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Odette asked, “Why are you helping me?” I told her, “Helping people is what I do. My family abandoned me too, but I’ve made new friends. They’ve practically become my family. You can do the same.” She nodded tentatively at me.

I explained, “The front desk clerk will just give you a key. Call if you need anything… seriously. I’ll send someone… or come myself. It depends on what’s going on.” Odette smiled and got out of the car. I watched her get inside safely.

My inside man texted he’d given her the key. Now I needed to handle her new place. I’d make sure she had everything paid for so she could be a kid. She deserved that. Everyone did. I couldn’t have it, but I could give it to Odette. I drove away planning how to keep her safe.

Flashback Ends

I shook off the past. I’d gotten Odette to open up with us.

She’d learned self-defense and took to it easily like I thought.

Now, she was just gone. I was supposed to be able to find people.

My friends thought I was being obsessive about it…

and I was… but people should NOT be able to hide from me like this.

She needed us… needed me. She was only sixteen.

Because of this ordeal, my friends decided I needed a vacation after our gig in Louisiana.

I did NOT need a vacation. LORD knows the trouble my brother could get into while I was missing for two weeks.

Without me watching his dang back… he’d be dead.

Multiple times over by now. My friends all PROMISED they would watch out for him.

This was all because of Morgana. That vapid, evil hiding Odette from me woman… If I could find the new name she was going by… I would be going to kick her butt to the east river! Morgana was Odette’s missing in action mother. She’d returned, apparently.

I imagined she flew in on her broomstick. The Wicked Witch of Nashville was on the loose. I hadn’t heard from Odette for a few days, then she’d missed a gig. She loved to sing in our band, and I paid her generously when she did.

She had an amazing voice everyone loved… she was popular with our band and fans. Odette was beautiful with blond hair and blue eyes. She was a sweet kid despite being abandoned by her mother. Even after being kidnapped... albeit briefly… she was still the kindest soul with a killer voice.

We were working up to telling her about the Supernatural world. Sierra came up with the plan because… I was not exactly subtle and usually blurted things out. Odette was skittish as it was… So we had a plan.

After she’d missed the gig, I’d gone to her apartment and found the phone I’d given her with a note. A note from Morgana to leave her daughter alone… she threatened me. ME! Like I would care. My life was in constant danger for a multitude of reasons.

I couldn’t stop my snort. Leave her alone? Like she did? My mother would NEVER do what she did to Odette. It wasn’t fair that my mom was murdered and mother’s like Morgana were still out there. I didn't have much to go in my search for finding Odette’s dad.

None of the men I could find linked to her wretched mother had a blood disorder, which confirmed my suspicions that Odette was taking some placebo thinking it was for a disorder, so she didn’t look for her dad.

I really didn’t know what Werewolf could even have a condition.

I’d never met the evil woman who happened to be her mother…

so I couldn’t tell. If she did have some weird disease she kept it on the down low.

I’d tried to get Odette to stop taking the tablets, but she’d shut down about it.

I guessed that she’d tried that before, but she wouldn’t talk about it.

I couldn’t get it out of her what happened.

I just needed more time with her. Time I no longer had, because Morgana just up and disappeared with her.

Morgana always changed their names. I had to hope that Odette went to Black Mountain or one of their allies. I’d given her all the city names the good packs were in. I’d told her to try to convince Morgana to try them out.

I nearly screamed and smashed things. I ran The Resistance for goodness sake, and I couldn’t find my friend! Odette looked up to me, and I was letting her down. I was trying to run down patterns of names Morgana chose for them.

I knew living in Nashville Odette was called Adair Vertend. Odette didn’t tell me any of her other fake names though before moving here. Or who the hell they were hiding from. Gosh darn Morgana’s timing! I just wanted to help Odette.

She needed someone to look out for her. She had a mother… in a way. She was alone in this world though. I knew what that felt like. I knew how much it hurt. My mom was dead, but I didn’t get ferreted away in the middle of the freaking night because I made some friends.

At least the gun I’d given her was gone. Hopefully, she still had that to protect herself. Plus, I had the knowledge she could defend herself now. She was really good. I looked up at the sky, glaring. This was yet another failure on the part of Selene.

She was supposed be the Moon Goddess, but she was more like the moon’s joke. At this point I was convinced Selene didn’t know her head from her behind. She had to be the most worthless goddess of all time. The Resistance shouldn't exist because the RING shouldn’t exist.

Selene turned her back on me when I was fourteen, but she’d turned her back on the people I helped long ago. When I’d arrived… I had NO clue how sheltered I was. I thought packs were like my home pack and the allies.

Now I knew…. when the Alpha is bad… it can all go south. People around here paid with Omegas lives for protection from Hunters. Instead of hunting them their DANG selves like ranked wolves were supposed to do, Black Path sent in wolf less and teenagers under the age of sixteen to help Hunters.

I still honestly couldn’t believe they didn’t know we hadn’t been helping since I got here.

I was a suspect several times, but I’d passed their tests.

All because they wouldn’t ever ask me directly.

I was certain they thought there was no way I could outsmart them.

My mind flashed back to the day I got the call about Jason. My heart had stopped.

Flashback

My phone rang. I frowned seeing who was calling. It was JC. JC was a wolf less pack member in Black Path like me. He’d never expected to get a wolf though… so he wasn’t exactly like me in that aspect. He was with one of the other pack members who hadn’t turned sixteen yet.

I answered, “JC, are you ok?” JC sighed, “I think you’ll be mad if we don’t tell you this.” I questioned, “Tell me what?” JC sighed, “Your brother infiltrated a Hunting ring while you were being hunted by the pack then punished for winning.” My breath caught in my throat.

I shouted, “HOW THE ACTUAL HELL DID WE NOT KNOW THAT?!” JC sighed, “You know how. You were being hunted by the pack and they kept it pretty close to the vest. He was doing great, but Dante showed up instead of Nate. He knew him.”

I scoffed, “How could he be doing great?! They knew he was a freaking Werewolf the whole time. Where is my brother?” JC evaded, “He’s in bad shape. I don’t think he’s going to make it.” I couldn’t breathe.

Valentina came up beside me asking, “Mel, what’s wrong?” I demanded, “JC, you tell me where my brother is RIGHT NOW AND YOU MAKE SURE HE DOESN’T DIE BEFORE I GET THERE!” Valentina’s jaw dropped.

JC begrudgingly told me, “We are in that building on the outskirts of Nashville. I don’t know if you can save him this time, Mel. They worked him over good.” I warned, “You’d best get on YOUR KNEES and PRAY I can save him.”

A sob bubbled up, “He can’t die… so…. I can save him!

You should’ve texted me the SECOND Dante made him!

” Valentina said, “Sierra just got you out of the hole after you were being hunted by the pack. When was he going to tell you?” I replied, “He could’ve told someone!

” She made a face that said I was right.

This was fixable… I could fix my brother. I had Xander’s number memorized. He’d come get Jason, and I’d deal with the fallout. He’d save my brother. They were best friends. This was fine. Everything was absolutely fine.

I hung up the phone then looked at Valentina.

I told her, “I need to get to the Hunter building Dante prefers in Nashville. I’m honestly shocked this isn’t being done at his headquarters.

Get me there and then get the hell out of there.

Let everyone in the Resistance know what’s going on.

I’ll do what I have to do to save Jason. That might mean I might not come back.”

Valentina’s eyes filled with tears, “Mel….” I shrugged, “If I have to... I’m calling Xander. If he rejects me… he’ll still save Jason. I just…” I cut off as a sob reached my throat at the thought of my Xander rejecting me. Valentina rubbed my back.

She told me, “You know I understand why you have to save Beta Jason, but you’re not old enough to be rejected officially. He could change his mind even if he says something hateful and stupid today.” I knew she understood why I had to save my brother.

Valentina and Virgil had an older brother. One who knew what had happened to them. He’d tried to help them, but in the end… it came down to his children or them. He’d told them he’d tried to get them taken to the nicest place he could. They still kept tabs on him and his family through me now.

That was the reason they understood more than any of my friends why I couldn’t just give up on my brother.

These last few years... sucked, but there were fourteen years when Jason was the best big brother with Tristan.

No matter what… he was my brother. That meant something to me, even if being his half-sister meant nothing to him.

Valentina grabbed my hand, then shimmered us outside the building. I could smell the blood from where I stood. I wouldn't have needed anyone to tell me it was Jason’s. I knew that scent like the back of my hand.