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Although he hadn’t visited the newly constructed settlement, he had familiarized himself with the blueprints.

He almost felt sorry for any idiots who thought they could help themselves to a human.

The presence of the military or full-time security at the compound ensured that unauthorized entry was virtually impossible.

He suspected that Michaela wouldn’t hesitate about overseeing the consequences of any intruders who tried to slip through.

She had done that once or twice, and it was the reason she became a fabulously successful president.

She was extremely charming—until you riled the grizzly in her.

Once that happened, a shifter would be lucky to keep their head attached to the rest of their body, he mused.

“Tracy was telling us that the new compound is ready and that the transfers will start at the end of the week,” he said.

Mitchell shot him a brief smile. “Yes. I’ve already informed the elders. They are spreading the word to the others.”

Tracy leaned back against Mitchell, feeling the warmth of his body as he wound his arm around her waist. Tilting her head back, she peered up at him with eyes filled with curiosity. Mitchell leaned down, his lips gently meeting hers in a tender kiss.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice soft with concern.

He shook his head. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

Tracy lifted an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. A grimace crossed Mitchell’s face as he shot a pointed glance over the two wolves’ shoulders. He was on the verge of asking if they needed some space when the air suddenly became filled with the clamor of angry voices.

Van’s body tensed up beside him. He followed Van’s gaze and saw what had caught his attention.

Peterson drank in the sight of Jayden taking in every detail of their appearance.

Whatever had upset her, she was fired up, her face was frozen into a mask of defiance that reminded him of the beautiful sculptures he had seen in the museums.

“She’s beautiful,” he breathed.

Mitchell’s gaze followed theirs, and he grimaced again. “Jayden? She’s a pain in my ass.”

Van’s brows furrowed in a frown, while Tracy let out a deep, weary sigh.

Rand’s face contorted with anger as he vigorously waved his hands at Jayden.

Beside him, tears streamed down Jayden’s mother’s cheeks, her low sobs punctuating Rand’s fury with his daughter.

Despite her father’s continuous shouting, Jayden maintained her composure and refrained from interrupting.

“I forbade it. Do you hear me? I forbade such talk,” Rand snapped.

“Jayden, it would be madness. If you think about what you are saying,” Mallory interjected.

“Mitchell, talk to her. Tell her she can’t do this,” Rand pleaded, turning in their direction.

Mitchell breathed out and released his hold on Tracy. Peterson shot Van a scowl and nodded toward Jayden. They silently followed behind Mitchell and Tracy.

“Rand. Mallory. We’ve already gone over this,” Mitchell explained in a calm voice.

Rand vigorously shook his head while Mallory leaned into her husband and sobbed. Peterson didn’t miss the way Jayden cast Van and him a panicked look, trying to step away as they came closer.

“What’s the matter?” Van asked.

Rand glared at Jayden. She wasn’t looking at her parents. Her wary eyes were locked on the two approaching wolf shifters. She retreated another step when he smiled at her.

You frightening her.

Shut up!

He didn’t need his wolf telling him what he already knew.

She had been like this ever since they had ridden back from the hospital.

Her avoidance was getting old. She was like a skittish kitten or puppy, distrustful of any act of kindness.

He forced his shoulders to relax and shoved his hands into his pockets to appear less threatening. She still backed away another step.

“Jayden refuses to go to the compound,” Mitchell replied.

“I thought everything was settled. The compound is a thousand times better than this place,” Van exclaimed with surprise.

“It will be safer. Mitchell has told us about it,” Rand agreed.

Jayden lifted her chin and gave both Peterson and Van a haughty expression. “It was never settled. I told both of you that I didn’t want to live in a cage. Do you expect me to believe that this new place is any better than here?”

“What’s wrong with here? We have everything we need,” her mother defended.

Jayden shook her head. “We aren’t free. You see the fence. They keep us locked up here.”

He huffed out a breath. “This is only temporary. The new place is wide open with enough land so you won’t feel confined.”

Jayden shook her head. “My decision has been made. There will be no more discussion about it.” Her expression softened when she looked back at her parents. “I hope you find peace. You know I love you both, but I can’t go. I don’t want to.”

“Jayden, please. We need you,” Mallory pleaded in a trembling voice.

Jayden glanced at Peterson and Van. There was an expression in her eyes that perplexed him. He barely glimpsed it before she lowered her eyelids and averted her eyes. He started forward, only to stop when Van gripped his arm and shook his head.

“I love you both,” she murmured, touching her mother’s damp cheek before she turned and walked away.

Peterson watched in silence as Jayden walked away from them—again. He took a step forward only to stop when Van squeezed his arm before he released him. Rand wrapped his arm around Mallory’s waist, murmuring reassuring words that Jayden would change her mind as he led her away.

Mitchell sighed. “Jayden is determined to resist all help—” He stopped short and looked down at Tracy.

“You can say it. She doesn’t trust the Others ,” Tracy commented in a dry voice.

Mitchell shook his head. “It’s more than that. She blames herself for what is happening.”

“Blaming herself for what?” Van demanded.

Mitchell looked around the compound. “All of this. She blames herself for Ella being found. For our clan being discovered.”

“Oh, Mitchell. She has no idea how happy that has made so many people,” Tracy murmured, staring after Jayden.

“She doesn’t see it as that. She sees us as being uprooted from our way of life and cast into the unknown,” Mitchell replied. “I’ve tried to talk to her about it, but she refuses.”

“Why would she think that she is to blame?” he asked.

“It was Jayden who insisted on going past the boundaries we had set. She was the one who broke into the shifter’s shed. Ella was with her when they fell into the trap. She believes if she hadn’t gone, that shifters would still believe we were extinct,” Mitchell explained.

“So, she is going to punish herself for the rest of her life? What the hell is she going to do once everyone is gone? Stay here by herself? Every dick of a shifter will be hunting for her if they find out she is alone out here,” he retorted.

“That is exactly what she plans to do. It is her choice,” Mitchell replied.

“Well, it is the wrong choice,” he snapped in response.

“Come on, Peterson,” Van muttered, pulling on his arm.

“She was so damn close! We could grab her and take her back to our place before she knew what happened.”

“And what do you think she would do the second we took our eyes off her?” Van asked in a quiet voice.

Peterson pursed his lips when he realized he had spoken his thoughts aloud. Van stopped and waited for Peterson to look at him. He reluctantly pulled his gaze away from Jayden.

“You know she can’t stay here alone. Hell, I don’t think I could survive in the forest alone and I’m a Goddamn wolf shifter!” he muttered.

Van chuckled. “Yeah, I know I couldn’t. Shitting in the woods isn’t much fun.”

“I hate raw food,” Peterson grumbled.

Van slapped his shoulder. “You and me both, brother. I guess now isn’t the time to mention to her that we bought a ranch that borders the new compound so she could be close to her family.”

He chuckled. “Probably not. So… what are we going to do?” he asked.

Van looked in the direction Jayden had disappeared. “We corner her and ask her why she feels the way she does, convince her that what happened was a frigging miracle, and charm the shit out of her.”

His lips curved into a slow smile, revealing a hint of mischief.

That was something he was capable of. It was said that wolf shifters possessed an innate charm that made it impossible to resist their magnetic personalities.

They would put her at ease, ask questions to uncover her fears, and then soothe her worries with their charm.

It was time to stop being patient and go on the offensive.

She won’t stand a chance.

The first thing Jayden noticed was the sudden quiet. LaTrisha, Hope, Connell, and Jace had been chatting about what their new homes would look like before they all fell silent. She stiffened when Hope whispered a warning under her breath to Connell.

Her back was to the group, but she still picked up on the faint footsteps. She had been training herself for years to open all her senses. The hair on the back of her neck rose, as if aware that predators were close.

Too close.

She stood, gripping the lance she always carried in her right hand while holding her backpack in her left. In a situation of fight or flight, she could sacrifice her bag. The one thing she would never give up without a fight were her weapons… and she had plenty of those hidden on her body.

She swallowed nervously and turned around, her heart pounding in her chest. Suddenly, a peculiar warmth washed over her, slowly radiating from her toes to her head.

She tightly controlled her facial expression, molding it into a neutral mask.

At least, she hoped it was. She noticed a subtle change in the men’s expressions when their nostrils flared and wondered if they could sense her nervousness.

“Jayden,” Van greeted.

She remained silent, her lips sealed shut. She had been trying to avoid this moment, but now it had arrived, and there was no escaping it. She breathed through her mouth.

“What the hell are you thinking? Or should we say not thinking?” Peterson growled.

She wasn’t having this conversation with them. They had no right to pry into her actions, or lack thereof. Resentment flared inside her, a searing heat that threatened to consume her, and she started to turn away.

Gentle but firm, strong fingers snapped out and firmly grasped her arm. Her response was immediate and impulsive, with no thought. Her bag fell to the ground as she swiftly pivoted in the opposite direction. Peterson’s head snapped back when she pressed the tip of her sharp lance under his chin.

“You do not have permission to touch me—ever!” she hissed in a low voice.

Peterson slowly pulled his fingers back, releasing her arm. Jayden pressed the tip a little harder, enough to break the skin under his chin. A tiny droplet of blood oozed from the spot.

So, they do bleed.

The thought didn’t give her any satisfaction. She leaned down and picked up her bag, feeling the weight of it in her hand as she kept a vigilant eye on Peterson and Van.

“Before you kill Peterson for being an ass, please understand he is only saying that because he—we—care about what happens to you,” Van explained in a calm, soothing tone.

Jayden flashed Van a heated glare. “Save it for someone who cares. I’ll tell you this once, and one time only. Stay the hell away from me.”

She pulled her lance away and backed up several feet before she turned and strode away. Her heart was pounding and her hands were trembling, but she refused to look back. Deep down, she hoped they believed her bravado.

“Hey, just so you know he wasn’t lying! We do care about you,” Peterson called.

Jayden shook her head and kept walking. Her lips twitched with reluctant amusement at the pouting, defensive tone in his voice.

She didn’t know who she surprised more with her little antic, herself or them!

One thing that had surprised her was the amusement in Van’s eyes and the strange gleam in Peterson’s that looked almost like—pride.

“Crazy wolf shifters,” she muttered.