The next morning I was telling invisi-Adam all about a few years ago when I just wanted apple pie but ended up getting this massive cut instead.

The milk bucket was under Oreo, my black and white goat, and filling slowly as I pulsed.

"So, I was climbing up and then saw this super gorgeous apple another, hmm... what would it have been? Like three branches up, and I wanted it. That one had to be in my pie. Well, bam! Next branch I step onto breaks, like I'm talkin' bad and next thing I know, I go tumbling down the tree. My thigh caught this sharp branch and then crash!crash!crash! I hit the ground smashing up my ankle. Then my back and wrist hit really hard, and I think I was even knocked out a minute. When I came to I was like shoot! Sat up, and I looked down to blood just coating my entire thigh then..."

My phone vibrated a text message and I smiled. Guess I didn't say Nate couldn't text. Stinker. Sounded just like him to work around our deal.

I wiped my hands on my jeans and looked at the caller.

Oh Timothy? Alpha Milo's boy. It's not his birthday, so he must need something. I unlocked the cell.

Ten? Whoa. He's never ordered ten before. I looked behind me to the woods. That meant no diner cakes for Nate today.

My heartrate quickened. A celebration? On a full moon night? Maybe, but it didn't feel right.

A notification of a hefty amount of money was then deposited in my bank account.

Guess I was doing this.

I went back to milking the rest of the goats, my mind filled with images of my new friends and the other wolves.

Celebration? Did Milo expect to use the cakes as celebration? What kind of celebration happens on a full moon? Surely no weddings or birthdays that needed that many cakes.

But Nate.

He said he would be in planning all day yesterday. Was it coordinated?

I got the last goat off the station and scanned the tree line.

"Adam?"

A beat.

"Nate?"

"Adam, will you talk with me?"

Not even a bird squawk.

I grabbed my basket delicately and went to collect eggs.

My heart turned to worry when I thought of Nate or Adam or any of their friends in danger because of Milo's pack. Celebrating? Maybe they would be celebrating taking Nate down. Or Nate's pack. Or Nate's land. Milo's pack had already taken nearly all of my grandparent's land, even the frog pond I loved to go to as a child. Nearly five hundred acres stolen. Who's to say four more acres aren't next on the menu for tonight. Or whatever Nate had.

I bit my lip and locked the nest boxes back up, balancing the full basket on one hip.

A business deal. Real estate.

Wasn't that what Jeff had said the first night? Seemed familiar.

"Adam?"

No response.

I grabbed the milk bucket in my other hand and headed inside.

Placing the bucket and basket down, I got all the sieves and jars out getting ready to strain the milk. At this time yesterday I was chatting up a storm to Invisi-Adam, but I couldn't make myself talk. My scan went to the window hoping he'd show up, but maybe he wasn't really there.

When all the milk was strained and the eggs cleaned, my eyes went to the window again. Nothing. But I needed to know if the two packs were connected. Was Milo planning something tonight? I was sure that Nate was. It couldn't be a coincidence that they show up talking about some business deal and then Milo orders a ton of cakes he knows will make his people strong.

I stepped outside and delicately inched to the tree line. It was as if I was trying to make silent steps to sneak up on a werewolf.

Yeah right.

When I was a few steps into the greenery, my eyes searched around darting to every moving leaf. "Adam?"

A few more steps.

"Adam are you in here? I need to talk to you."

Deeper.

There was no rustle, no noise out of the ordinary.

This was important and I'd do what I needed to do. I bit my lip and braced myself. Then I reached the back of my right hand up against the scratchy bark of a nearby tree. It was barely a scrape, but slight redness did show through the new cuts.

"There. Now you can come out. I'm injured." But the effect was lost when I laughed to myself remembering Adam's absurd actions about the bee sting.

Still nothing.

"Oh come on. Just talk to me."

A dozen more steps into the forest gave no indication that anyone was near. Maybe he really wasn't. He never showed himself all yesterday as I chatted to invisible him. Maybe he was not going to show after me totally stealing a kiss. He probably doesn't want to have to talk about it. I blew out a laugh. That was probably it. Mr. No Emotion didn't want a repeat.

Definitely bro code.

That was so stupid embarrassing. Dumb Nate trying to Alpha command a kiss!

But a slight smile brought to my face as I remembered the feel. So amazing. My stomach flooded with warmth and happiness.

And I felt as my resolve set. It was like my joints were turning to stone.

I would do what I could to protect them.

If Milo wanted to hurt these guys, I wasn't cool with it. I hadn't even really tried kissing with Nate yet. I wouldn't let me be the reason Milo hurt them.

Turning quick, I raced back to the house, grabbed my truck keys, and jumped into the cab. I was going to do the only thing I could do.

Make cakes.

With a final glance to the trees, I headed the truck for the grocery store for ingredients.

I spent the day making ten cakes. Sorry diner customers. Cake was out two days in a row.

I looked at the time, making sure I could make it to Timothy's drop and lugged a bunch of water bottles out to the garden. "No use letting this go to waste."

I turned out to the trees. "Adam?" Though at that point it would be very hard to explain. When no movement showed I began emptying the water bottles over the squash plants.

When every bottle was empty, I brought them back inside to make smoothies. I almost grinned at what Adam would be thinking when he heard the blender spinning for an hour straight.

My brows came down. All I had was a cheap mart store blender. Maybe it wouldn't be able to handle the load?

I sighed out a breath. I guess I'd keep going until food runs out, or my blender dies.

Here's to hoping that food goes first.

And thank goodness the blender held out. After an hour of scouring cold storage for every jar of honey I owned and blending fresh garden veggies and berries with milk and raw eggs, all water bottles were filled and placed in the fridge.

Now for the scary part.

I was not going to call for Adam now. And if he and Nate showed up with a receipt in hand again, things were not going to end well. But it was about an hour or two before my shift started, so maybe they wouldn't expect to corner me yet?

Again, I peeked out the window and glanced at the trees, but this time I was hoping for no movement. It looked stock still as ever, so I took a last deep breath and went.

I walked the cakes straight out to the truck and piled them in. I was trying to act as casual as possible, but I was guessing my heartrate was probably giving me away.

Briefly, I wondered how far away werewolves could hear a heartbeat? Maybe I was still hoping Adam was really not there after all.

Luckily for me, no wolves appeared, and I hopped in the truck, all cakes safely at the seat next to me. Starting the truck, I headed for the playground.

After I had driven for ten minutes, I understood when I took the next turn if anyone was following me they'd know I was not headed for the diner.

I had to swallow the lump in my throat as I turned on my blinker. "Here we go." I truly expected to be pulled from the truck in some lightning fast move before I got two feet down the forested road. But it was a whole minute in and no car crashes yet, so I began to breathe easier.

Ready or not. Here I come.

Another five minute drive went by peacefully, or whatever you can call non-traumatic. I pulled over at a large tree with a tire swing, noticing the children's playground tucked back in the park hiding between the tree trunks and nostalgia filled me. That was always were we always met. Timothy and I used to play there every week as kids. It was sad beautiful memories. I could almost see my sixteen-year-old self swinging ten-year-old Tim again.

Timothy was already waiting, two scary looking wolves in human form beside him.

As I got out of the truck, he raced to me in leaps. His light wavy hair skipped at his ears each step he took.

"LeeLee!" He cried and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Timothy!" I laughed and squeezed back. He was just barely taller than me, smaller than most wolves but still filled out and muscled like one. "Gosh, you are getting big. Eighteen right?"

He pulled back and shrugged noncommittally. "You made my cake. You know hold old I am."

I laughed. "You're just still ten in my head."

"Leelee," he complained.

A throat cleared behind him and he turned back to the other two. If you think of cartoon goons in your head. They were the epitome of it. And my heart started thundering. If they figure out those cakes were just cakes, I was done for.

"Yeah yeah," Timothy grumbled. "I'm just saying Hi." He twisted back to me. "Well, lots of preparations for the uh, celebration tonight so we need to get the cakes back... hey are you okay?"

He tenderly grabbed my arms and I tried to take a deep calming breath. "Oh yeah, sure. Just nervous about staying awake through my shift tonight. Spent a lot of time baking today."

He nodded convinced. "Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I know it was really last minute." He shouted back to the guys. "Go ahead. They're in the cab."

The goons started grabbing cakes two at a time and taking them back to Timothy's car.

"Sorry I don't get to see you around as much. You know how it is." He shrugged sadly.

I gave a sad smile back. "I actually don't."

"Dad is driving me mad with behind the scenes stuff. Don't know how I'm going to learn it all in six more years."

I patted his back. "That's plenty of time to learn, TimmyTim." I winked.

He laughed, "you know I hate that name."

"You call me LeeLee. I've got to get in some weird name action too."

He grinned and then his eyes caught goon number two's when goon growled. Both the two stood rigid against Tim's car.

Timothy's eyes then turned back to me and glanced over my shoulder. My stomach dropped and my heart pounded.

They were right behind me.

Nate and Adam.

Weren't they?

I cautiously turned my head, ready to be flanked by two extremely angry werewolves.

But the surroundings were clear.

Timothy sounded hesitant. "You should get home, Elise."

He turned but I grabbed his arm. "What's happening?" I spoke in a whisper to keep the goons out, but knew it was no use.

His eyes got sorrowful, and he whispered back. "You know I can't tell you. I've got to go." He twisted to the car but paused, "see if you can get some hotel room in town tonight. That's all I can say."

Tim slipped through my grasp back to the car and I watched them drive off as soon as his door was closed.

"Bye," I whispered to the back of his car.

I bit my lip considering my choice to help Nate instead of Tim. But Timothy bringing growling cake goons made me feel like it was.

Still, if anything happened to Tim because of me, I'd hate myself forever.

I raced back to my truck and turned the key as fast as I could. If Adam and Nate were really close I was not getting caught out there.

Maybe I was just being paranoid that they were around always now.

I pulled the truck to the road knowing I was headed to the wolf den.

"I'm in big trouble," I told invisi-Adam.