This was a statement, a master’s show of control over his body, of dominance over his wolf, and I got the feeling whoever waited for him in that clearing was the worst kind of dangerous if Graeson felt the need to show him exactly what sort of adversary he could be.

The shifting pressure became too much. Graeson ruptured, a lush sterling pelt erupting over his quivering flesh all in a blink, as though the beast inside had shredded his humanity in its eagerness to be set free.

Dell pulled on Graeson’s discarded T-shirt—for my comfort more than hers since I was the prude visiting what amounted to a nudist colony once the fur started flying—and plopped down in the flattened grass, angled so a cut of her eyes allowed her to watch over both me and Graeson.

Fingers pressed to the cool mesh of the screen door, I marveled at the sinewy wolf shaking out his fur as if being back on four legs was cause for joy. “Are you going to tell me what’s really going on here?”

“Cord told you—it’s an interpack issue.”

“We both know that’s not the whole story.” I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the eerily polite wolves long enough to peg Dell with my patented glare. “Stop giving me the edited version.”

“He’s going to kill me for this…” a sigh that meant she was caving, “…and I do mean skin me and use my fur to trim the hood of his jacket.”

Seeing as how the active secondary bond meant he was aware of Dell at every moment, able to eavesdrop on our conversation through her mind if he chose, I doubted he had murder on the brain. At least where she was concerned. The wolf in the clearing… I wasn’t so sure what the deal was there.

“Bessemer met us at the airport and kept us as guests in rooms we use for containing the moonsick until about an hour ago.” Meaning they had been segregated for something like twelve hours. “Taunting the caged is the kind of thing Aisha lives for, but she was noticeably absent. That lit a fire under Cord to get to you.” Busy conducting a one-woman thumb war, Dell scowled at her hands. “She must have wanted to catch you alone, force you to shift and see what makes you tick.”