Soon, I am in front of a building on the outskirts of werewolf territory. As I march through the door and across the corridor, the guards stand at attention to greet me. My head remains lowered until I reach the cell.

He is sitting on his bed, his body crouched low with his arms on his legs. His hair is so long that it almost touches the floor with that position. With only the light of the crescent moon illuminating the cell, he looks like a ghost, eerie and frightening.

I stuff my hands in my pocket and clear my throat. "It's Victor's anniversary tomorrow. I thought you should know."

Father raises his head. The room is dark, but I can see the haggardness in his dull, yellow eyes. He sees me, but he returns to his previous position without so much as an acknowledgment.

"If you have anything you'd like to say to him, I'd be happy to help you tell him."

I wait a few moments before shrugging and turning away.

"Is the territory destroyed in your weak hands yet?"

His hoarse voice stops me in my tracks. I purse my lips.

"Even if you don't have faith in me," I snap, "have more faith in the pack. We are more than capable of keeping it together."

Father lets out a snort. "I have no faith in anybody who listens to the rabbits."

My jaw clenches in anger and I spin around to face him. "Why are you so against them? Auri has brought nothing but good to the territory." Remembering his tirade against prey animals last year, I add, "Just admit that you've been wrong about that. Admit that being unreasonably tough on smaller wereanimals is not the right thing to do."

"Keep up this way of thinking, and you'll bring the downfall to our pack. Count on it." He lifts his head again and snarls, "Being too nice is dangerous, Bodie, too dangerous. It's how your mother died."

Wait, what? I frown. It is not like my father to bring up my mother's death. It always pained him too much.

"What do you mean?" I ask hesitantly. "She died from lung cancer."

"That's what I tell you kids." He shrugs before laying down on his bed.

"What? What do you mean by that? How did she die, then?"

"Have fun self-destructing, child."

I slam my fists on the metal bars. "You don't just say something like that then change the topic! Tell me, Father! How did Mom die?"

But my father does not answer. No matter how hard I bang against the bars, he ignores me. Instead, he pulls on his blanket and turns his back on me.

Giving the wall one last kick, I stagger backward, my head spinning. A million thoughts run through my mind. What did he mean by that? Why would he tell me something like that now? Was he lying? But this is about my mother, his beloved mate. Why would he even lie about something like that? Or is he just trying to fuck with me?

I take in a deep breath and stomp out of the prison. What peace I have gained during my trip to Victor's grave has vanished.

Maybe finding my father was a bad idea.

As I trudge home, memories of my mother flash across my eyes. Her gentleness, her coos, her lullabies; the way she defended me whenever my father berated me; her warm embrace as I sobbed to sleep.

"You are different from Victor, and that's okay, Bodie. You are who you are."

My mind remains frazzled throughout my journey home, but as I open the door, the smell of cookie dough wafts into my nose, clearing out all my jumbled thoughts.

"Oh, cookies," I mumble.

"Bodie!" Auri is standing on top of a stool and mixing a large bowl of batter. Her smile fades when she looks at me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am."

That does not fool her one bit. "Did you have a bad day?"

"Not as bad now," I say, taking off my shoes and my jacket. "I was just at the grave today."

"Oh, right." She puts down the bowl. The dark emblem of my family's crest dances around as she wipes her hands on her apron. "Tomorrow will be a long day, too. Should we sleep earlier tonight?"

"No, it's fine. I'm okay, really."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." I walk toward her and wrap my arms around her waist. With a quick heave, I lift her such that her face is right in front of mine. My heart soars as her smile widens.

"Bodie!" She giggles. "My hands are dirty. Put me down."

"I can clean it up for you," I offer.

She taps her finger on my nose, spreading a bit of cookie dough. The sugary smell is saturating my senses. I try to lick the batter, but in my human form, my tongue cannot reach it.

Auri chuckles at my attempt.

"Silly pup," she says, before pulling me by the collar and giving me a kiss.

At this moment, I forget about the pains of my past. Auri is my present and my future, and that is all that matters right now.

I pull her closer and let myself melt into her.