"Lyric, wake up. Ricky?" Callum shouted, as he attempted to shake me awake.

Every muscle in my body strained as I tried to open my eyes.

"What?"

"What? Really? Well for starters you were screaming in your sleep. Then you started shouting about not being a killer. And to top it all off you told me I was dead. Or at least that someone was dead. Was it a dream about Ethan?" He asked.

"No, no I was dreaming - actually, it was more like a nightmare." I rolled onto my back, clawing at the hair that had sweated itself to my face.

Callum's bed had become an entangling mass of sheets, and I struggled to kick my legs free. At some point he had pulled the covers around me. The smell of blood had left him and was replaced with the smell of soap. Through the curtained window, I could see the sky outside had darkened. It was hard for me to gauge exactly what time it was.

He brushed the remaining hair out of my face and his touch sent electricity down my spine. "What's it like?"

It took a moment for me to catch my breath. "What's what like?"

"What's it like to dream?"

It was an odd question. "You don't dream?"

He shrugged. "Purebloods don't dream. It's a human thing."

"Wolves don't dream? Ever? How do you deal with stress? Dreams are supposed to make you work out your problems." And I have a whole lot of those.

Callum smiled. "We shift, remember? It's the most clarifying thing in the world. Running with that amount of speed and strength can help you get over the worst life has to throw at you. When I first turned sixteen, I was still depressed and angry about my mom's death. Now I know everything happens for a reason."

"What reason?" I asked bitterly, but I was thinking about Ethan's death.

He pulled my face close to his and touched his nose to mine. "If my mom were alive today, we wouldn't be nomadic. I would never have met you, or at least it's possible it would've taken me longer to find you." He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to mine.

I forced myself not to grab his hair or part his lips. I shuddered with the strength it took to restrain myself. If Ethan hadn't died, I wouldn't have fallen for Callum. But because he died, I wasn't letting myself fall for Callum. It was true. Shifting wouldn't ease the pain in my heart.

Callum pulled away. "Is something wrong?"

I bit my lip and shook my head. "No." I didn't want to admit that I was somehow happy we met despite the reasons for it. "Why wouldn't you be nomadic?"

The crease in his eyebrows deepened. "We didn't always live like this. My mom and dad were fighting about it just before she died. She wanted me to grow up around humans and wolves and my father didn't want to run the chance of hunters finding us. I don't think he ever forgave himself for that fight. And after losing her, he didn't want to take the chance of losing the rest of us. So we went nomadic." He toyed with a thread sticking out of the bed covers. "My dad hasn't really talked to my sister since she got married and gave up the nomadic life."

I stilled his hand. "I'm sorry."

Callum exhaled. "He'll get over it someday. He's just worried something'll happen and he won't be there to protect her." He closed his eyes and laid down on his back, his hand still in mine. His face had softened, and for a moment I thought he had fallen asleep. "Lyric?"

My skin tingled. "Yes?"

"Will you tell me what it is you dream about?" His eyes remained closed.

I thought about the terrible dreams I'd had lately. I didn't want to tell him about the bodies in the fire or the lake of blood. It was hard to remember the last time I'd had a good dream. "Well, you know, the usual," I said vaguely.

He rolled on his side and looked at me. "No, I don't know." He tucked my hand under his chin. "Please, I want to know," he said through pouty lips and puppy dog eyes.

I shook my head. "You're shameless."

A grin spread across his face. "Shameless maybe, but it gets results." He shrugged.

"You infuriate me," I added.

"So about those dreams," he edged. "Are they about me?"

I rolled my eyes. "They're about forgetting math tests and showing up naked to class. Not showing up naked in the forest with a stranger."

"Boring." Callum pulled my body against his. "If I had dreams, they would all be about you."

I could feel the heat in my cheeks. "Well, I hope they would accurately depict me."

"They would." He smiled. "Every last detail from your pretty red curls to your dainty little feet and everything in-between. Like—" Callum paused. His eyes searched my face and then fell. "Like the scar on your back."

My body tensed. "You saw that?"

"Yeah, when you ran away from me when we first met. Then when you shifted, I could see it on your pelt." He put his hand over the scar, four slashes across my back, and traced the lines with his fingertips. "A wolf did this to you," he stated.

"My mother told me my father did it." Now that I knew my real father had been a wolf it made more sense.

Callum's eyes met mine with a flash of intensity. "I would never hurt you."

I carefully placed a hand on his cheek. "I know." It was hard to deny the feelings I had for him. With every look and touch they amplified. He made me feel safe, like I'd known him all my life. If they hadn't been reciprocated maybe they would have vanished, but I could feel his heart beat with my own. I knew every promise he made to me would be kept. Maybe this is what he meant when he said I'd be able to tell when someone was lying. Nothing about Callum felt like a lie.

A loud banging on the front door startled our attention away from each other.

"Cal?" A booming voice called.

Callum pulled his pillow over his face and groaned.

"Hey, Cal! I wanna meet your feral girl. It's no fair you keeping her all to yourself," the husky male voice whined.

"Who is it?" I whispered.

He emerged from under his pillow and rolled his eyes. "It's my friend, Zeke," he whispered back.

"I know you're in there, I can hear you two whispering. Come on!" Zeke begged.

I raised an eyebrow.

"It's up to you," he said.

I blushed and wrinkled my nose. "I'm wearing your clothes. He's gonna think—" I cut myself off. It was too embarrassing to say the words.

He brushed his fingertips across my cheek. "I don't care what he thinks."

I gulped, trying hard not to swoon. "I care what he thinks. I'm not like that." Though it felt like my body wanted to be exactly like that.

"Fine," he sighed with fake defeat. "I guess you can put your clothes back on."

"But they're dirty." Covered in Anna's blood to be precise.

"I asked one of my sisters to wash them. They're on top of my dresser." He pointed to a neatly folded pair of jeans, a tank top and a long sleeve button up shirt.

"Callum!" Zeke pounded at the door, startling me, and I rushed out of the bed to change in the bathroom.

Callum growled. "I'm coming!"

When I came out, Zeke was standing next to Callum who sat on the edge of his bed.

"Hey, I'm Zeke," he introduced himself in a velvety tone. It was clear he thought a lot of himself. To his defense, Zeke was very handsome. His facial features were more prominently masculine than Callum's, with sharp angles and long thick eyelashes that framed his illuminating amber eyes. He made Callum look baby-faced in comparison.

"Hi." I kept my distance and didn't offer my hand for him to shake.

He looked at Callum. "Your feral doesn't really talk, does she?"

Callum only laughed.

"I'm not feral," I sighed. "My name's Lyric."

Zeke walked up to me and put an arm around my shoulders. "Let me show you around the camp, Lyric. Hmm," he considered, "like music? Well, we could make some sweet music together, Lyric," he winked.

Before I could shove him away, Callum grabbed Zeke and threw him off me. "Don't touch her," was all he said.

It was enough to put an expression of shock on Zeke's face. "Sorry, man." He put his hands up. "I won't touch her." He rolled his eyes. "Geez, you're acting like a soulbound monogamist."

Callum's face flashed red then went white.

Zeke noticed. "You didn't." He stared at Callum with eyes wide. "You did!" He accused, pointing a finger at Callum.

"Shut up, Zeke!" Callum slapped his hand out of the air.

"Oh no, this is too good to be true. Way to go man," Zeke applauded. "Only two years of sleeping with chicks crazier than their level of hotness and you go and snag yourself a crazy-hot feral. Let's just hope this one's hotness outweighs her crazy." He patted Callum with heavy slaps on his back.

I flinched at the mention of Callum with other girls. It wasn't my business, but I was curious about the blush rising in his cheeks. He didn't seem the kind to get embarrassed from the misunderstanding. "We aren't sleeping together."

Zeke smiled a grin wider than his face. "Well—" but Callum jabbing him in the ribcage cut him off. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"For not minding your own business," Callum said through gritted teeth.

Zeke's eyes darted from Callum to me, and back. "Yikes, she doesn't know does she?"

"No." Callum's eyes fell to his feet.

"Know what?" I interjected.

Zeke just smiled his toothy grin. "Oh, you'll find out," he said, slapping Callum on the back one final and harder time. "See you later," he winked and left the cabin without further explanation.

"What was that about?" I stared at the closed door.

Callum didn't speak.

"Is there something you need to tell me?" I asked.

He looked at the ceiling. "No, nothing I can think of." In fact, he looked everywhere but at me.

"So," I dragged the word out, "what do we do now?"

Callum laughed and finally peeked at me from under his eyelashes. It was a little too alluring. "Despite what I want to do, I guess we can introduce you to the rest of the pack."

My skin tingled from his gaze as I inhaled a quick breath to shake it off.

"Don't be shy" he said as he stood and offered his hand. "I promised I wouldn't let you drown, remember?"

He had misunderstood my desire for shyness. I nodded in response, refusing to correct him. Of course I remembered his promise to never let me drown but it reminded me of my dream and the horrific images invaded my mind. I didn't want to think about drowning in the ocean, or Ethan pulling me to shore. Taking Callum's hand, I followed him out the door.

Outside, the air was brisk. It stung like needles all over my skin. Callum pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arm around my shoulder to shield me from the cold.

"Everyone's going to be around the bonfire eating, it'll be warmer over there."

He was right. The second we were within ten feet of the fire, my chilled bones warmed. I cautiously searched around the faces of his pack gathered there. The old woman sat with a small girl in her lap, both were eating and laughing. Zeke was sitting with a young couple that was more interested in each other than including him. He dug angrily at the food on his plate. Callum's father, Marshall, had an untouched plate in his lap. He stared at the food as if it would answer the questions on his mind. As Callum and I approached the bonfire, a woman intercepted us and placed a plate in each of our hands. The smell of the food instantly made my stomach growl. I blushed and clutched a hand over my stomach. I couldn't recall the last time I had eaten.

The woman smiled. "It's good you brought your appetite." She offered a hand to shake. "I'm Ellie, Callum's sister."

"I'm Lyric," I offered my hand back, "it's nice to meet you."

She laughed. "Oh, I know who you are." An almost mischievous smile on her lips.

Callum took my hand from Ellie's grasp. "Let's find a seat," he said, pulling me along.

We sat down at the only two chairs unoccupied. Callum picked at his food as I studied the plate of my own. Mashed potatoes and barbecued chicken, one of my favorites. I consumed every morsel on my plate with a ravenous passion, stopping myself before I could lick the plate clean. Callum had barely touched his own food and was looking at me with wide eyes.

"Hungry?"

I blushed. "Yeah."

He handed me his plate. "You can eat mine."

"No, you should eat it." But my mouth watered in betrayal.

"I'm not hungry. You can have it." He offered the plate again and I didn't argue.

I gobbled it down as fast as I had eaten the first plate.

"Wow, your feral's really hungry." I looked up to see the girl from the couple sitting next to Zeke glowering at me. Her tone condescending.

A low growl came from Callum.

"Stop it, Marie. You know the rules," her boyfriend chided. His handsome features were similar to Zeke's.

"Anna is our friend, that bitch has no right coming in here acting like this is her home. This is Anna's home." She crossed her arms.

All around the campfire people had stopped eating and having conversations of their own. Now all eyes were on me. I flinched.

Callum reached over and took my hand. "It's okay, it's just Marie." His hand gripped tighter.

"Lyric has as much right to be here as my family does, Marie." Marshall had snapped out of his thoughts and was now looking at Marie with a commanding glare. "You may not be of my blood, but we welcomed you into our home as such and you will respect that home."

Marie cowered, "I'm sorry, sir." She stood and rushed to her cabin, her boyfriend following quickly behind.

Callum's hold on my hand lightened and he gently squeezed. "Marie and Anna are cousins and best friends. Her boyfriend, Jake, is Zeke's brother. We found Jake and Zeke after hunters killed the rest of their pack. When we came across Marie's pack, she fell in love with Jake and joined our pack to follow him. Anna came along to stay with Marie and then we started dating. I should have known Marie would be almost as pissed as Anna." He shook his head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble." Heat flushed my face and tears began to wet my eyes, but I didn't want to cry anymore. I wanted to be stronger than that.

"It's not you, it's me." We both paused at the words and then erupted with laughter in unison. It seemed out of place but much needed.

"Really? You're going to use that excuse on me?" The tears spilled over from the smile that touched my eyes. I tried to wipe them away before Callum could notice.

He noticed. "This is all my fault," he frowned, stroking a tear away from my cheek with his fingertips.

"Love is no one's fault," Callum's grandmother spoke up.

It seemed that everyone was now listening to our conversation. All around the fire faces nodded in agreement.

"Although we may find comfort in others, there is really only ever the one true love," Marshall addressed the pack. His voice was sad but steady, "No one here can object to who Callum has chosen, for it was not his choice to make. It was fate."

"I, for one, will not object," Callum's grandmother agreed. "Besides, we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful wolf as Callum's soulbound." Her smile was soft and full of love for her grandson.

Soulbound.

Callum rubbed a hand over his face.

"He hasn't told her yet," Zeke revealed, giddy with laughter.

A whisper spread through the crowd.

Marshall shook his head in bewilderment, "What?"

"I haven't told her yet," Callum snapped. He took his hand from mine and rubbed his face vigorously with both hands. "This is such a disaster," he groaned.

A couple of girls around the fire giggled and a smile broke across Marshall's serious face. "Well son, you best get on that."

The crowd around the bonfire burst into laughter. Under Callum's hands I could see him trying to hold back a smile as he shook his head.

In one quick motion, Callum stood and grabbed my hand. "Come on, I want to show you something."

As we walked away from the bonfire, the giggles and cheers grew louder for a moment. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," someone, probably Zeke, called out after us.

The cold grew stronger as I followed him beyond the cabins and into the woods. The laughter of his pack faded into the night.

"I barely got to meet anyone." I complained. "Well, not anyone that didn't hate me."

A smile toyed at Callum's lips. "They mostly don't hate you," he teased.

I bumped into him playfully, his smile infectious. "Where are we going anyway?"

"You'll see." The smile widened. His pace quickened as his obvious excitement grew. "This would go much faster if you could control your shifting."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll get right on that."

He hurried us through the forest and after at least a mile we came to a stop in front of a large pond, or rather a small lake. "We're here," he announced.

The water was placid, its blackness lit up by the reflection of the stars and moon. A mist hung around the edges of its shore. Its eerie beauty caused me to shiver. An odd smell permeated the air.

This time Callum didn't wrap his arms around me for heat, instead he pulled me along the water's edge to a small pier jutting out into the middle of the pond. As we came to the end of the pier, he started undressing.

"What are you doing?" My mouth dropped open.

He laughed. "I'll keep my boxers on this time, I promise."

My face heated and I turned away from him. I knew he wasn't lying about keeping his underwear on but that didn't mean I was ready to see him in them.

The sound of splashing water made me spin back around. "Come on in, the water's great!" He called from where he swam. Ripples vibrated through the calm surface, disrupting the glowing echoes of stars in its depths.

"Are you kidding me? It's like negative degrees outside." I shivered at the thought and hugged myself, rubbing my arms for warmth. "Why does it smell like sulfur?"

Callum grinned up at me as his chin bobbed above the water's surface. "There's a natural hot spring at the bottom of this pond. It's as warm as bathwater in here." He swam up to the pier and held out a hand. "I promise I won't let you drown." Steam wisped from his skin.

It was tempting. "Okay, I'll come in, but don't watch me," I ordered.

Callum put his hands across his eyes and opened his fingers like he was peeking.

"I'm serious!"

"Okay, okay," he surrendered and turned to swim away.

I kicked off my shoes and hastily undressed down to my underwear and my tank top, trying to get into the water before I could change my mind. Like Callum had guessed, I was a toe dipper. I slowly felt the water out with my toes, dipping one foot in first. He wasn't lying. It was the perfect temperature. I sat down on the pier and put my legs in, the water going halfway up my shins. Then I took a deep breath in and gripped the edge of the wood as I lowered myself inch by inch into the water. Every tense muscle I had been unaware of melted. The water was deeper than my toes could touch, and I let myself sink, feeling the heat embrace my body. I resurfaced, breathing in the contrasting frigid night air.

"No fair." Callum swam only five feet from me. "I strip down to boxers and you wear a tank top?" He teased.

My face went red, and I tried not to think of his bare chest. "I'll wear what I want to wear," I said in defense.

He responded by splashing me.

"Hey!"

"What? It's not like you weren't already wet," he smiled coyly.

I swam up to him and smacked him in the arm, splashing water into his face. It dripped from his blonde hair and fell across his cheeks down to his lips.

He grabbed my wrist, keeping me from splashing him further. His face turned serious. "Lyric, I brought you here to tell you something. It didn't seem right to tell you in front of my pack."

Despite the warm water, a chill ran over my body.

"I love you."

Our eyes never wavered from each other. I used his grip on my wrist to pull myself closer to him. Our bodies nearly touching. "Is that what they meant when they were talking about being soulbound?" I asked, breathless. Those three words clung to my heart and begged to be spoken. We only just met. I can't say that. This is crazy. Why does it feel right?

A look of anguish covered his face. "No, and yes," he paused, searching my face. "Soulbound isn't just love."

"Then what does it mean?" I pleaded. Is it why my heart feels like this?
With a deep breath he explained. "It means that everything I do from now on 'til the day I die will be for you. Anything that makes you happy makes me happy. Anything that breaks your heart will break mine. And no matter where you are I'll feel you. Our souls are connected through space and time; they were meant to be entangled."

The whole world could have disappeared for all I cared. In that moment I had no haunting past, nothing I was holding onto except him. I took his head in my hands and pressed my lips to his. Callum's hands gripped my waist, pulling my body up against his. I wrapped my legs around him and a small moan escaped us both as our kissing intensified. We let ourselves sink in the water. My shirt floated up and Callum gently pulled it over my head, letting it float away without a second thought. His tongue slid against mine hungrily, sending a pulse of heat straight to my core. We didn't need air, just each other. My head spun with ecstasy. There was only the blackness of the water around us and him. His hands lazily traced my spine upward and I combed my fingers through his hair, gripping tight. I writhed my hips, searching for that hard length to grind against. He ran his fingers down the scar on my back and adjusted himself before gripping my hips hard and pulling me where I wanted to go. In one long drag, I felt every inch of him as he slid me from base to tip. The thin cloth of our underwear the only barrier keeping us from feeling it against where I had gone slick with desire. The last of my breath escaped my lungs, bubbling up between us in the water. Callum pulled us above the surface, keeping us afloat, and I reluctantly broke our kiss to inhale. He took the opportunity to kiss along my neck, dragging his teeth after the last kiss before clamping down hard. My toes curled and I let out a loud moan, nearly losing myself there and then.

He pressed his lips to my ear, "I love you." His words were breathless and rough.

It reminded me. "There's too much in the way." I bit my lip and watched his face. He didn't seem upset that I hadn't told him I loved him in return. I can't love, not yet.

Callum gently smiled. "I know."

"You know?"

"If I thought I could have all of you, I wouldn't wait a single moment longer," his eyes darkened.

My body shivered in response.

Tenderly, he untangled our bodies and swam us to the pier, lifting me up onto its edge. He lingered between my bare legs, slowly dragging his gaze from my eyes down my body, pausing on where my underwear covered me. His throat bobbed in a hard swallow. My hips arched forward with anticipation, and I bit into my lip. The movement stirred him from his thoughts, and he pushed away from me, swimming to the end of the pier before climbing up to join me. We sat in silence on the edge, letting our feet dangle in the water.

He finally huffed a sigh, "When I could hear your thoughts, I could feel your emotions about them. You're still hurting so much from all your loss. You lost your first love and best friend within months of each other. I'm not even sure you realize how much you're hurting from losing a father you never knew you had. I don't want to take advantage of you. I'm not asking you to move on. I want you to know that I love you and I'm going to help you heal. Being soulbound doesn't mean automatic devotion. There's patience and understanding." He put his hand over mine. "Because I know deep down you love me."

"But how do you know?" I pleaded.

"There is only one soulbound for every wolf," his hand squeezed mine. "Don't get me wrong. Some of us never find that person. We're entirely capable of loving someone we're not soulbound to, but the love is incomparable."

Part of me felt like my heart was betraying Ethan, and the other part of me felt like continuing what we'd started in the water. "How do I fix the things in the way?" Maybe my life could be that plain and simple. Whatever magic made us wolves, made us love one another too. I wanted to love him with no interruptions.

He smiled. "Greif takes time, a lot of time. Be patient with yourself."

Patience wasn't my strongest virtue, yet it had stood in the way of my time with Ethan. "I don't want to waste my time with you." You could die any day.

Callum sighed. "There's no time spent with you that's wasted. I'm not going anywhere."

The words made my heart skip. I have to fix my heart so I can give it to him. "Help me find out who my father was," I blurted.

"What?"

"It's the only thing that can be fixed." There was no bringing the people I loved back from the dead, but at least I could find out who my father had been. And maybe learn more about who I was.

"I can go with you to your house, and we can ask your mom," he suggested.

"No." I still didn't want to talk to her. It was too soon.

He looked up at the stars. "Maybe my grandma knows," he shrugged. "You know, there aren't many half-bloods born. It's not something we do."

"Really? Why not?"

"We only mate with other wolves. It's sort of seen as a waste to have kids with a human when your true love is out there waiting. Plus, the magic isn't always kind. Children unable to shift. Or children left without a pack. Feral."

There was a silence between us as I mulled over his words. "So, my father chose a human over true love? At the risk of having feral children?" It was more rhetorical than anything.

Callum placed an arm around me. His bare skin burned against mine regardless of the cold air nipping at us. "You can love a thousand times before knowing your true love, but you'll love that one person a thousand times more. I'm sure he loved your mom even if she wasn't his soulmate. Besides, it must have been meant to be, I'm soulbound to you after all. Who knows, maybe if you hadn't been born, I wouldn't have found true love. We were always meant to be together."

A hard gulp caught in my throat. I was meant for him. I want to be meant for him. "So now that we're soulbound do we get married?"

A timid smile teased across his lips. "Someday. Patience, remember?" He said, tapping my nose.

I turned my face into his neck and pressed my cold nose against his skin. His scent filled with desire, causing me to shiver.

His body stiffened. "We should get dressed and go back to camp." He abruptly stood and offered me his hand.

I reached out to take it automatically but recoiled when I took in the sight of him standing in soaking wet boxers. I blushed and put my hands in my lap, staring intently down at them.

"What? Are you suddenly feeling shy?" He laughed. "We've seen each other in less."

"This is different." I wrapped my arms around my chest, self-conscious of being in my underwear. The water shielded me before but now I had nothing.

"Just think of it as being in your bathing suit," he said.

Like it was that simple. The thought of Callum with anything less than a parka on put my mind right back on the day we met. From what we'd done in the water, I could fill in the gaps where I wouldn't let my eyes travel then. Even now the water glistened on his skin like it had that day. I caught myself looking at him and shook my head shamefully. "Okay."

"See? It's not so bad." He offered his hand again and I took it this time.

"Let's get dressed, it's freezing." But I was mostly shaking from the uncontrollable urge to touch him. I slid my pants and button up shirt on quickly, regretting losing my tank top to the water. Although my underwear was still wet, the layer of clothes and my shoes held in some warmth left over from the heated water. I watched Callum the entire time I dressed, unable to look away. Our eyes met as he pulled on his shoes.

We stared at each other for a moment until he smiled and stepped towards me, his hands reaching out at my shirt. He undid each button with care. I froze in place, unwilling to stop him. He came to the final button and for a second I anticipated and longed for his touch on my bare stomach. "You did it wrong," he whispered, and one by one Callum re-buttoned my shirt for me.

When he finished, he tugged at my collar. I exhaled all the air in my lungs, unaware I had been holding my breath.

"Let's go." He grabbed my hand and led me back to the camp.

The trip back went much quicker. And despite being wet under my clothes I was burning up.

The group around the bonfire had dwindled. Callum's grandmother sat closer to his father. The little girl that had been in her lap was nowhere to be seen. Probably off to bed although I had no idea what time it was.

"Looks like you two took a dip in the hot spring." His grandmother motioned for us to sit next to her. "You must be freezing after that walk." She handed me the blanket from her lap.

I took it without argument. "Thank you."

"Cal, did you?" His father's voice trailed off inquiringly.

"Yes, dad, I told her." Callum shook his head with a smile.

"Wonderful." His grandmother clapped her hands together. "Now that you're practically family we should introduce you to the rest of the pack." She pointed at a couple who were at least ten years older than me. "That's Gemma and her husband Luke." They waved at me from across the fire. "That's Ellie." She pointed at the girl who had handed me a plate of food earlier and we smiled at each other. "That's Sabrina." The girl was arm-in-arm with Ellie under a blanket. "You already met Zeke and his brother Jake, and his girlfriend Marie." She motioned towards the cabin they had disappeared into. "And that just leaves Helen, Derek, Olivia, Jenny and James who are all asleep. Oh, and I'm Elena and this is my son Marshall." She pointed to the pack's leader.

My mouth gaped open. "I didn't know your family was so big."

Elena chuckled. "Not everyone here is blood, but we treat them just the same."

I smiled at her sincerity.

"So how about you, Lyric? How many brothers and sisters do you have?" She asked.

"Well, it's just me and my mom actually," I shrugged.

She placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's a shame growing up without a pack. Where was your father?"

"Actually, we wanted to ask you about that," Callum interjected.

"Me?" Her face turned puzzled.

"She doesn't know who her father was. We thought maybe you would know since there aren't many half-wolves born."

She paused and thought for a moment. "Do you know anything about him?"

I shook my head. "My mom said he died a long time ago. I don't really remember him." I shrugged apologetically.

Elena tilted her head to the side. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

She took this into consideration and raised her eyebrows at whatever thoughts swirled around her mind. "Do you dream?"

"Yes." Callum had informed me it wasn't something pureblood wolves did.

Her thoughtful face wavered. "I heard about you when you were born." Her face was serious, concerned.

"Really?" I leaned forward in my chair.

"Did you know wolves don't dream?" She asked.

"Callum told me," I nodded.

"No wolf that can shift dreams. Half-blood or not." Her eyes searched mine for understanding.

I furrowed my brow. "What?"

"If you can shift you can't dream, which leads me to believe you're not just wolf."

I was lost. A child born that she knew about yet did not know me. A wolf, but not a wolf. "Then what am I?"

She placed a delicate finger to my temple. "You're an oracle."

The people around the fire gasped. Even Callum who had been holding my hand let go and clasped the armrest of his chair with a grip so tight his knuckles whitened.

"What's an oracle?"

"A witch-hunter," Elena whispered ominously.

"How? What?" I was at a loss for words as my mind teetered on the cusp of hearing the truth with a hunger. At long last.

Her eyes widened with fear. "Eighteen years ago, I heard of a wolf that fell in love with a human and had a child. But as it turned out the human was no human at all. The woman he had fallen in love with was a witch-hunter."

It didn't fit who my mother was. "So you think my mother hunts witches?"

She shook her head. "A witch-hunter doesn't hunt witches. It's a witch who is a hunter. All the hunters have one witch-hunter born into their family at a time. That witch is what they call an oracle."

"It's how they find us," Callum's voice was soft and distant.

"So my mother was a hunter?" A lump had formed in the back of my throat.

"Your mother was an oracle. Oracles are the only ones with the gift of dreams. They see the future. It's a tool they use to hunt down those of us who have broken their laws." Elena's expression turned haunted.

"So my father was a werewolf and my mother is an oracle. What does that make me?" My heart had dropped to the pit of my stomach.

"I don't know." She looked down at her own weathered hands.

"Then where's my father now? Did he really die like my mother said? Did she kill him?" Tears burned at the back of my eyes, threatening to spill over as my voice broke.

"As I heard it, your mother's family killed him," she answered solemnly.

"What?" The air left my lungs.

"They had run away together after they had you. And the hunters found your family. In fact, I heard they had killed you and your mother."

"Then why didn't they?" I needed answers.

"That's something you would have to ask your mother." Elena's eyes filled with pity.

"No." I stumbled out of my chair, knocking it on its side. No, don't look at me like that. Anything but pity. My eyes darted to the faces staring at me around the fire. Every gaze was filled with pity. Callum was the only one who wouldn't look at me. How could he love me now? I'm a hunter, a killer. I knew it all along. He hates me now because he knows I'll be the death of his family. If my heart could have sunk any lower, it would have been buried in the ground.

A rippling sensation ran along my spine, and I buckled over. My skin burst into fire and electricity as I shifted into a wolf.