Avery and her mates returned home with a mixture of relief and anticipation. The visit to the Shaman had been successful beyond their wildest hopes, and now it was time to inform her parents about the breakthrough. She knew they had been worried sick, and the news she carried would lift a significant weight from their shoulders.

The moment she stepped through the door, the familiar scents and sounds of home enveloped her. Her parents and younger sister, Haylee, were gathered in the living ...