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I interrupted him. “Why didn't we take her with us?”

“She would have refused, and that would have cost us time,” he replied, with a barely perceptible hint of pity.

I felt the urge to shake my head, but it didn't work because I knew exactly how stubborn my mother was. Alarik obviously knew it too.

“Besides, we couldn't have taken her with us. She doesn't belong there.”

My body fell into a state of shock, and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that we were passing Vanderwood, entering the forest of towering pine trees and gnarled deciduous trees.

“Where exactly are we going?”

My voice was trembling.

Alarik confirmed my dark premonition.

“Copeland Estate.”

My pulse quickened.

“I'm sorry, Bayla. I tried to keep it a secret, but someone apparently found out.”

Dazed, I sank back into my seat.

I didn't want to go there. After everything Julian had told me about the pack, that place was at the bottom of my list of places I wanted to be.

“Vivienna,” I whispered, exhaustion in my voice.

The person responsible for me being here, not knowing how my mother was or what awaited me there.

If those wolf people found out that I wasn't a Senseque, they would kill me. They were damn werewolves.

I turned to Alarik, determined to save my life before he literally threw me to the wolves.

“Please, there must be another place.”

Alarik hesitated.

“There are some. But in Quatura territory. And I have a campus house, but it's not safe there. Rebecca will have people looking for you.”

The mere thought horrified me.

“As much as the thought makes you uncomfortable, you'll be safe with the pack.”

How could he be so sure?

“I'm only asking you one thing.”

I looked at Alarik in astonishment.

“Do your best to be a Senseque.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

Do your best. As if he didn't believe I was one. If that was already the case with him, how long would it take for the pack to become suspicious?

The last thing I needed right now was trouble with the Alpha.

“And don't tell Nickolas about the Ruisangor bite, unless you want a war to break out. All my brother knows is that two human girls were attacked on Halloween.”