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she asked.
    “No, I don’t.”
    “Then I’m going to keep this up.”
    “Give me your cell phone. I want to talk with Paul.
Save our table,” he said, taking the phone from her and leaving the room.
    He scrolled through her contacts, finding Paul’s name.
    “What was going on, Tori?” Paul asked.
    Jack wasn’t going to think of him as Uncle Paul. They
were not related.
    “This is Jack Rowlands. I’m the junior beta of Tori’s
pack.”
    “She’s told me about you.”
    He got a thrill at hearing that.
    “I want to know what you know.”
    “Why are you taking an interest?” Paul asked.
    “What I’m about to tell you is to stay between you and
me. Her parents don’t even know, understood?”
    “Yes.”
    “Tori is my mate. She’s told
me you’ve been trying to train her. Make her stronger.”
    “I have.”
    “I want to help. I’ve heard all the doubts of what it
will be like during her transition. I want to help give her every chance of
succeeding.”
    “You’re her mate?”
    “Yes.”
    “How are you going to explain helping her?”
    “I’m a concerned friend. She doesn’t know who I am. My
father doesn’t want me to tell her yet, and I don’t want her to know, or be
distracted by me.”
    “Then I need you to keep in touch. It’s important we
make her strong. She didn’t want to go home this summer, but her parents
wouldn’t allow her to stay behind. I thought this summer could help her draw
focus within the pack.”
    Jack listened intently to everything Paul had to say.
“When she returns to you I’ll be coming as well.” He wasn’t going to be parted
from his mate.
    “Until then, I need you to help her. I can’t be there,
and it will worry her parents if they think she’s growing too attached to me.”
    “Who are you?”
    “I’m an uncle that married into the family. I don’t
have any wolf blood, and my mate died giving birth. My son didn’t make it
either.”
    “Shit, man, I’m so sorry.”
    “Tori means the world to me.
Help her, Jack. I’m putting her future in your hands as much as my own.”

Chapter Four
     
    Tori watched Jack enter the diner. He was so
self-assured, so big, massive even. If she had a problem with her size her
issues would only grow bigger if she stayed beside Jack. She liked how his
presence comforted her.
    Whoever mated with Jack was going to be very lucky.
    “I’m helping you,” he said, handing her back her
phone.
    “You’re helping me?”
    “Yes. I’ve spoken with Paul, and we’re going to
continue your training here. My parents are not always home, and we’ve got some
workout equipment. You can come by my place and I’ll help you.”
    “I’m not looking to work in a gym.”
    “We’re going to strengthen your overall body. Slowly,
over the summer we’re going to work on your reflexes. I’ll be joining you at
your uncle’s afterward.”
    “How are you going to do that?” she asked, amazed at
the dedication he was showing.
    “I’m going to talk with my dad. He’ll understand. It’s
important for you to be as strong as possible.”
    “So you’re finally admitting there’s a risk.”
    He kept staring at her for several seconds. “What I’m
about to tell you must remain between us.”
    “Okay.” She was intrigued.
    “During my transition
I flat-lined.”
    “Flat-lined?”
    “I didn’t make it, Tori. The pain, the stress, it was
too much.”
    “What happened? I mean, something had to have happened
because you’re sitting with me now.”
    “My dad and mom, they gave me CPR, and finally, my
father shocked me with an electric current.”
    Pressing a hand to her mouth, she was in total shock.
“You nearly died.” She rubbed at her chest. The thought of him being dead
really upset her. Tears filled her eyes, and she gasped as her wolf howled in
her mind.
    “I survived the rest of the transition, which for some
strange reason was the hardest, yet I survived. I don’t know what happened. I
was in pain, and then I was