die. When we take our oath, we are bound to serve the pack’s best interest. Always. Our decisions may not be right all of the time, but they must be made with the right intentions. If we ever did anything knowing it would cause the pack harm, or wasn’t in the pack’s best interest, we would die instantly. It’s the tie to all of our kind that controls us as much as we control them.”
“So, because you can’t inspect his mind, you don’t know his intentions?”
“He’s been waiting for three years. He has studied with each of us. We’ve tested him in many ways, but we haven’t been able to inspect his mind. We can touch areas of it, just like I was able to with the two who appeared last night, but not all of it. And, just like the two who appeared, he can choose to ignore a direct command.”
“So, if he’s an Elder, he might be able to control them?” Michelle speculated.
“He might. Or, he may die taking the oath,” Sam said.
“We can decide this later,” Mom said. “Right now, we need to finalize the trip. I still think it’s too dangerous for Michelle, even with an Elder along. No offense intended, Grey.”
Grey winked at Mom but remained quiet.
“I think it’s worth the risk,” Michelle said quietly.
“All right,” Dad said, standing. “The flight leaves at ten a.m. We’ll see you at breakfast.”
Michelle shook as she stood. Mom saw it and quickly hugged her.
I couldn’t see Michelle’s face, but I saw my mom’s. Her eyes widened and she paled. Her breathing grew shallow, and she met my gaze.
“Mom?”
She opened her mouth but only managed a gasp.
“Michelle?” I said, reaching to pull her away from Mom. Michelle wasn’t holding Mom tightly so it was easy to pry them apart. But as soon as I did, Mom’s legs gave out. Dad caught her on her way down.
Michelle came to herself and made a distressed sound when she saw Mom on the floor. As Michelle moved to kneel down by Mom, I caught her by the arm and tugged her away.
“No,” I said, gently. Something happened when the two of them touched. That much was obvious.
Dad tapped Mom’s cheek. “Charlene,” he said. “Come on, honey. Open those pretty eyes.”
“What happened?” Michelle asked, turning back to me.
“One minute she was hugging you, the next she started breathing funny and fainted. Did you have another vision?”
“Yes. No.” She glanced back at Mom. “It was different. I think my ability is changing again, but I don’t know how or why. I think I did that to her.”
She looked so worried and afraid that I didn’t have the heart to agree with her.
Mom made a small sound of denial as she came to.
“No, it’s just part of my gift,” Mom lied while Dad helped her up. “I’ll tell you about it some other time. You need to go spend time with your brothers. I’m fine.”
She didn’t look fine. She looked pale and shaky as she moved to sit on a chair.
But, it was obvious she didn’t want Michelle to worry. I gave Michelle’s hand a quiet squeeze of reassurance.
“She’s stronger than she looks,” Dad said to both of us.
“She’s still here and listening,” Mom said with a roll of her eyes. I winked at her before nudging Michelle toward the door. Dad would probably want to have a private word with Mom.
“Michelle, could I have a moment with you? Privately?” Dad asked.
I stopped and looked at Dad. He was entirely serious. What did he have to say to her that he couldn’t say in front of me? What was so important he had to say it now when Mom was still recovering from whatever had happened?
Dad glanced meaningfully at the door. I scowled and, without much choice, left the room.
I paced in the hallway and wondered what was being said behind the closed door. If I were lucky, Dad was trying to talk Michelle out of going on this trip. Somehow, I doubted that.
When the handle moved, I stopped my pacing and faced the door. Mom and Dad walked out first. Then I saw Michelle. Her face was flushed, and embarrassment oozed from her. What the hell?
She didn’t look at me but gave a small wave to Mom. Mom gave a small smile in return and walked away, letting Dad support her.
Alone, I took Michelle’s hand in mine and tipped her chin so she would face me. She gave me a half-smile and nodded toward