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His fingers closed around mine, warm and firm, and he pulled me to my feet. The touch ended too soon.

Around us, family members didn’t begin carrying things toward their vehicles. Instead, people moved toward the narrow path beyond the field. The path led across a strip of meadow and into the woods behind the cul-de-sac.

I watched several teenagers jog ahead. “What’s going on?”

Hudson folded our blanket. “It’s a full moon.”

I looked up. The moon hung above the trees, large and bright.

He waited, then said, “We’re going for a pack run.”

Cold dread washed over me.

I had prepared for scent checks, stamina questions, dietary differences, and the possibility of someone asking about my wolf. I had not noticed it was a full moon, but I should have figured they’d expect me to shift and run with them.

“Tonight? Again?”

Hudson glanced toward the moon again. “It’s the first clear full moon we’ve had in months.”

“Right.”

“That’s why we picked tonight for movie night.”

“Obviously.”

My brain searched for options and returned nothing. I could fake an injury. Except I had walked normally all evening. I could claim illness, but they might be able to smell I was faking. I could say I had already shifted recently and needed recovery time, but I had no idea whether that made biological sense.

I could say I needed to get home, like I had last week. Glancing at my watch, I internally cringed when I saw it was only nine.

Shit.

People continued moving toward the trail.

Trevor had removed his crocheted armor and changed into athletic shorts. Hilary stood near the path, speaking with the adults designated to stay behind with the littles.

Everything I had built began collapsing at once. The blockers. The Etsy essence. The wolf tooth pressing against my back pocket. All useless if someone expected me to transform in front of them.

Hudson looked at me more carefully. “Is something wrong?”

“No.” My response came too fast.

His attention intensified. “You don’t have to run if you’re tired.”

“I’m not tired.”

Why had I said that? Tired had been offered freely. I could have taken tired.

Aunt Karen stepped into our conversation, her gaze moving over me from head to toe. “Not participating again?”

My stomach dropped. “I didn’t know there was a run tonight.”

She gestured at the sky. “It’s a full moon.”

Hudson stiffened. “Karen.”

“What? I’m only asking.” She narrowed her gaze. “I just thought Sloane would want to run this time, since she passed last week.”

Karen stood with her hands on her hips, eyebrows raised, waiting to hear my latest excuse. Hudson looked at me expectantly. What the hell could I say?