Chapter 1

Irapped my knuckles against Melody and Lakota's bedroom door. "Wake up, lazybones. You're working the early shift today, remember?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Melody grumbled.

I drifted down the hall toward the kitchen to see if the coffee was ready.

"Hope!"

I whirled around. When Lakota poked his head into the hall, I giggled. His hair looked like it had been through a wind tunnel.

He squinted from the light in the living room behind me. "What time do you get off tonight?"

"Nine at the latest. It depends on how busy we get."

He eased into the hall and shut the door behind him, his red shirt halfway tucked into his boxers. "We need to do something about those hours. It'll be fall soon, and I'm not having you two working after dark."

I snorted. "You're my brother, but remember that I'm not someone you can order around. Be sure to let me know when you break the news to Melody that you're deciding our business hours, because I'm dying to see her reaction."

"Hire the twins. They could use some part-time work."

I loved Melody's younger brothers, but that wasn't going to happen. "You don't think it's inappropriate to ask two alpha males to work beneath me in a low-paying position? How will that groom them for a leadership role in a pack? They have their own destiny to follow."

He rubbed his face. "Just be sure to come straight home instead of going to see Mother."

Lakota and Melody had recently formed a fast and permanent relationship, and shortly afterward, Lakota had moved in with us. It was wonderful having my older brother around, but the apartment was quaint, and a couple needed privacy that the thin walls couldn't provide. I respected their needs and occasionally went straight from work to visit with my old pack, which my father led. I loved having wolves around me, but Lakota and I weren't a pack, and hearing the carnal cries of my best friend and brother wasn't my idea of a fun Friday night.

Or almost every other night of the week for that matter.

"I planned to visit with Mother before they left town in the morning, but if you insist, I'll be here. Now dress yourself. A sister shouldn't have to see such things." I smiled, shading my eyes as I turned on my heel.

He chuckled before closing the door.

Lakota was my half brother but my whole heart. We hadn't grown up in the same house, but he'd always been my protector, and we visited every chance we got. For the past few years, he'd taken on a job as a bounty hunter, and that meant seeing him less often. But after mating with my best friend, Lakota was in search of a new beginning. No rush. He had plenty of money saved and wanted to extend his honeymoon with Melody for as long as possible before figuring out his life. Even though we occasionally bickered, I loved having my big brother around. He was a good man who took care of those he loved.

If only he took care of his dirty laundry instead of tossing it on the bathroom floor.

I swept my long hair behind my shoulders and padded down the hall, the wood floor chilling the soles of my bare feet. When I reached the living room, I swung right toward the kitchen. I loved early morning regardless of the weather. There was something spiritual about the start of a new day—a time when I felt the most connected to my wolf.

Since our apartment building had interior halls and elevators, it was safer than most places in the Breed district. A beautiful row of tall windows spanned the living room on my left, all the way to the kitchen. I approached the short pony wall that separated the two rooms and poured a leftover bottle of water into one of the houseplants on the ledge. Mel and I had different tastes when it came to decorating, so she claimed the living room, and I had dominion over the kitchen. I'd selected every dish, and the trivets and pot holders were handmade by members of my former pack as going-away gifts when I moved out. Melody's grey room and hot-pink couch might have clashed with my earthy tones, but I loved the visual contrast between our personalities.

Melody strolled into the room in her favorite patchwork jeans and a cotton shirt. She yawned noisily and plopped down on a barstool, yesterday's makeup smeared beneath her heavy-lidded eyes.

"Did you at least brush your teeth?" I asked.

Mel scratched at her messy ponytail. "I'll brush them after breakfast. I don't know why you bother waking up this early when you don't have to work until the afternoon."

I smiled and slouched on the stool across from her. "Do you really need to ask? I've always liked getting up with the sun."

"Maybe we should have called our store Sunbeam instead of Moonglow."

I chuckled softly and gazed at the suncatcher in the window. Because we managed the business together, we had the luxury of managing our schedules. We could have made them fixed, but we'd decided it wouldn't be fair for one person to always work the late shift and miss the opportunity to go out on dates.

Not that I went out on dates, but Mel and Lakota enjoyed having drinks at Howlers or seeing a late show at the Alamo Drafthouse.

When the coffeepot beeped, I set the carafe on a trivet between us and retrieved buttermilk biscuits and bacon from the warming oven. Mel poured coffee into a mug she'd bought as a souvenir on her last trip to Dallas.

Lakota appeared, scratching the scar on his bare chest before hiking up his loose jeans. He leaned on the island and swung his keys around his index finger. "I'll drive you to work."

Mel chomped on her biscuit, crumbs showering her plate. "Think again."

He peered behind him at the red scooter leaning against the wall by the front door. "Maybe it's time for you to buy a car like a real adult, wife."

She narrowed her green eyes at him. "I like the exercise and the wind in my hair, husband."

He chewed off a piece of bacon, which was no longer crispy after spending an hour in the warming oven. "No worries. Something tells me you'll be changing your tune when it's forty degrees outside and raining."

"This is Austin, not Cognito. It's not like we're going to get buried in twelve feet of snow. A few chilly days out of the year won't stop me. Besides, I own a raincoat."

He kissed her temple before swaggering off. "We'll see, Freckles."

She glared at me with a look of annoyance. "He thinks he knows everything. I'm not a girly-girl. A little rain never hurt anyone." After taking a quick sip of coffee, she wiped her finger beneath her eye and stared at the dark smudge on her fingertip. "I need to take a shower and get ready. Are we putting out your new line of earrings today?"

I cast my eyes down at my grey harem pants, which looked more like a skirt since the legs were so wide. "Maybe."

I was proud of my jewelry, but launching a new line gave me butterflies. I'd spent weeks with my assistant on these earrings, and I wasn't sure how they would sell since they were comprised of feathers and small beads. Most of my other pieces were quality gemstones, but what set these apart were the feathers, which had once belonged to Shifters. Would customers be willing to pay the asking price? Would they laugh?

"Not to hassle you, but I need to know whether to put them out or not," Melody continued. "We've had that empty case on reserve for the past week, and people are excited to see what's coming."

I squared my shoulders and tamped down the urge to chicken out. "Go ahead and put them out if you want."

"Well, gee… don't get all happy on me now. Nervous?"

"Guilty as charged."

She smiled warmly. "The mind boggles. You're going to sell the heck out of those earrings, and you know it. Nobody else around here is selling feathers, and people will love the Shifter connection. It was such a good idea."

I took her empty plate and turned away to rinse it in the sink. "Did you two finish packing for your trip?"

"I think so. Do you want to help me dye my hair tonight?"

I peered over my shoulder at her. "Since when do you need my help? You've been dying your hair since you were what… thirteen?"

She twisted her mouth to the side. "Because I'm dying it brown."

My jaw slackened, and I shut off the water. I hadn't seen Melody's natural hair color in more than a decade, not unless you counted her roots showing in the past few weeks. "What do you mean you're dying it brown?"

Mel broke apart a piece of bacon and gave me a sheepish look. "I'm about to formally meet his adoptive family, and I'm afraid I'll embarrass him. They know all about me, but seeing me in the flesh with purple hair? They'll think I'm immature and not serious about our relationship."

"Then maybe you should dye it back to blue."

She glared.

I dried my hands on a dish towel. "Mel, you have to be true to yourself. Don't pretend to be someone you're not. If you dye your hair and change your clothes, who will it be that they're accepting? You or an impostor?"

She twirled a lock of loose hair around her finger. "It's not just his parents I'm meeting. It's everyone. Uncles, friends, cousins… I just want to make a good impression. All his uncles will be there, and I'm afraid of making Lakota look like a fool."

"Who looks like a fool?" Lakota boomed from across the living room.

I nodded at Mel. "Your mate wants to dye her hair brown before the trip."

He reached the end of the kitchen island and rested his elbows on it. His hair hung past his shoulders, shielding the edges of his face, but I could still see him giving Melody a pointed stare. "What's she talking about?"

Melody's right shoulder lifted in a subtle shrug, but she didn't answer. Normally Mel didn't care what the world thought about her. But she loved Lakota deeply, and family acceptance was everything among Shifters.

"Tell you what," he said. "I'll help you dye it. We'll swing by the drugstore after you get off work and pick up some purple dye. Your roots are showing."

Mel raised her eyes toward him, tears glittering in the corners. "Don't make this into a joke. Meeting your parents as your mate is a big deal. We mated without telling anyone, and that's already left a bad impression with the whole family. Now they're going to take one look at me and—"

"Understand why you're the woman of my dreams." Lakota reached out and captured a tress between his fingers. "Do you think my parents are superficial? Have you seen my wardrobe? You've got moxie, and I'd be embarrassed as hell if you went to see them with your tail tucked between your legs. Be yourself. I want them to meet the woman I fell in love with, the woman who stole my heart."

She slapped his shoulder and stormed off. "Why do you always have to be so romantic? I can't even argue with you anymore."

Lakota rocked with laughter and winked at me. "She's got her mother's fire in her. Thanks for breakfast, little sis. I'm heading out to the Weston house in about an hour to talk with Reno."

"Is my brother going to be a private instigator?" I quipped.

"Investigator," he corrected. "You're too sassy for your own good." He gobbled up another piece of bacon, speaking with his mouth full. "I'm still undecided, but since I have plenty of money in reserve, there's no rush. I've worked my tail off these past few years, so it's nice to have a little vacation."

"Any more time off and our sofa will have a permanent impression of your backside."

He snorted. "You want to ride with me? I won't be gone long."

"I can't."

His brows furrowed. "Why not?"

"I'm heading out to a cast."

Lakota stood up straight. "As in… a cast of hawks? Do I know them?"

"Well, I don't think they're all hawks, so I'm not exactly sure what to call them."

Not all Shifters lived in the same animal group. Some wildcats lived together, but many were loners by nature. Other races banded together for security, such as birds. I'd recently heard about a cast of hawks living nearby, which had planted the idea of feather jewelry. Sure, I could have bought a bunch of feathers off the internet, but I wouldn't know anything about their origin. The personal connection between my jewelry and the Shifters was essential since most of my customers were Breed.

"Shifter feathers aren't easy to come by, not unless they're voluntarily given up or found," I informed him. "The lady I spoke with seemed willing to provide a limited supply."

"So they don't mind you plucking them bald?"

I poked his arm. "They lose feathers during a shift. My contact has access to different species, everything from pheasants to peacocks. When I offered to pay her money for something that was going into the trash anyway, we struck a bargain. Out of respect, I agreed not to discount her pieces like I do with some of my other merchandise."

Lakota stared at me, unblinking.

"They're a respectable group of Shifters," I said, reassuring him. Lakota could be overprotective to a fault. "They're all women, in case you're concerned about a male performing a dance of seduction in front of me."

His shoulders sagged. "All women? That's fine then."

"You're so silly."

"No way in hell is my sister gonna be wooed by a flamingo."

"Aw, but you know how I love skinny legs."

As I steered around him, he caught my wrist. "Be careful, little sister."

"Always am."