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beside her. “Should we just put the leaves in?”
    “Here, let me.” Snow took the mint and began stripping the leaves and tossing them into the water. “Are you feeling better today?”
    “I guess I feel pretty well, all things considered.”
    “Is there something wrong with you?” Snow asked, turning to look at Taylor.
    “Besides being pregnant?”
    Snow’s eyes widened. “You’re pregnant?”
    “You can’t smell it?”
    Snow looked back down at the pot, her cheeks reddening. “I’m not a wolf. At least, not like the others. I can’t shift, I have a terrible sense of smell, and I get sick a lot.”
    Taylor sat down on the floor and crossed her legs. “That must be pretty rough.”
    “You don’t know the half of it,” Snow said, keeping her head down. “All of my brothers and sisters are wolves. My mom and I are the only ones who can’t shift.”
    “How many siblings do you have?”
    Snow sighed. “More than I can even count.”
    “I had a lot of brothers and sisters growing up, as well.”
    If foster siblings counted.
    Snow glanced up. “Really?”
    “Yeah. Having lots of brothers and sisters can be great, because you’re never alone.”
    “I guess.”
    “But it can also get pretty lonely, too.”
    Snow was quiet as she began stirring the water in the pot. The fresh smell of mint leaves was already beginning to fill the cabin.
    “Everyone thinks I’m stupid for feeling lonely,” Snow murmured. “Mom’s the only one who ever listens to me and she’s always so busy with the pups. Sometimes I feel like I’m a bother to her.”
    Taylor put a hand on Snow’s back, lightly patting it. “Is that why you left home?”
    Snow shrugged. “It’s one of the reasons. I guess I just wanted to be with someone who was just mine.”
    “You mean, Alder?”
    “Yeah. He’s my only real parent, and I’m his only real child. We should have always been together.”
    Taylor wanted to explain to Snow that parentage was about more than just who supplied your genes, but it felt like anything she said would just be meddling for her own selfish purposes. She could see the situation becoming more convoluted by the second, but there was nothing she could do. No matter which way she looked at it, Taylor was the intruder in this scenario, not Snow.
    Taylor sat in silence as Snow poured two cups of warm mint water. Thanking Snow, she sipped at the water. It did nothing to quell the uneasiness that had taken root inside of her.
    Before Snow could engage her in a one-sided conversation, Taylor heard a loud bark from outside. She turned, looking out the door in time to see Caim standing up. Nervous that he was going to go after her quail, Taylor stood and raced to the door.
    To her relief, Caim seemed to be interested at something in the woods. In an impressive display of speed, he took off, a blur of black disappearing into the trees.
    “Hm,” Snow said, appearing beside Taylor with her hands on her hips. “I wonder where he’s off to in such a hurry.”
    “Not sure. Is he always like that?”
    “Wolfy? Yup.” Snow gave her a cheeky grin. “He’s probably caught wind of something. If I had to guess, it’s a turkey. Up for a turkey chase?”
    Taylor was about to say no when her stomach growled voraciously. She pressed a hand to her belly and frowned. It was the second day in a row that the mention of meat had her salivating.
    “Um, are you hungry?” she asked Snow.
    “Eck, I hate turkey meat. Let’s hope he found something bigger.”
    With a beckoning wave of her hand, Snow flounced off after her brother.
    “Be right there,” Taylor called.
    When Snow was out of view, Taylor glanced down and gently poked her abdomen. “This meat thing is all you, isn’t it, little man?”
    Little man .
    Emotions surged for a few moments, but Taylor was able to rein them in. Silently, selfishly, she hoped that her baby would be a boy. She knew that it wasn’t fair to put such a heavy burden on an unborn child, but