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“Hmm…” Her gaze darted back up as Marlowe came back. “All I know is, you better take care of her. She may act tough and like she’s got it together, but she’s all duck.”

“Duck?”

“Calm on the surface, but furiously kicking under the water.”

“Talking about me?” Marlowe grinned, taking her seat.

Esther laughed. “I was just tellingHercliashere about that time you got drunk and ran through Green Library naked during finals week…”

“Esther!” she chided. “I begged you not to say anything about that!”

I grabbed a small piece of her cake loaf and chuckled. “No please, I’d love to hear all about Marlowe’s grad school exploits.”

Marlowe collapsed further into a pool of embarrassment as Esther explained in excruciating detail how much money she’d spent over two years ordering robot-delivered boba.

“Wouldn’t the founders of your fellowship be proud,” I joked. That founder being her father, of course.

Marlowe kicked me under the table and I winked.

Esther clocked the interaction, more evidence for her case that Marlowe wasn’t telling her everything.

But whatever Marlowe wanted to disclose to Esther was up to her. Shifters didn’t have any hard or fast rules about letting humans know of our existence. Humans didn’t always believe us, of course, and sometimes they did and tried to kill us, but it was ultimately up to theindividual to whom and how they shared our secrets.

Eventually Marlowe yawned. “Shit, I’m exhausted and we haven’t even started packing my place. Elias, can you get me another coffee to go?”

I kissed her on the nose as I got up. “Of course.”

Were I a human, Esther’s hushed questions to Marlowe would have been much too quiet for me to hear, but since I was a shifter, every word was clear as day as I waited for our order.

“Are you sure everything’s okay? You’ve been through a lot, and yeah, he’s hot, but isn’t it a little soon?”

Marlowe glanced towards me, perfectly aware I was listening in. She smiled, and turned back to her friend. “I feel like I’ve found where I belong. Elias and the other guys… I can’t explain it, we just clicked. I wish my dad had lived a little closer so I didn’t have to leave, but after everything with Mike, I need a fresh start. And I think I have one with Elias.”

Esther reached over and gave her a hug. “He has a huge dong, doesn’t he?”

Marlowe burst out laughing. “You have no idea.”

11

CAMDEN

Iliked Julian, I really did. But I couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he was the only one who’d wanted to stick around with me.

My dad had warned me that creating a pack with your high school friends was a recipe for disaster, but I hadn’t imagined that the only thing that could keep us together was an omega. As soon as she’d left, they all split.

Yet it was her leaving that hurt the worst. Why didn’t she want me to go to San Francisco with her? I could kind of understand her going to Chicago with Elias, especially since Archer would be joining them down there, too. Elias wanting to show Marlowe his home, where he lived—that made sense.

But Marlowe only wanted to showherhome, whereshe’dlived, to him. Not me. Not the rest of us. Just Elias.

I would have loved going to Frisco with her. And after she got attacked by that fucking bloodsucker, I knew my instincts to keep her with me had been right.

She didn’t want me there, though. Had talked me out of going. Twice.

Or was this all Elias’s doing? He’d never really said outright he’d be moving back up here once Marlowe was bonded with us. Maybe this whole time he’d been working her, trying to get her to hate Maiingan Hollow so she’d settle down with him in Chicago, instead.

And now he had her wrapped around his finger, acting like we were just side characters in his relationship with her.

My phone chimed and I looked down at another picture she’dsent, this one was of her eating ice cream in front of some sea lions.