Thank you to my readers who helped me get through this. The last couple of months have been difficult but your support has really helped me push through it all. I hope you enjoy :)

********

There are times when I wish more than anything that I was an only child. This is one of those times.

"Your face is so fluffy!"

I shake my head as Maia pats a flower bush, a stupid grin spread across her face. I feel nothing but embarrassment at the moment.

Kaine is sitting on the ground, banging his head on the tree behind him. He looks just as ashamed of Maia as I do.

"Someone should take a video of this," Taylor snickers.

I glare at her but she just shrugs. "What time is it?" I ask.

She checks her phone. "1:31."

I sigh tiredly. "She should be shifting soon."

"I hope her wolf makes her less stupid," Taylor mutters when Maia starts whispering to the bush.

"I'm just surprised the pills and alcohol didn't kill her," Kaine says. He raises his eyebrow as Maia puts her ear to the plant and giggles. "Though I'm kinda starting to wish they had."

Her hand suddenly flies to her mouth and Taylor quickly gathers up Maia's hair just as she starts to throw up. I turn away, shaking my head at my sister's stupidity.

I look over at Kaine who just watches her, his eyes and face expressionless. Since yesterday he has changed so much. His eyes are darker, he is even taller, his muscles are more defined, and he literally radiates domineering power.

Azazel cowers in submission whenever I am near him. My father won't go near him, and my mother—the Queen of werewolves and dragons—is cautious around him.

A sudden scream pulls me out of my thoughts.

My gaze snaps toward Maia, now lying on the ground. Kaine and I leap to our feet as she lets out another cry of pain. Kaine quickly covers her mouth, stifling her screams.

I search the woods around us for any sign of other wolves. I wince at the harsh sound of cracking bones and popping joints. I keep my eyes on the forest, not wanting to see my little sister in pain. I can hear Taylor trying to soothe her but it doesn't seem to help much.

"Taylor can you shift?" Kaine asks.

"Why?"

"It'll help her."

"But this dress was expensive!" She hisses.

"Then take it off."

"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you?" She sneers and I whip around.

"Just take the fucking dress off and shift Taylor!" I growl.

She purses her lips but moves behind a tree. A few seconds later a white wolf trots up to Kaine and noses Maia's contorting body.

I hear a ripping sound and her dress is in shreds on the grass. Dark gray fur covers her body and I know it won't take much longer now.

Kaine suddenly removes his hand from her mouth with a harsh curse. Blood drips from his palm; Maia's sharp canines gleam in the moonlight.

Less than a minutes later, there is a dark gray wolf laying on her side, her chest rising and falling rapidly. I'm actually a little surprised, my sister's wolf is quite small for an Alpha's daughter.

Taylor nudges her with her muzzle and yips in encouragement. The gray wolf struggles to her feet, whining in pain. She sways side to side.

"Take her running a little but do your best to avoid the guards and any wolves in the woods," Kaine tells Taylor.

She dips her head in acknowledgement before taking off at a slow jog. Maia follows suit after a few seconds, making her way more cautiously. After a couple of shaky steps she increases her pace and disappears in the darkness.

"Brings back memories doesn't it?" I mutter.

My brother glances at me, pain written all across his face. It lasts only a moment before turning to anger.

I cringe. "Too soon?" I ask nervously.

Of course it was too soon, it was yesterday you dumbass, Azazel retorts.

"I honestly don't know which one hurt worse," he says, suddenly somber.

"I didn't see you shift yesterday but I remember when you were 14. You were in so much pain that mom thought you weren't going to survive," I recall.

"This time though the pain wasn't completely physical. It felt like my mind was being ripped apart."

"Oh." It's all I can say. I have no idea what that feels like but my brother seems to be in pain just remembering it. I want him to tell me what happened last night but I'll probably never know; Kaine likes keeping secrets.

"Tell Maia to come back," I say to Kaine. He nods and his eyes glaze over for a moment.

He suddenly rolls his eyes in annoyance. "Apparently I'm no fun," he mutters.

"So her shifting didn't help too much with the alcohol or pills then," I sigh.

Kaine snorts. "Of course it didn't, very few wolves have that high of a tolerance."

A gray wolf sprints into the small clearing, a white wolf following close behind her. The white one moves behind the tree and Taylor walks out, fully clothed.

"We didn't run into anyone," she informs me.

"Thank you for keeping an eye on her," I say, giving her a small smile.

She bows her head in acknowledgement before turning to Kaine. She whispers something to him that's too quiet for even my dragon to hear. Kaine's jaw clenches and his eyebrows furrow. Taylor suddenly walks away from him, waving goodbye to me before vanishing into the darkness of the forest.

I look over at Kaine. "What the hell was that about?" I ask.

He just glares at me before walking away towards our house.

"Maia come on, let's head back and stay by my side, no one can see you," I sigh.

Her gray wolf nods and she walks next to me. I pat her softly on the head, chuckling at the low growl that comes from her throat in response. I follow Kaine's scent through the forest until I finally spot my house in the darkness. Kaine's scent abruptly stops.

"What the hell?" I mutter. I turn and smell the air, searching for my brother's scent again. "Maia go inside, I'm going to try to find Kaine," I tell my sister.

Be careful, he's a lot stronger and his mind is in a bad place, she warns.

"Did he talk to you?" I ask, shocked at my sister's apparent knowledge.

When I shifted, my wolf started to submit to him right away, and he felt like a more powerful rank than mom or dad. Then I heard you two talking, he's is definitely not acting normal right now, she says, her voice shaking slightly.

"I'll be cautious, now hurry up and get inside, you can't let anyone see you," I growl.

She immediately takes off at a sprint towards the house.

Azazel can you pick up his scent? I ask when it still eludes me.

I can only pick up one. It is a little different but it seems to be his, it leads towards the East side of the territory, she tells me.

I start off at a slow jog, listening to my dragon's directions to find my brother. The scent finally becomes strong enough for me to pick it up and it makes me stop.

Are you sure that's his scent? It's really weird.

No, I am not sure. But no one else has come through here so maybe it changed when he shifted and had not overpowered his previous scent until now, she tells me.

That makes no sense.

I know but I do not have another explanation! She snarls, so loudly that I flinch.

A bloodcurdling scream tears my attention away from my dragon. A chill runs down my spine and the hair of the back of my neck stands on end. It sounds like it's coming from all directions; echoing between the trees like a horrible symphony.

I spin around in circles, desperately searching for the source of the sound.

Azazel help me! I growl in frustration.

I smell blood, is all she says.

I take a deep breath and the metallic scent fills my nose, so strongly it makes Azazel growl lustfully. I sprint into the forest, the smell growing stronger with each stride. The scream goes quiet making me let out a string of curse words.

I suddenly spot glowing blue flowers scattered throughout the trees and dread sinks like a cold weight in my stomach. "Taylor!" I yell, pushing my legs faster. The smell of blood is overpowering now and when I burst into the clearing, I see why.

The thick red liquid covers the grass like a blanket, the moonlight making it gleam. "Help," a hoarse voice whispers.

My gaze snaps over to Taylor, huddled up at the base of a tree. Her whole body is shaking and she sobs hysterically. Her arms are wrapped around her body, covered in blood, bruises, scratches, and what remains of her shredded dress. She stares at a red mound beside her, terror written across her face.

"Taylor are you alright?" I ask, slowly placing a hand on her shoulder.

She instantly flinches away and presses herself further into the tree.

I jump back a little in surprise. "Taylor? It's me. It's Jaxon, you're safe now. Are you alright? Did someone hurt you?" I ask softly.

She turns to me with wide eyes. "I—I just needed help . . . He didn't have to—I didn't want him to—" she cries, shaking her head frantically.

I grab her arms and turn her towards me. "Taylor calm down, you need to take a deep breath and tell me what happened," I tell her sternly, searching her eyes for answers.

She swallows and sucks in a shaky breath. She looks over at the massive lump in the grass again. Tears stream down her cheeks and her face is red and puffy.

I follow her gaze to the mound and realize it isn't a mound at all. My stomach flips and I feel bile rising in my throat.

"He killed my brother," she sobs, "Kaine killed my brother."