“Both. It’s been a rough couple of weeks.”
I squeezed his arm, wishing I could take some of his stress away. “Any leads on Shifter Zero?”
“You didn’t hear? Lucas confirmed it was a male from the Glacier pack.” Nate’s expression radiated such relief it leaped from him to me. “Liam’s supposed to head out this weekend to talk to them about boundaries and an appropriate punishment for hurting a human on pack land.”
“Hurting? The wolf killed a woman . . .”
“Technically, he only infected her.Wekilled her with our dose of Sillin.”
“Which we wouldn’t have had to administer if she hadn’t been a halfwolf.”
Nate flattened both his palms on my shoulders. “I agree with you. The situation really sucks, but this means Beaver Creek’s safe again. This is what matters. Only this.”
I guessed he was right, but like he’d said, this situation really sucked. “What about the coroner and his wife? Have they been released?”
Nate sighed. “Not yet.”
“Why? I thought they were back in skin.”
“They were, but it didn’t last.”
My pulse stuttered. “They’re halfwolves again?”
My brother nodded.
This situation waswaypast sucky. “Do we know how Shifter Zero turned the first girl into a halfwolf?”
“That’s what Liam’s going to find out this weekend.”
“Will you go with him?”
“If he asks me to. For now, he’s only scheduled to leave with Lucas.”
My gaze strayed toward Liam, who was entirely focused on the girl sitting across the table from him—May Weathers. I had the sudden urge to disinvite her from the bachelorette. Ads wouldn’t object since she wasn’t a fan of May’s, but Dad would have words with me since she was his best friend’s daughter.
For years, Dad had tried to get us to bond, but May was entitled and egocentric, the sort of girl who craved attention, demanded it, reminding anyone who forgot she had been the Aspen Alpha’s niece, and thus, pack royalty.
“Go enjoy your night. The pack has lots to celebrate.” Nate tried to fit a smile onto his face, but it tripped right off.
Before he turned away, I said, “I’m really sorry about Bea.”
“Yeah. Me, too.”
When his dark eyes slicked over with tears, I pushed up on my toes and hugged him. His arms came around my back and his bearded chin perched on my shoulder.
In a rough whisper, he said, “Thanks for that, Pinecone. I really needed a hug.”
I smiled against his black flannel shirt. “If you keep calling me pinecone, that’s the last hug you’ll ever get from me.”
He chuckled, and I felt happy for the first time since last weekend when Liam had told me he wasn’t interested. My family was safe. My pack was safe. Everything was looking up. Besides my love life, but that would be resolved in two days’ time. Well, not my love life per se, but my sex life.
Where Nate headed to one end of the table, I headed toward the other. All ten tables had been extended to accommodate the five hundred or so shifters in attendance, making Pondside resemble a veritable banquet hall.
Adalyn had saved me a seat between her and an OB named Dexter, who was a second cousin of Matt Rogers, also present. Both were built like linebackers and both worked for August, who sat a few seats away, playing with the ends of his mate’s long blonde ponytail.
Although I eyed the singles’ table where Niall had elected residence, I headed toward my best friend and the OBs.
“Hi.” I offered Dexter a bright smile, which he reciprocated. “Don’t know if you remember me. Nikki Freemont.”
