“You won’t lose me. I’m not that easy to kill.” Thankfully. But I was worried about Donovan. He wasn’t thinking rationally. His wolf was too close to the surface. In a year, he might regret his actions. Deep down, I was sure he wanted to keep the pack.

But he was about to go down a dark path. The best packs were ones that acted more like a family. Sure, there were always conflicts, but there had to be a mutual respect between pack member and Alpha. Whoever was doing this had already undermined that respect, but Donovan was going to finish the job.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t right. I was terrified. I didn’t want to go up against Bhrunyz again. I almost hadn’t survived the first time, and I wouldn’t be that lucky the second. One way or another, we needed the brooch.

Donovan’s face started changing as his wolf rose even closer. His rage was still on a high burn. I had to change the subject or else he was going to lose it.

“How’s your mom?”

He sat on the bed and closed his eyes. He was quiet for a while as he tried to gain control. “She’s fine,” he said finally. “She’s been staying in my spare room. She helped take care of you.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know why that surprised me, but it did. Maybe because my own mother had never taken care of me? “That was nice of her.”

“She was happy to do it. She’s the only one I’ve let near you besides the medic. I can’t risk…” The tic along his jaw was back as he fought for control again. I waited patiently, not wanting to add to his struggle. “I shouldn’t have brought you here. I knew my pack was bad, but I never imagined it’d be like this. It was selfish of me.”