Free Silver Mine by Vivian Arend Page A

mean well. That’s why I brought him in alone, ahead of time. Thought you could get to know him a little before having to face down anyone else.”
    Shelley took a few calming breaths. Outside the window, the light shone so brightly it could have been midday instead of early evening. The sun streamed in and highlighted her treasures, her memories from years spent in the south. Where she’d trained and grown and…tried to find a way to be happy without being a full wolf.
    It burned inside to have to admit that her fully human half-sister fit into shifter society better than she did. But the jealousy eating her inside was her own issue, not Caroline’s. “I know you didn’t mean anything but the best, but damn it if you don’t make me want to curl into a ball sometimes and just give the hell up.”
    Caroline’s face registered her shock. “My God, no. That’s not what I want. I wanted you to have a place you can call home. Where you feel comfortable. I wanted—”
    “I know.” Shelley grabbed her sister’s hands and hung on tight. “And I love you for it, but it still makes me so damn mad. You work hard. I know you do, but it seems whatever you want to accomplish, happens.”
    Her fingers were squeezed in return. “And you don’t work hard? Overachievers, all of us. Our dad taught us well. Stand on your own, get your training. Find what you want…”
    “Fight for it. I know, Caro, but—”
    Her voice broke, and Shelley twisted free, turning to stare out the window. The tears welling up in her eyes were supposed to be gone and done with.
    “Shell?”
    She shrugged. “I have done that. Fought for what I wanted. I went to school, finished top in my class. I’ve skimped and saved to have enough to start the office here. Heck, even coming back to Whitehorse is a trouble I asked for and I’m going to succeed. I will find my place in this pack, but the most important thing I want, I just can’t—”
    The words choked off, unable to get past the lump in her throat.
    A pair of arms surrounded her as Caroline hugged her from behind. Her chin resting on Shelley’s shoulder, they stood together for a moment before her sister sighed. “Your wolf, right?”
    Shelley nodded.
    “That’s the one battle no one can help you with. And that there might not be a way to win.”
    She would have cursed, but all her curses had been spent years ago. “It’s a hell of a thing, Caro. To be a wolf who can’t shift. And there’s no way to describe that pain to you, and nothing you can do to make it better.”
    They stood in silence until Shelley had to grab a tissue and wipe her eyes. Straighten herself up and do the next thing. Which meant facing an Alpha she didn’t want to deal with yet, and the shifter she’d been fooling around with.
    Both rather inconveniently camped out in her living room.

Chapter Seven
    Evan watched with growing concern and annoyance as the women closed themselves in the back bedroom. “Gee, that went peachy, didn’t it?”
    The visitor to town across from him stretched out his legs and sipped his drink. “Don’t know. You in the habit of interrupting your pack members whenever the hell you feel like it? If so, well done.”
    Cheeky devil. “Yeah, sorry about that, but what was I supposed to think?”
    Chase shrugged. “I understand. Just don’t expect me to have much sympathy for you if your mate rips you a new one when you get home.”
    “She’s not my mate.”
    The shifter’s brows went way up.
    “She’s not, and if you don’t have a broken sniffer, you’d know that.”
    A piece of pizza disappeared before Chase spoke again, his slow drawl so different from the shifters Evan hung out with in the Takhini pack.
    “Fine, your partner. Because sure as hell, you’re together.”
    “For now.”
    Chase took another bite. Chewed. Then grinned. “Feisty.”
    Evan snorted. “Seems to run in the family from what I can see. I thought you were just passing through town…”
    The shifter