Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Luna laughed. “That’s definitely exciting.” She crossed to the computer and tapped a few keys. “I’m preparing my results and will send these along with the blood samples when you take off.”
Emily leaned closer to the screen, focusing on Gwen’s face. “You mentioned having a couple of thoughts about my illness.”
“Just ideas with nothing to back them up,” Gwen replied, her tone measured. “I’ll know a lot more when I start my tests. No matter what I find, I’ll tell you the full truth.”
“No matter how bad?” Emily asked, her voice quieter.
Gwen’s eyes softened. “No matter how bad,” she confirmed. “But I’m not stopping until I find a solution.”
“And neither am I,” Luna added firmly from beside her. “We’ll figure this out.”
“It has to be genetic,” Emily said. “Or it wouldn’t pass from mother to daughter. Even humans with advanced genetic research haven’t cracked a lot of hereditary diseases.”
“Yeah, but we’re wolves,” Luna shot back with a quick smile. “We adapt faster.”
Gwen chuckled. “True. All right, Emily. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Emily’s stomach dipped. “Actually, we’ll be back today,” she said. “Jackson has a meeting, then he wants to head home to his territory. And, well...he’s got a date tomorrow night.” The growl at the end slipped out before she could swallow it down.
Gwen’s smile flickered but didn’t fade. “Understood. I’ll see you when you get in.”
The screen went dark with a click, leaving Emily staring at her reflection.
Luna coughed. “Give me a break. Are you really going to let him go on a date with another shifter?”
“Jackson and I took one night away from reality. That’s all it was.” Emily’s voice was steady, but something inside her twisted.
“Come on. Isn’t there a solution? I mean, I don’t know your cousin Victor, but he can’t be that bad. Let him be the Alpha if your dad wants a break.”
Emily couldn’t do that to her pack. “He’s beaten the crap out of former girlfriends. And last time, my dad nearly killed him.”
Luna blanched. “Okay, that’s bad.”
“Yeah. My dad should’ve kicked him out of the pack, but Vic’s a good fighter, and we all need those around these days.”
Luna rolled her eyes so hard it looked like they might get stuck. “Seriously, why are the packs always so focused on fighting?”
“Well, if the Ravencall and Ghostwind packs weren’t attacking us, we wouldn’t have to be.”
“Yeah, about that…” Luna’s voice dropped, and she winced. “What do you think the Alphas are planning?”
Emily’s fingers tapped against the edge of the table. “What do I think the four leaders of the Stope Packs Coalition are planning right now?” She exhaled. “I imagine they’re preparing for an attack.” That’s what she’d be doing. She needed to discuss the matter with both her father and Jackson.
Luna paled, her hands tightening on the edge of the counter. “I’m so tired of the fighting.”
“So am I.” Emily’s stomach clenched. But tired or not, she knew the truth. The best way to stop the fighting was to eliminate the strongest fighters from the rogue packs. Brutal, but necessary. It was how things worked. How they’d always worked. And whether she liked it or not, she was part of that world.
She wasn’t sure anyone’s fighting skills were truly up to par. The four packs were strong together, but their territories were stretched wide and separated. Hers and Jackson’s were the farthest, which complicated everything. Even if she wanted to figure out a way to combine their packs—which was impossible—the distance alone made it unrealistic.
“Don’t be sad.” Luna leaned over to pat her knee.
“I’m not sad,” Emily replied. Not really. But for one brief, wonderful moment, she’d imagined a future with Jackson. He’d been kind and gentle, a side of him she hadn’t expected. Someday, some lucky female would get to see that side of him every single day. “Sometimes, life sucks.”
“Yeah, but we usually figure it out,” Luna said with a small smile, flipping open her notepad. “I think you might be underestimating Jackson. What if his mind is already made up?”
Emily’s chest tightened. “There’s nobody else like Jackson.”
Luna raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth quirking upward. “Well, that sounds suspiciously like someone already halfway in love.”
“Stop.” Emily shook her head, but the warmth in her cheeks wouldn’t abate.
“Fine, fine.” Luna tapped her pen against the page. “Let’s get back to your illness. I need to know more about your ancestors.” She paused, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Unless you’d rather tell me about your night with Jackson. Now that, I’d love to hear.”
Back in the guest cabin that still carried the scent of Jackson, Emily sat at the round kitchen table, scribbling notes for her next book. The notepad, borrowed from Luna, rested under her hand. When Luna started muttering intensely about blood tests and medical theories, and the air in that basement lab had begun to feel too heavy, Emily had excused herself and returned to the cabin.