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“What do you think?” I mouthed to Trent and he shrugged. “Dangerous?” I pressed and he tilted his head, motioning for me to move closer to him, which I did. He popped the sucker out of his mouth, leaning down next to my ear as he said, “No clue.”

I deflated, resisting the urge to smack him as I made myself comfortable. “You’re a jerk. It’s no wonder Anna doesn’t like you.”

“Anna doesn’t like me because she’s still mooning over that boy child Alpha,” Trent retorted, rolling the sucker from cheek to cheek. “She has no idea what she’s capable of.”

I glanced at him, silenced by the bitterness I heard in his voice. Trent was normally charming and relaxed but any mention of Anna had the ability to turn him into a snarling male. A rustle from the Hanley side of the border had him tensing, a movement so slight I never would have noticed had I not been standing so close. To anyone observing, he would appear to still be relaxed against the tree, unaware of someone approaching. I had a new appreciation for his skills and understood why Dom wanted him to stick around.

“Easy, killer,” Trent said out of the side of his mouth when I started at the noise. “Don’t give away the game.”

“Game? What game,” I hissed. “No one mentioned a game.”

He grinned, crunching down on his sucker to break it up and stashing the white sucker stick in his pocket. “You’d make a terrible hunter,” he informed me.

“I can accept that,” I replied tartly as Wren stepped forward eagerly. “Should she….” I pointed at Wren, who’d apparently forgotten about us in her desire to see her brother. Trent shifted forward, somehow managing to position me between his back and the tree.

“You’re my priority,” he answered, any of his seemingly carelessness disappearing as an unknown approached.

“But Wren….”

“Made her choices.”

“Wren?” A voice called hesitantly, the sound almost childish except for the deep tone. “Wren!” He called again, singsong.

“I’m here.” Wren clapped her hands softly and I peered around Trent’s shoulder as her brother came into view.

“Ooooohhh,” I drew the sound out as I saw him clomp through the bushes, the wide smile on his face when he spotted his sister almost disguising the bruises.

“Jesus,” Trent cursed, clamping his arm around me when I went to go around. “He might be dangerous.”

“He’s not,” I assured him, recognizing the round eyes and friendly demeanor. “His name is Dylan.”

Trent relaxed his arm but the tension didn’t leave him. “You know him?”

“We met,” I said awkwardly. “He brought me to Sam when I was kidnaped by the Hanleys.”

“He helped Sam?” Trent’s voice was doubtful and I poked him in the back.

“Yes, he helped them,” I hissed as Wren hugged her brother and fussed over the bruises. “He isn’t bound by the alpha.”

Trent’s breath shuddered out of him. “His alpha doesn’t know that.”

“Of course not,” I stated, barely resisting rolling my eyes.

“I can’t believe they didn’t kill him when he was born.”

“Trent,” I exclaimed, shocked by his response. “Why would you say that?”

“It’s not unusual for the pack to destroy a child that isn’t…. normal,” he replied, his tone matter of fact as he glanced at me apologetically. “The Hanley pack kill children who aren’t shifters. He wouldn’t be any different –” he broke off, staring at me in horrified wonder. “He can shift?” He asked, the words stilted and awkward as if he couldn’t believe he was asking them. I nodded silently, my eyes wide as Trent tightened his arm, holding me in place as he backed away.

“What are you doing?” I whispered, trying to get around him but he wasn’t having it.

“Protecting you,” he answered fiercely and I stilled. “I can see why Wren kept him a secret.”

“We have to help him,” I declared, waving my hand at Dylan and his bruised face. “He’s in danger from the Hanley pack.”

“He’s in danger from any pack,” Trent ground out, his expression sympathetic but resolute. “He has Down Syndrome?” I nodded because he clearly did, there was no hiding it. “And he can shift.” Again, I nodded, not understanding where he was going. “And he doesn’t have to obey the Alpha.” I shook my head slowly, not liking his questions. “Jess, he could easily hurt someone and not truly understand the consequences of his actions. That could happen even if he was only human, but he’s a shifter. Which means he could do so much more damage.”

“What are you saying, Trent?” The question sounded hollow even to me and he swallowed hard.

“Most don’t survive long enough to shift the first time,” he answered and I stared at him in shock.

“Is that why Wren was afraid to bring him to the Navarre Pack? They might kill him,” I said and he nodded reluctantly. “They wouldn’t,” I stated baldly and Trent just stared at me. “They wouldn’t,” I said more firmly, desperately hoping it was true.