Hetta nodded miserably. “H-he’s a really powerful alpha. He’s always been so proud of me, saying that one day I’d be even stronger than he is. And instead I’m wr-wrong.”
“Whatever your animal is, it’s not wrong,” Paige said firmly. “You’re just the way you’re meant to be.”
“No, I’m not! You don’t understand. I’m supposed to carry on our family legacy. It’s really important to my dad.”
“I’m sure you’re important to him, too,” Paige said. “Listen, I understand if you’re not ready to tell him the truth. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be yourself at camp. The other campers won’t care about your family legacy. And unless you invite them to visit you back home, your dad’s not going to meet them.”
Hetta wiped her nose on the back of her hand. “But it’s already hard to control my animal. If I get used to shifting, I might slip up in front of my dad.”
“Maybe it’s hard to control your animal because you’re so worried about keeping it bottled up all the time.” With a final pat, Paige released Hetta. “That’s why you’ve been holding back from a lot of the activities, isn’t it? You’re worried that you’ll shift by accident if you get scared or startled.”
Hetta flushed, dropping her eyes. “I hate that the other kids think I’m a coward. My dad would be so ashamed of me.”
“But you want to join in, right?” At Hetta’s confirming nod, Paige went on, “When you start to shift, can you hold it back at all?”
“Sometimes,” Hetta said dubiously. “But not for more than a few seconds.”
“That should be more than enough time. You saw for yourself how fast Conleth can move. If you yelled for help, he could whisk you away in an instant.”
Hetta blinked. “You mean, if I felt myself start to shift, Conleth could get me out of sight?”
“Exactly. Even if you couldn’t stop yourself, no one would see your animal.”
Hetta thought this over. “But Conleth would see.”
“Not if you told him not to look. I bet he could drop you off and be back with the group before anyone else even noticed he was gone.” Paige touched Hetta’s hand. “Just think about it, okay?”
“Okay.” Hetta hesitated. “Does this mean I’m not in trouble for breaking into your room?”
“I’ll overlook it this one time. I know Archie pressured you into it. What did he want you to do, anyway?”
“Oh.” Hetta flushed guiltily. “He wanted your phone. Boys aren’t allowed in the girls’ dorm, and there are always counselors and campers hanging around. That’s why he needed me to get it.”
“My phone?” Paige frowned. “Why?”
“I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me. He said it was better that way, since then he could take most of the blame. Though I thought that was weird, since the whole point was for us to both get kicked out of camp. I don’t see how he could be in anymoretrouble than that.”
“Never underestimate Archie’s ability to get into trouble,” Paige said dryly. “Well, at least there was no harm done. Whatever he was planning doesn’t matter now, seeing that you were interrupted before you could take my phone.”
Hetta froze.
Paige abruptly had a very, very bad feeling. “Hetta? What is it?”
“I thought you knew,” Hetta whispered, face now drained of all color. “I wasn’t sneaking into your room to take your phone. I was putting it back.”
Paige’s stomach lurched. Without a word, she scrambled up. Hetta trailed behind as she sprinted for her room.
Her phone was still on the nightstand where she—or rather, Hetta—had left it. Paige snatched it up, swiping through the call record.
“Archie,” she whispered, staring at the most recent number. “What have you done?”
Outside, an alarm began to ring.
CHAPTER 26
Cursing his own exhausted limbs, Conleth pushed past the kids and counselors streaming the opposite way. The camp bell was still ringing—not the usual three peals to signal the start of the next session, but an urgent, continuous clamor.
“All staff, this is not a drill!” Leonie’s amplified voice echoed around the central square. “We have a code red situation. Counselors, escort your campers to their cabins immediately. Remain hidden until given the all clear. I repeat, this is not a drill!”
