Free Unraveling Midnight by Stephanie Beck Page A

similar, she thought, picking her tea up and wincing after taking a sip. Eric and Jeff—they’d been good boys who had needed love like nothing else and she hoped what they’d got in her grandmother’s home was enough. She’d done her best to love them like they were her own big brothers. Maybe she should call them.
    The last time she’d seen anyone except her sister Jennifer had been at Grandma’s funeral. Everyone was so busy and she didn’t want to be the one to drag them back if the sad memories were keeping them away.
    “How’s the tea?”
    She looked away from the kids playing and smiled at Scott. He’d invited her over on his way home from work and had apologized before jumping into the shower when he’d thought he smelled. She certainly hadn’t noticed and would never had said anything if she had, but she wasn’t going to argue with the results. His dress slacks were gone, replaced with snug jeans and an equally tight black T-shirt. If he’d looked a little tense after his long day, it was gone and the best part, his feet were bare. Adorable.
    “The tea is fine, thanks,” she said, but didn’t make the mistake of picking it up again.
    He looked at her through narrowed eyes and she hoped he didn’t catch her in the tiny fib. What if the books are true? What if he can smell dishonesty?
    “So, the whole werewolf thing. I think I need more information on...everything.”
    He nodded. “Go ahead, hit me with your questions.”
    “Well.” There was so much. Where to start? “Which author has it right? Are you guys, like, bloodthirsty and controlled by the moon or something?”
    He laughed. “No one’s got it quite right. If you go by the books and movies, we’re way more exciting than we actually are. The moon thing is basically false. It’s more of a tradition for first changes to happen for the youths during the full moon than anything. We can change at will, it doesn’t hurt and it’s one of those things that is good for our wellbeing. I’ve heard of some Weres going for years without changing with no adverse affects.”
    “And the other night in the living room?”
    “The other night I had a fever. Sometimes a quick change is enough to shock our system out of sickness and I took a chance. I’m sorry again for scaring you.”
    She waved her hand and automatically reached for her tea, but stopped herself before drinking. “Don’t worry about that. Tell me more about you guys. Do you have packs?”
    He was quiet a long moment and she wondered if she’d hit a sore spot. If the kids’ grandmother had disowned them, maybe there was some discord in the family.
    “We’re supposed to,” he finally said. “At the moment, me and the kids are technically lone wolves. It’s kind of a long story.”
    She waited. She had time for the story if he wanted to share it, but she wasn’t going to press him if he wasn’t inclined.
    “The thing with us… Well, I might as well start from the beginning. Weres have always been immune to basic illness, including mental illness. We don’t get depressed, don’t have schizophrenia or ADHD or anything like that. We don’t watch for it because it doesn’t happen. Somehow it did with my mate. Something in her just…snapped.
    “She was always distant with Jessie, but I attributed that to them both being females. I didn’t have sisters, so the dynamic of female relationships was lost on me. Then one day she lost it. She’d been having an affair—which is a huge taboo in Were culture—and instead of leaving me, she decided to kill me and the kids.”
    She gasped. Whatever she could have imagined didn’t come close to what she was hearing. No wonder Ross was so sad and conflicted. The poor baby. They were all poor babies.
    “And that’s not normal. I can’t stress that enough. Mother wolves are awesome. As a rule, they’re loving and nurturing. They might not be the most affectionate or indulgent, but they are good to their pups. Tiffany’s