“Of course.” She stood straighter and squared her shoulders. Her head kind of twitched, as if she wanted to glance back at Ethan but had stopped herself at the last moment. “What kind would you like?”

“No, I was going to make you some tea.”

“Don’t be silly, Faythe. You’ve never made a pot of tea in your life, and I’m not going to be your first-brew guinea pig. I’ll make it.” Her eyes wandered down to my shirt, where blood from her clothes had soaked into mine. “But first, I want you to change clothes. I can’t stand the sight of any more blood today.”

That made two of us. “Mom…” I didn’t know how to tell her without triggering more tears. “You, too.” I glanced pointedly at the front of her ruined cashmere sweater, and her gaze followed mine.

Her face paled. “Oh.” She turned and walked not quite steadily into the hall.

Owen followed, hopefully going to Shift and dress. Which left me alone with my dad. And with Ethan, of course.

My father stood at the living room window now, staring out at the sunrise just then lightening the front yard, a short, clear glass in his hand, empty but for a few drops of goldish liquid. I knew from the scent that it was Scotch. The good stuff he kept locked in his bottom desk drawer. But now the bottle sat on an occasional table against the wall, its lid off, its contents flavoring the very air.

My dad didn’t seem to realize everyone else had gone. I crossed the room toward him, achingly conscious of my stained clothing, of Ethan’s scent all over me. “Dad?”

“Hmm?”

But I hadn’t thought the rest of it through, and had no idea what to say. Finally I decided to look forward, because my memories had nothing to offer but heartache. “Do we have a plan?”

He nodded, and when he turned, I saw that the pain in his eyes had been almost overtaken by a toxic, seething rage. I could see it churning just beneath the surface of his expression, his anger mounting with every passing moment. And I knew that when the pressure became too great, he would explode, and I could only hope I wouldn’t become collateral damage.

“Yes, Faythe, we have a plan.” His jaw tightened, and his gaze seemed to burn through me. “We will repay in kind.”

“We’re going to fight?” A vicious chill clawed its way up my spine, part grim satisfaction, part eagerness, and part fear. My dad wasn’t talking about just any fight. Malone’s men had killed the son of an Alpha on his own land. If we responded in kind, we wouldn’t be finishing what they had started. We’d be starting something much bigger.

We’d be going to war.

“Of course we’re going to fight. It is now obvious that Calvin Malone plans to be head of the Territorial Council no matter what it costs him, or anyone else. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out he intends to have me assassinated next, and if that’s his plan, so be it. He’s welcome to try. But I will not stand by while he invades my territory and slaughters my children. He’s going to pay in full for what he’s taken from us.”

Damn right! My fingers were tingling, eager to Shift into claws and get going on the retribution. “What can I do?”

He hesitated, his eyes still aimed at me, but unfocused. “Nothing yet. I need to think. Go get cleaned up.”

I made my way to my room in a daze. My legs felt heavy, and dimly I noticed that my abused feet were leaving bloody footprints on the tile in the hall. I passed the dining room, where Dan sat at the long table, staring blankly at the wall, then the kitchen, where my mother was crying. But these were the soft, controlled sobs of acceptance. Terrible in their own way, but much easier to deal with.

In my bathroom, I stripped and stepped into the shower, letting my tears fall with the water as I watched blood—both Ethan’s and mine—swirl down the drain.

Afterward, dry and dressed in clean clothes, I stared at my ruined shirt and jeans, wondering what to do with them. I’d never be able to wear them again, even if the blood came out by some miracle. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to send them to the incinerator. In a weird way, they were the only part of Ethan I had left, and I wasn’t ready to destroy that. Not yet.

So in the end, I left them where they lay, fully aware that I’d have to do something with them soon.

On my way back to the living room, I stopped to check on Kaci. She lay on the bed, on top of the quilted purple-and-pink comforter, her chest rising and falling rhythmically. Shallowly. At a glance, I thought she was simply sleeping. Then I realized she was still unconscious. Her socks and one remaining shoe lay on the floor at the foot of the bed, a heartbreaking reminder of how she’d lost the other one.

“How did it happen?”

I jumped, and looked up to find my mother standing beside me, in Kaci’s doorway. I hadn’t heard her approach. She wore a clean apron, and though her eyes were glazed, like she couldn’t quite bring the world into focus, she sounded…okay.

I sighed, reluctant to talk about it so soon. But she had a right to hear how her son had died. “Jace said they were attacked a quarter mile from the stream by four of Malone’s toms, including Alex in human form. The others were furry. Kaci passed out, which is no surprise. They probably scared the crap out of her, and she was already weak to start with.”

“Damn that man,” my mother muttered sharply beneath her breath, and I blinked at her in surprise. But then, I suppose if she’d ever had reason to use profanity, this was it. “He won’t be happy until he pushes the whole council into full-scale war. And this may have done just that.” She shook her head, then stepped into Kaci’s room to take up a post in the chair beside the bed.