But I don’t want to go back to Denver. At least not anytime soon. Pine Falls has a hold on me. I’m feeling a connection not only to the town, but also to Minnie’s cabin. It’s almost starting to feel like my cabin. If I leave now, this whole trip would seem unfinished.

Plus, I can’t help thinking that our relationship could use some time to develop with distance between us and my brothers.

So, add selfish onto my list of faults.

The apartment’s front door opens. I should roll onto my back and ask Warner how things went. How he’s doing.

But I can’t force myself to meet his understanding, loving gaze just yet. Not when I don’t deserve it.

“Wow. And people call me dramatic. You’re on the express train to mope town, aren’t you?” a feminine voice says, and I start in surprise.

The speaker isn’t my mother. For one, I’d recognize her voice anywhere. And besides, she immediately calmed down once she was sure Rebecca would be punished for her treatment of me. Then, she helped me up to Warner’s apartment and promised to stick around Minnie’s cabin until Warner brought me back.

Curiosity has me flipping over.

Tanya leans against the doorframe, her sharp eyes taking me in.

She must despise me. Even though she’s seventeen, on the cusp of adulthood, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t need her mother. I’m breaking apart her family. The guilt eats at me.

“Tanya, I’m sorry. Really. This isn’t what I wanted to happen.”

Warner’s sister waves a hand, dismissing my words.

“I was there. I know.” She pushes off from the wall and meanders around her brother’s room, fiddling with his stuff, but never picking anything up. “Still, I’m pissed off.” The girl raps her knuckles on the top of his dresser, the sound ringing so loud that I wonder if she’s dented the wood.

That’s when I realize I’m alone with a werewolf who now probably has a vendetta against me.

I should be scared. But she’s Warner’s little sister, no matter if she’s ten times stronger than I am. I don’t want to alienate his entire family in one night. So, I don’t try to make a quick escape, deciding to wait for the berating she’s about to deliver. Hopefully not served with a side of violence.

Her golden eyes, a few shades lighter than her brother’s, examine me, and she smiles in a way that is both humorous and sad.