I’m the runt of the litter. Not only am I much smaller than my four raccoon shifter brothers, I’m always behind. They all know what they want to do with their lives, and they can’t wait to move away from home to follow their dreams. All I know is that I like to bake, and I like Slade—the huge grizzly shifter next door who my brothers say I should stay away from.

I’m not very good at taking advice, apparently.

Less than a week after Slade knocks me up, he goes to prison for murder. He confesses and everything. I shouldn’t harbor a secret hope that he’s innocent. I know that. Which is why I don’t tell him about the baby.

But when he gets out six years later on good behavior, I offer to pick him up. Because I have to know if he’s really as bad as everyone thinks he is.