my feet despite my struggles. Bryce looked at me, pure hatred in his eyes.

“You b*tch. You crazy, freak b*tch,” he said. He then spit a mouthful of blood at my face. “What makes you think you can lay a hand on me?”

I gave him a cocky grin. “It’s pretty easy, actually. You’re kind of a wimp.”

Bryce’s face hardened and then he pulled his fist back and slammed it into my stomach with all his force. I doubled over, seeing black spots in front of my eyes. I’ve taken some punches in training with my mom before, but nothing hurt like this. I refused to cry. The wave of heat washed over me again, and my knees sagged. What was happening to me?

I felt my hair being grabbed and they pulled me upright again. I tried to focus my eyes and I saw Bryce’s fist coming right at my face, landing on my cheekbone. I dropped to the ground.

“Hey, what’s going on back here?” Our nosy neighbor, Frieda, poked her head out the window and yelled down at us from her second-floor apartment. “Are you getting into mischief?”

“Mind your business, old lady,” Bryce shouted up at her. Even in my dazed state I knew that it wasn’t a good idea to sass Mrs. Frode. She could be very nice, but she had a mean streak when she was crossed.

“What did you say to me?” she shrieked down.

“I said, mind your business,” Bryce growled, his eyes never leaving my face.

We were suddenly drenched with ice cold water. Mrs. Frode had used her showerhead to spray down a deluge on top of us. The boys let go of me and danced backwards, trying to get out of the spray. I fell to my knees, exhausted and feeling like I was boiling inside. The cold water felt amazing.

“I’ve called the police,” she shouted down at the boys. “You better get out of here. You’ll lose your position on the team if the cops take you in.”

Bryce exchanged alarmed looks with his friends. “Oh, yes, I know who you are, young man,” Mrs. Frode said. “Get out of here or I’ll call the school and report you.”

Bryce looked at me. “Until next time, freak,” he promised. I didn’t look up, the water still coming down over the top of me cooling my impossibly hot body. He kicked some dirt in my direction and ran off, Julian and Danny following him.

The water stopped and I heard Mrs. Frode running down the stairs and opening her back door. “Izzy, are you okay?” she asked, helping me to my feet.

I nodded, my wet hair streaming water into my face and the knees of my jeans muddy from the ground. “Yeah, thanks,” I admitted, pushing my hair back.

“Is your mom still home?” she asked, concerned. I nodded my head.

“Yeah. I’ll be okay,” I promised. I looked around for my glasses and found them, thankfully unharmed, and shoved them in my jeans pocket. I gave Mrs. Frode a wave before I shut the door to our apartment behind me and sneaked back in, trying to avoid waking my mom.

I headed straight to the bathroom and turned on the water to cold, needing the relief. I was so hot it was almost unbearable. I stood under the water for twenty minutes, just letting it cool my body, before finally turning it off and leaving the bathroom. Mom was waiting in the hall.

“Are you hurt?” she asked, her eyes looking over the exposed parts of my body. “Mrs. Frode said you took quite a beating.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m already healing. See?” I showed her my arm where a cut had almost completely knit shut. I would probably have a light silver scar but that would be the only indication anything had ever happened.

My mom looked me in the face, urgently studying it. I kept my expression neutral, and she finally seemed satisfied. She gave me a smirk.

“Mrs. Frode said it looked like you broke one of the boy’s noses.”

I shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. “He deserved it.”

Mom’s smirk faded. She pointed to my bedroom door. “Go get dressed. We need to talk.” I must have had a look on my face. “Don’t worry. You’re not in trouble. It’s just that things here aren’t working. I’ve known it for a while and I’ve been ignoring it. Last week I finally accepted it. I’ve made some plans and things are going to change. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long.”

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

ETHAN, REESE and CALEB POV

Ethan dumped his tactical bag on the nearest bed and flopped down on his bed across the room, blowing the air out of his mouth. “Today was tough!” he said with a groan.

“Yeah, but did you see the look on Jet’s face when Reese came at him?” Caleb chortled. “I thought he was going to wet himself like a pup!”

“That was a sick move, Reese,” Ethan admitted. “I would have helped but I was busy with Cole and Andrew.”

Caleb threw a wet towel at Ethan. “Cole has no skills and Andrew couldn’t cut a steak with his knives. Not much to keep you busy, dear brother.” He picked up Ethan’s tactical bag and dumped it on the floor. “And keep your sweaty gear off my bed. Put it on your own bed.”

“I need my own room,” Ethan moaned.

“Me, too,” Reese announced, peeling off his workout clothes. “I hate having to race you guys to the shower.”

“We’re not going to get our own room,” Caleb said, practically, for what seemed like the hundredth time. “We’re triplets. They assume we do everything the same because we are the same genetically. Plus, we’re leaving in a week. Probably should have complained a year and a half ago when we got here.”

“We’re the same genetically, maybe,” Reese said. “But not in reality. Ethan’s a pig. I tolerate you, Caleb, because you’re quiet and neat. But Ethan’s bossy and messy.”

“That’s fine with me, boys,” Ethan said, his eyes now closed. “You go off and share a room and leave this one for me.”

Caleb ignored him. “Have you guys thought about our birthday? It’s coming up in a couple weeks. We will be home by then. Lots of things happen. We shift, we find a mate, we start learning how to take over for dad.”

Reese shrugged. “Right now I’m just trying to finish school with a good grade,” he said. “Mom and dad spent a ton of money to send us here to get us ready to be Alphas. I’d rather not go home with poor marks.”

That got Ethan’s attention. “We won’t,” he said. “I was in the office and I saw the scores. We’re at the top.”

Reese looked excited. “Are you sure it was official? They keep those locked up in the headmaster’s office.”

Ethan looked bored. “Of course I saw the official roster. The headmaster may have the official roster, but he’s not the only one with access.”

Caleb snickered. “Miss Delacotte. I should have known.”

Ethan looked pleased with himself. “Yep. Miss Delacotte. Now if you boys will let me go back to sleep…” Ethan flopped back and closed his eyes.

“You guys ever think about our mates?” Caleb pressed, determined to bring the conversation back to something serious.

“You said ‘mates.’ Do you think we’re going to have different mates?” Reese asked.

“Well, we all have different tastes in girls,” Caleb said. “Ethan likes Miss Delacotte who is definitely different than Eloise,” he said, naming Reese’s latest fling. “I tend to lean towards quiet beauty and you guys like flashy.” He ducked the shoe that Reese threw at his head, laughing.

“I didn’t think about it,” Reese admitted. “I just figured we’d be mated to the same person since we’re triplets.”

Caleb shrugged. “I hope not. I don’t think there’s a girl out there that we would all like. Our tastes are just too different.”

There was a sharp knock at the door. Caleb opened the door and was handed a box.

“Thanks,” he said to the steward. “Weekly box from mom,” he announced to the guys.

“Awesome!” Reese said. “Open it. I asked her to send me some of my favorite body wash. I’m out. See if it’s in there.”

Caleb ripped open the box and handed out the goodies. “Soap for Reese, chocolate bars and cologne for Ethan, new socks and some of Mom’s homemade cookies for me,” he said, satisfied. “And a letter.”

“Anything interesting?” Ethan asked, his mouth full of chocolate. Caleb opened the envelope and scanned the letter.

“Looks like there’s going to be company when we get home,” he said. “Mom’s best friend, Aunt Lissa.”

“Alessia?” Ethan asked, swallowing his chocolate and taking another big bite. “Why?”

“Remind me who Alessia is,” Reese said, sitting down and abandoning his shower plans.

“Remember? Mom’s best friend from high school? She was the best warrior in the pack. She went off to the Warrior World Cup championships. Won a ton of medals, came home and found out she was mated to dad’s beta.

“Silvo?” Ethan asked, acting like he’d never heard the story before.

“Yeah, Silvo,” Caleb said, impatiently. “He and Alessia were together for three weeks until Vanessa, the Alpha’s daughter from his old pack, showed up. He rejected Alessia and took Vanessa as his mate. Alessia couldn’t get over the pain so she left.” Caleb scanned the letter some more. “Looks like Alessia has a daughter. Isadora. They call her Izzy. She doesn’t know she’s a wolf but Alessia thinks she’s starting her heat and coming into her strength. She turns eighteen in December. She’s concerned that her daughter might hurt someone. Seems like she’s getting into a lot of fights at school, so she wants to bring her back to the pack. Mom is a little concerned that there might be some tension with Vanessa so she’s having Aunt Lissa and Izzy stay with us in the Alpha House. She just wanted to let us know that we need to just watch ourselves around Izzy until Aunt Lissa tells her she’s going to shift.”

“Whoa. I can’t imagine how Izzy’s going to take that news. That is life changing. Literally.” Ethan sounded sympathetic and Reese looked at him with surprise. Ethan wasn’t known for being empathetic.

“Maybe Izzy is our mate,” Caleb mused.

“I hope not,” Ethan said, all empathy gone.

“Why not?” asked Caleb.

“I’m going to be Alpha. I need someone strong who knows all about being a wolf already. She knows nothing. Literally. She’s not Luna material. Lunas are supposed to make their Alpha’s stronger, not be the weak link.”

Reese nodded, agreeing with Ethan. Caleb shrugged.

“Maybe she’s a fast learner.” He was feeling a pull inside whenever he thought of the mysterious Izzy. Both Ethan and Reese looked at him, curiously.

“Do you think she’s your mate?” Ethan finally asked. Caleb shrugged.

“Don’t know. But I’d like to find out.”

Chapter 3

IZZY POV

“Ow!” I yelled as my head cracked against the truck window for the third time in less than a mile. Mom was behind the wheel of a rental truck with bad springs. It was the most uncomfortable ride I’ve ever taken. Mom smiled at me, looking excited.

“Just a little bit more,” she promised. I looked out the front windshield, a gloomy look on my face. I was excited, but a little nervous. Mom seemed weird when she was telling me about this place.

“Tell me again about Moonstone Pack?” I asked, naming the town we were heading towards.

“It’s kind of like a gated community, but it’s a whole town,” she patiently explained to me again. “Your Aunt Luna and Uncle Alpha are kind of like the mayors. They run the place. They have triplet boys who will be home from boarding school tomorrow. They’re coming back from Italy. A specialized course of study.”

I had heard all this before. I had questions.

“So why aren’t we getting our own house?” I pouted. “I don’t want to live with two adults and three kids my age that I don’t even know.” I was worried they’d be like the kids at high school.

“We will, someday. But I wanted some time to get us acclimated to our new home before making any major decisions.” Mom was being remarkably patient with me, and I was acting like a pouting child. I couldn’t help it. I didn’t like the town we were living in, but at least I knew what to expect. This was too new.

She braked as a tall, stone wall came into view, extending as far as I could see in either direction. It was easily ten feet tall, and the top had another five feet of electrical wires. I looked at my mom in disbelief.

“What sort of people live here?” I asked, shocked. “Is everyone super rich or something?”

Mom chortled. “No, not really. I grew up here. It’s pretty normal.” The huge gate swung open, and a man hurried out to mom’s window.

“Alessia!” he shouted through the open window. “You’ve finally come back to the pack! You are as gorgeous as ever!”

Mom gave me a quick look before putting a wide grin on her face and turning to the man. “Jackson! You’re as big of a liar as you ever were!” She put the truck in park and hopped out. “Stay here for a second, sweetie,” she said before walking away with Jackson.

I could see them talking and Jackson looking over at me a few times. I pretended not to notice, instead studying what I could see of the town through the open gates. It looked like it opened into a road much like the one we came in on, just better paved. I hoped so. My butt and back hurt from all the bouncing around we did.

Mom climbed back into the truck and put it in drive. Jackson waved at us as mom drove through the gate, carefully steering on to the road. I looked behind us to see them swinging the gate closed. So weird. Why did they need all this security?

I sat in silence, just looking around. Mom took a left at the intersection and started to drive up the hill. At the base of the hill there was a huge building.

“What’s that?” I asked, curious.

“The packhouse,” she answered. “It’s this town’s version of a community center.”

We got to the top of the hill and I gasped. At the bottom of the hill, in its own little private valley, stood a house. It was much more than a house, though. It was like a castle. It was in the middle of lush, green lawns with several outbuildings. I looked over at mom.

“Aunt Luna and Uncle Alpha’s house. It’s called The Alpha House.” She looked smug. For once, I didn’t have anything to say.

She drove slowly down the hill and into the circle drive that had a beautiful fountain of two large wolves playing. Mom parked it and was out of the car and halfway up the stairs to the house before I had time to catch my breath. A beautiful, blonde woman had come running out of the house and into my mom’s arms for a big hug. A handsome man with salt and pepper hair and a goatee was standing behind her, a big grin on his face. Mom went from Aunt Luna’s arms to his. Uncle Alpha was so big that his arms wrapped completely around mom and she looked like she disappeared.

I got out of the car slowly, shy around these new people. I shouldn’t have worried. Aunt Luna ran down the stairs and grabbed my hand.

“Izzy! You’ve grown so much since I saw you last. Do you remember? I came in the winter when you were ten. Your mom and you took me skiing and I was so bad at it!”

Recollection suddenly hit me. “I do remember! We thought you broke your leg but twenty minutes later you were trying again!” I remembered that she was a terrible skier and we had laughed so hard at her efforts.

“You remember!” she was beaming at me and I couldn’t help but feel welcome. Aunt Luna had a way about her that made me feel like I was the most important person to her.

She stepped back to take a look at me. “Look James!” she exclaimed. “Isn’t she exactly the way you remember Alessia from high school?”

Uncle Alpha came down the stairs and took a close look at me. I squirmed a little, uncomfortable at the scrutiny. “She sure does,” he boomed, his voice happy. I relaxed a little. He was as sweet as Aunt Luna.

Aunt Luna clapped her hands. “I gave you the entire west wing on the third floor,” she told my mom. “There’s a room for you and one for Izzy. Ensuite baths, of course. And I’ve assigned Debbie and Lizette to your floor so if you need anything, let them know.”

“When are your boys coming home, Jenna?” my mom asked. Belatedly I realized Jenna was Aunt Luna’s real name. I wondered why the nickname.

“Tomorrow. I’m excited for them to meet you.” She glanced over at me. “For them to meet you both, actually.” She looked at my mom and they exchanged glances. I rolled my eyes. I knew what that meant. They were going to try to set me up with one of her kids. Well. I hoped it wasn’t a prerequisite for me to stay here. Because I don’t care how nice this place is, I’m not hooking up with some dork to keep living here.

I may have changed my mind, though, when I walked into my suite. Aunt Luna pointed mom to her room and walked with me into mine.

“Here’s your sitting room. I had them bring a laptop up here for you to use. I know you’ll want to keep up on your studies so you can graduate with your class.” She pointed to a state of the art Surface laptop that was probably more expensive than our rent for the month. I tried not to drool.

“Printer, paper, supplies in here,” she said, opening a built-in cabinet revealing the items. “Through here is your bedroom,” she said, leading the way. I followed her in and tried not to squeal in delight. Aunt Luna looked at me, anxiously. “Do you like it?”

I nodded, groping for words. “I love it,” I finally managed to get out. And I did. It was tastefully done in white and pale pink, a combination I would have never picked for myself, but I just now discovered that I loved. Everything looked soft and fluffy and comfortable, not at all stuffy. I looked around in awe and then turned to Aunt Luna.

“Thank you,” I choked out. She looked pleased.

“I have one more surprise,” she said. “You’ll have to forgive me. I’ve not had a girl in this house before, and I have always wanted one to spoil. I had so much fun decorating your room and shopping for you.” She led the way over to another door and opened it wide. Inside was a walk in closed filled top to bottom with clothes, shoes and accessories.

“Your mom gave me your sizes. I hope you like them.” For someone as confident as Aunt Luna was usually, she sounded a little hesitant. I was speechless, looking at everything all at once. Finally, I turned and threw myself into her arms.

“Thank you, Aunt Luna,” I breathed. She gave a sigh of relief and hugged me.

“I’m so glad you like it,” she said softly. “I’m going to have so much fun spoiling you. We’re going to have the best time.”

Chapter 4

ETHAN, REESE AND CALEB POV

“Do you think she’ll like me?” Caleb asked, suddenly in the silence. They were still on the plane, almost ready to land at the closest airport to the pack where their parents would pick them up.

“Where did that come from?” Reese asked, taking a long swig from a water bottle.

“I spent the last five hours wondering if I was going to like her,” Caleb said. “I didn’t think for a minute what would happen if she didn’t like me.”

Reese rolled his eyes. “She’s probably like all the other she-wolves in the pack. Maybe even worse. They’re all full of themselves and busy backstabbing each other to impress the guys.”

Caleb was quiet, thinking of this possibility.

“Right now it doesn’t really matter if she’s your fated mate or not,” Ethan pointed out. “You’re not eighteen. She’s not eighteen. You can get a good sense of it, but it won’t be confirmed until you’re of age.”

“I wonder, though,” Caleb said.

“Well, you’ll know in about an hour,” Reese said, looking out the window. “We’re getting ready to land.”

It was confirmed by the flight attendant who came back to remind them to buckle their seat belts. When Caleb smiled at her she blushed deeply before scurrying back to the front of the plane, wondering who these gorgeous boys were. Heirs to some oil fortune, probably, judging by the private plane all the way from Italy.

The plane landed and Ethan was the first off. He picked their mother up off her feet and spun her around.

“Oh, it’s good to be home!” he exclaimed. His mom laughed and leaned back.

“Let me look at you,” Luna Jenna said, leaning back. “You’ve gotten even more handsome,” she proclaimed.

“What about me?” asked Reese. Luna Jenna laughed.

“You all look the same. You’re all incredibly handsome.” Reese kissed the top of her head and linked arms with her. Caleb and Ethan followed them to the car.

“Tell me about Izzy,” Caleb asked. Luna Jenna exchanged glances with her husband.

“What do you want to know?” she inquired.

“Dad, tell Caleb about Izzy,” Reese said. Luna Jenna snorted but Alpha James shushed her.

“Men know what men want to know,” he said by means of explanation. He thought a minute. “She’s quiet. And a little sad, I think. We ate dinner with her and her mom last night and she was very polite. Smart, too. She asked how big the Packlands are, and I gave her acreage. She converted that to square miles in her head.”

Caleb looked pleased. He liked the idea of a calm and thoughtful mate.

“She’s got a fire in her belly, though,” Alpha James continued. “She used to get into fights at school whenever someone would insult her mom. She’s strong and Alessia trained her well. She’s coming into her strength, and she has good instincts.”

Reese looked intrigued. He liked passionate and strong women.

“But she still doesn’t know she’s a wolf,” Ethan stated, making a point. James shook his head, confirming it. “How does Aunt Lissa think she’s going to keep that a secret? Doesn’t she turn eighteen in December?”

Jenna answered. “She does. We’re just being careful at our house and limiting who comes over. The staff has been warned not to say anything. Lissa wants to tell her when the time is right.”

James and Jenna exchanged glances. “One more thing. She’s having dreams. The moon goddess is sending her visions of her wolf and we believe she’s having premonitions. She’s usually being attacked by rogues in these dreams. Lissa says that Izzy wakes up screaming most nights.”

Curtis frowned, his heart aching for Izzy.

“Is there anything we can do?” he asked, quietly.

“Just be patient with her,” Jenna answered. “Make her feel welcome and loved. The rest will fall into place.” They were quiet for a little bit and then Jenna clapped her hands.

“Tomorrow is your birthday,” she announced with joy. “We’ve got a huge celebration planned for you at the Packhouse for before your shift and first run. Most of the pack will be in attendance.”

“What about Izzy?” Caleb asked. Ever since he heard about her, she wasn’t far from his mind.

“We will do a small celebration at the house before your party with gifts and cake,” Jenna said. “We’ll send her up to her room and the rest of us will go to the party. Lissa will get her settled and then join us. She’s looking forward to letting her wolf run. It’s been a long time for her.”

The car had arrived at the gate. It lifted and James drove through, waving at the guard. The three boys leaned forward in their seat, almost imperceptibly. They were eager to be home. The conversation quelled as the car pulled up to the house.

A pretty girl sat on the stairs, waiting for the car to pull up. The triplets got excited for a moment, then became disappointed.

“What’s Katie doing here?” Ethan asked, irritation in his voice.

“I don’t know,” his mom said, her voice hard. It was no secret that she didn’t care for Beta Silvo or his mate, Vanessa, after what they had done to Alessia. Katie was their daughter and Luna Jenna found her incredibly annoying. So did the triplets.

Ethan was the first one out of the car. Katie stood up and smoothed the front of her dress down. “Reese? Or are you Caleb?”

“Neither,” Ethan said, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.

“Heavens! You’re Ethan. I couldn’t tell. You’ve done gone and grown up,” Katie said, a fake Southern accent in her voice. Ethan rolled his eyes.

“What do you want, Katie?” he asked. Alpha James made a small noise of protest. He didn’t like his boys being rude, even if the person deserved it.

“I wanted to be the first to say hello and welcome back,” she said putting a pretty pout on her face.

“Well, you succeeded,” Caleb said, a little kindlier than his brother. “If you would excuse us, please. We’re tired after the long flight.”

“Thank you for stopping by,” Luna Jenna said. “We’ll give you a call if we feel up to company later. I’m assuming we will see you at the party?”

“Absolutely. I’ve got an amazing dress that I’m sure you boys will appreciate,” Katie said, eyes batting. She took the hint and climbed down the stairs, heading down the driveway. Alpha James watched her go.

“You boys need to be a little nicer,” he said in a chiding voice. Luna Jenna shook her head.

“No, you don’t,” she corrected. “That girl can’t take a hint. You have to be blunt.”

Alessia met them in the hallway. “Ethan! Caleb! Reese!” She gave them all hugs in turn. “It’s been too long!”

Caleb was busy looking over Alessia’s shoulder. “It has been too long, Aunt Lissa,” he said, politely. “I would like to meet your daughter. Is she around?”

Alessia laughed. “I worked her pretty hard today in training. She’s just finishing her shower. She’ll be down in a moment.”

The boys didn’t hear her because, in that moment, they caught a whiff of the most delicious scent. It was like mangos and fresh rain and evergreen trees. They could hear dainty footsteps coming down the stairs and the three boys waited in anticipation. She came into view and the triplets knew. Izzy was their mate. All three of them.