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heavily. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. Then he looked at his son and yelled,

"Why can't you follow my simple rules?"

In that instance, Riley shifted into a human. He stood naked in front of me and my eyes

had the privilege of feasting on his muscular backside.

The sheriff raised his arm and yelled again. "I say don't reveal yourself to humans, and

what do you do? Fall asleep right next to one!"

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"It was Quinn this time! She revealed herself to Paige! That's what scared her and made

her start running!"

Quinn walked over to them. She looked so small standing next to Riley and her father. "It

was an accident! Riley was being a wanker and he pissed me off!"

He shot back in defense, "I fell asleep by accident too, and I didn't know she was going to

wake up." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down his nose at her. "You need to

control your anger, sis."

His last comment set Quinn's eyes ablaze once again...and proved his point. She growled,

"I need to control
my
anger? What about
you
?" Then she pointed to the broken shelf. "You're the one who got thrown into the bloody shelf! You challenged Dad. Are you mental?"

He stepped closer and towered over his twin. "I was protecting Paige! I thought he was

going to kill her!" He scoffed before he said, "You were so kind to remind me earlier about Dad's fucking law!"

This family's carefree attitude about nudity truly fascinated me and I wondered if Riley

realized he wasn't wearing any clothing.

Quinn was determined to place the blame for breaking pack laws squarely on her brother.

“How could you fall asleep by
accident
? Your clothes weren’t on the floor next to your bed, so that means you deliberately took them off so you could sleep. You
consciously
risked revealing your wolf form to Paige!”

Riley’s face twisted in anger. “Okay fine, I went to sleep but I still didn’t know she was

going to wake up! I thought she was in a coma! She slept for an entire day! How was I supposed

to know when she’d wake up?”

My eyes widened even more.
I was asleep for an entire day
?

The sheriff finally ended their bickering when he bellowed, "ENOUGH!" and extended

his arms outwards. He closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed again. Then he

set his angry gaze back on Riley. "I say don't hunt without the pack, and what do you do? Go

after a bull elk on your own!" He stepped toward him until he invaded his personal space. "I say never tell humans of our true nature, and what do you do?"

Riley dropped his head and his shoulders slumped. "I had to," he mumbled.

His father yelled in his face, "No you didn't! You should've let her leave!"

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Riley whipped his head up. "No!" He turned around slowly and looked at me. "I
can't
let her leave," he said softly. He walked toward me. The sadness in his face had reached his eyes

and he looked miserable. "Not again." His voice broke at the end.

Sheriff Gray entered my line of vision when he stood next to Riley. He looked down at

me, tired and worn. "Paige, you have to understand my dilemma. I swore to protect my pack and

they put their trust in me to ensure our secret is safe." He moved to sit next to me. "When I told you about the tracks in your bedroom, I had hoped to frighten you. I wanted you to leave the

mountain. I know my son wants you as a mate, but you're human."

"So what!" Riley's interjection was like a sword slicing through Aidan's words. I looked

up at him and he was glaring at his father. "Do you think it would reflect badly on you?" He cast his gaze toward the ceiling and spoke sarcastically. "Ohhhh, our leader's daughter-in-law is a

human." Then he looked at him and rolled his eyes. "Who cares what they think?"

Watching Riley and his father was reminiscent of my mother and me when we're at each

other's throats. The only difference being we never argued in the nude.

The sheriff stood and stepped close to his son. "I told you that you couldn't have her,

didn't I?" He lowered his voice when he said, "Listen to me...if I'm not challenged, I'll name you Alpha Male when I'm too old to lead. If Paige is your mate, she'll be Alpha Female. The pack

won't accept that and it will cause problems."

Riley's eyes narrowed. "Then I'll leave the pack," his voice seething.

I jumped in surprise when the sheriff grabbed him by the shoulders. "I'll kill you
myself
if you try to leave! The pack is your life! How many times have I told you?"

With a growl, Riley pushed his father's hands off him. Their angry gazes locked, neither

of them willing to back down.

The sheriff lowered his voice again. "Now that she knows the truth, I have to decide what

to do with her. Do you understand the position you've put me in? Do you think I want to make

this kind of decision?"

Riley turned his attention on me. "If Paige agreed to stay, and you let her join the pack, it

would make this a lot easier."

My eyes widened in shock. At the same time, the sheriff turned his attention on me too.

Father and son stood there, waiting for me to respond. Quinn stood next to her father and

watched me silently. Celia moved to the other side of her. The family had me surrounded, and I

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immediately broke out into a sweat. I had four pairs of werewolf eyes on me and the pressure

was too much to handle. I gulped nervously.

Riley sat next to me, his eyes pleading. "Will you stay?" He asked quietly.

I didn't understand his desperation for me to stay with him until now. He scooted closer

and caressed my cheek. I resisted submitting to his gentle affection by forcing myself to

remember I had a life in New York and an amazing job waiting for me. I couldn't let myself get

caught up in all this wolf pack drama.

I looked at the sheriff and my voice quivered. "What if I don't?"

He hesitated for a split second before he replied flatly, "Then I have to kill you. That is

our law. Humans cannot know of our true nature. I can't risk the safety of the pack." I couldn’t

help but think his answer sounded scripted.

Riley didn't argue this time. He frowned, and his eyes turned glassy again.

I tore my gaze away from his and tried to bargain with his father. "What if I promise not

to tell?"

He laughed gruffly. "And your word means
what
to me? What have you done to prove to

me you can be trusted with our secret?"

I looked at my lap because I didn't have an answer for him. I guess I was doomed to die

in Black River by the jaws of a wolf.

His voice had a calmer tone when he said, "Paige, try to look at the situation from my

perspective. You're asking me to betray the trust of my pack and let you go." My eyes met his

and I saw the seriousness behind them. He had no sympathy for me. He was all business. He

turned to his wife and they shared a look before he walked away. "I think I need a nap." He

stopped short and looked at the twins and me. "I'm exhausted from the three of you."

Quinn sat on my other side and asked quietly, "Dad, what are you going to do about

Paige?"

I swallowed hard as I waited for his answer. He set his gaze directly on me and I felt a

chill run down my spine. I wondered if he was going to do a surprise attack and kill me on the

spot, too fast for Riley to intercept.

"I haven't decided yet." I released a breath because the sheriff spared my life. "I need to sleep on it." He pointed a stern finger at us. "Do
not
disturb me or there will be consequences."

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With my eyes wide in fear, I nodded immediately. The sheriff wouldn't hear another

scream out of me.

Celia looked after him until we all heard a door close. Then she approached me and

spoke quietly. "You could have a nice life here with Riley. You two could live in your cabin and

raise your own family away from the big city and any danger. It's peaceful here. Aidan and I are

the only ones needed to keep order among the pack, and rarely is it a problem." She gave Riley a

pointed look. Then she looked at me, her smile warm and friendly. "Just think about it. You and

Riley should spend time together. You need to get to know each other again. It's been a long

time." She walked out of the living room and I heard her voice from the kitchen. "I'm going to start supper."

I thought I could solve this problem myself by skipping town while the sheriff slept, so I

asked Riley, "Did you bring my purse here when you pulled me from the wreck?"

His mouth dropped. "Why, are you thinking about leaving?"

Were they telepaths or was I just too obvious
?

Quinn interrupted sarcastically, "What do you think?"

Riley looked past me and glared at her. "Shut it!" I remembered their father's warning and

shushed him. He stood in all his naked glory and looked down at me. "I want to talk to you alone, but let me get dressed since I ripped my jeans."

Quinn laughed lightly. "What else is new?" I looked at her, and her eyes twinkled in

amusement. "Riley goes through more clothes than anyone in the pack." She covered her mouth

to stifle more giggles. Riley grinned at her, and I felt relieved their animosity had cooled. As he

walked toward their bedroom, Quinn stood and her clothes dragged on the floor. "I need to

change my clothes too."

I heard Celia's voice again. "After you're dressed, come and help me in here. You can

start on these tomatoes."

Quinn lifted a few shreds of her uniform, her torn bra and panties, and pulled them off

until she was completely naked. Then she balled the clothing up and carried them in her arms.

Once she reached the open door to their bedroom, Riley squeezed past her wearing nothing but

the army green carpenter pants I saw him wear in Bobby's store. He didn't spare a glance at his

sister. He kept his gaze trained on me. I guess the twins were used to seeing each other nude.

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Riley walked into the living room and picked his black boots off the floor. Then he sat

next to me and laced them halfway.

He turned to me and spoke quietly, "Do you want to go for a walk?"

I nodded with a grin. When I stood, my back ached and my legs felt stiff. I tried not to

show my discomfort, especially when my bones cracked again. The running I did earlier really

did a number on my body. Riley didn't seem to notice, and he smiled as he took my hand and led

me out the front door.

He guided me toward the back of the trailer and we walked side-by-side through the grass

clearing. He pointed ahead of us toward the forest.

"You can get to your cabin through there. It's only a few miles up the mountain." He

smiled. "That's the way I go." Suddenly, his expression darkened and his smile faded. "I'm sorry I came into your home. I hope you're not angry with me. I didn't mean any harm. I was just

curious about you. You see, I picked up your scent in Bobby's store. That's how I knew you were

the same girl I met when I was a pup."

I raised a questioning eyebrow. "My scent?"

"Yeah, you smell the same."

"So
that's
why you were staring at me." I laughed and wore a thoughtful expression.

"You recognized me."

Riley laughed too. "Well, yes...and no. I meant it when I said you were pretty." Within

seconds, my cheeks flushed. This British werewolf had the ability to make me blush so easily.

"You're not angry with me, are you? I know I frightened you." His brows knit in worry.

"I'm past being angry. I just want to know how you're able to turn into a wolf. Where did

you all come from and how long have werewolves existed in the world?"

"We don't consider ourselves werewolves anymore. We're
wolves
that can appear human.

We're not half-man, half-wolf, or humans that can transform into wolves. If you analyzed our

blood, you'd see wolf DNA. There's less than one percent difference between our DNA and a

normal wolf's."

My eyes widened. "You're actually
wolves
?"

His lips curved into a smirk. "
Super
wolves, remember?"

"Oh,
that's
right. You can leap into a second-story window." Riley chuckled. "Is that why you are all so big?"

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