Van

His baby brother.

Van pulled her hand away. "How old is he?"

Luca's response was anguished. "Five. Damn it. He's only five."

"Why did they take him?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at Hailey. The other girl shook, but there was no denying the guilt bleeding through the anger. "Hailey?"

"Oh, don't ask her," Luca snarled.

For a moment Van could see the animal beneath his human skin. Not just the physical manifestation she'd witnessed when she brought up the baby panther. No, this was less tangible. A look in his eyes that was almost feral. And for the hundredth time, she questioned her sanity. Why was she not afraid of this boy? She could see the parts of him that scared Hailey, but she knew he wasn't a danger. Not to her.

"If your brother was taken, it's because he shifted too early," Hailey said.

"Too early?"

Luca scrubbed his hands over his head. It left his dark hair mussed and wild. "The Holy Asylum takes children who shift before thirteen. They claim shifting before puberty causes problems with control. That those shifters are less human."

Van felt small, but she had to ask. "Is it true?"

"Yes."

"No!"

Hailey and Luca answered together. Brown and blue glares clashing across the room. Van sank back onto the couch, her fingers curling over her thighs as she processed this information. Luca sat beside her, but he didn't look at her as he spoke.

"Children with the ability to shift are harder to control. They lose themselves in their animal forms because they don't have enough human experiences to anchor them. It's dangerous, and there are those who never shift back. But the pack takes care of their own, and we handled it for years before the Asylum stepped in."

"Luca, you know full well that with our help you've lost less child shifters."

"So you claim, but do you know how many of those children are actually returned to us? Maybe one in ten. My family is never going to see Brantley again, even if he does shift back into his human form, and it's because they fear him. They think he'll be too powerful when he grows up so they'll lock him away with the others. Even worse, they'll dangle him as leverage to keep me and my family in line."

Hailey wrapped her arms around her chest. She shook her head, blonde hair whipping back and forth across her face. "No. That's not true."

"It's not true?" Luca whispered, "Or that's not what they tell you?"

Hailey was saved from replying when the front door opened and slammed closed so hard the house rattled. Van jumped to her feet, shifting into a fighting stance as the intruder stormed toward the living room, his or her feet clopping on the hardwood floors. Luca remained sitting, but a curious expression twisted his lips.

"What the hell, Luca?"

Livy Brooks paused in the doorway, looking nothing like the girl Van knew from school. Her sleek bob was gone, replaced by lush, untamed curls. The blouses with Peter Pan collars were nowhere to be seen. Instead, she wore a black lace tank that ended just above her midriff, and her dark jeans were so tight they looked painted on. But it was more than just the physical appearance that was different. None of the girl's calm demeanor remained as she stalked into the living room, her attention devoted to her cousin.

"So, now you want to talk to me?" Luca said.

"Bane told me you invited them into your house, and I told him he was lying."

"What would you have me do? The soldiers of the Holy Asylum of Light are welcome on Pack property whenever they please. Including our homes."

Livy growled, making Van gasp. The sound wasn't delicate or feminine. She half expected to see fangs protruding over the girl's gloss slicked lips.

"Is this because you've got a thing for Van or have you really become this much of a pushover? You were elected as our future leader because they believed you were strong, but now I know it's not true. The Asylum probably manipulated our people into choosing you so they could control you."

Luca lunged at Livy, pushing her into the wall. Hailey snatched Van's arm and dragged her back as the cousins snapped and hissed at one another.

"See," Hailey said, "you think you know someone, but look at them. These are not the people they pretend to be outside of these walls. The world is safer because of us."

"Let me go," Van said, shoving Hailey aside. She wanted to be prepared to help Luca, and her mind wouldn't quit replaying Livy's words about Luca having a thing for her.

"Listen here, Livy. I'm only going to say this once. I am going to save Brantley, but I'm not going to rush into it and get myself and my family killed because you think I need to do it your way and do it now. Do you understand me? So back the eff off."

Only the sound of heavy breathing filled the room as Livy considered her cousin's words. Her dark eyes raked over Luca's face and then moved over his shoulder, settling on Van. Whatever she saw in Van seemed to seal the deal for her, and she nodded. Then with a sob, she threw her arms around Luca's neck.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Luca held onto her like a port in a storm. His back muscles quivered through his t-shirt, until Van wondered if the only thing holding him together was Livy's embrace. He kissed his cousin's forehead as they broke apart.

"You've got that out of your system?"

The girl nodded. "I was just so angry and hurt."

"I am too, but I meant it. Just because I haven't done anything, doesn't mean I won't."

"And just what do you think you're going to do?" Hailey demanded.

Livy narrowed her eyes. "I guess you're going to run and tell your leader everything you heard today."

"She's not," Van said, slapping a hand over Hailey's mouth as she began to protest. "Because I'd hate to tell my father about this trip and the danger she put me in. He explicitly told her to keep me away from Luca, and what did she do? Took me straight to him. I can't imagine it would do much for her future with the Asylum."

"I knew I liked you," Livy said with a cheeky grin while Hailey spluttered in outrage.

"You're playing a dangerous game," the blonde girl hissed. "And we're leaving now."

"Fine. Goodbye Livy. Luca."

"Van," he replied, looking at her like all he wanted to do was draw her into his arms. And what scared her- even more than zombies- was that she would let him.

She followed Hailey out to the car, but before buckling her seat belt, she typed out a message and hit send before her courage could fail her. Gravel shot out from the tires as they peeled down the long driveway, but Van's usual preoccupation with driving safety abandoned her as she anxiously stared at the screen of her phone.

When it lit up, she tapped the message.

Sexy Beast: Are you sure?

Van: More sure than I've ever been.

...

Sexy Beast: Can you meet me tomorrow night?

Van's thumbs hovered over the keyboard, and she twisted her body so Hailey couldn't see what she was typing. The move was obvious, but Van knew the girl would do as she was told. Her mouth would remain shut because she didn't want to take the blame.

Van: Just tell me where.

Sexy Beast: I'll let you know.

She dropped her phone into her lap and stared out the window. The world whizzed by in blurs and shadow, but all she saw was the same image on repeat. The day her father brought her into the Asylum, and Trixie showed up with the baby panther. Only now she knew the truth. That panther was a child. Someone's son and brother. A human being caught up in her father's twisted world.

"Van." Hailey said her name with desperation, dragging her attention away from the outside world and focusing it on the girl behind the wheel.

"What?"

"Please, think before you do something stupid."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. I can't imagine what this is like for you. Finding all of this out after losing your mother and brother. I grew up with it, and it's still hard to comprehend sometimes. Luca is a nice guy, and you could be blind and still see the chemistry between the two of you-"

Van scoffed. "That's not what this is about."

"Oh please," Hailey replied, rolling her eyes. A small smile played at the corner of her mouth. "If I know anything, it's men, and that boy wants you bad. And you wouldn't say no. But as someone who did grow up in this world, I need you to believe me when I say you're going to get in over your head. The rules exist for a reason. People who don't live by them are destroyed. Just ask the Proteuns."

"The who?"

"Exactly. They don't exist anymore because they wouldn't get in line. This arrangement between us and the shifters isn't perfect, but it works to keep everyone safe. Without it, they would have been eradicated just like the Proteuns. Think about that while you're deciding whose side you're on because this isn't just about what you want or who you want. If you screw this up, you will mess up a lot more lives than just Brantley's."

"Whatever," Van said, pressing her nose against the glass and wishing she could ignore the truth she heard in Hailey's words.

"Just think about it."

"Fine. Enough, okay."

"Okay." She spoke so quietly Van wondered if she'd meant to be heard. "And Van?"

"Yeah?"

"I won't say anything about tonight, and not just because I don't want to get in trouble. I like Luca and his family, and I like you."

The admission was an unsettling weight on Van's shoulders. What was she supposed to do with that information? Things were getting too complicated. She needed to go back to her original plan of getting away from this place and going back to the city she grew up in.

But first... she looked down at her phone. First, we have to free Brantley.