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woman rolled her eyes as she scoffed and shook her head.
    Tess narrowed her eyes, focusing on Nate and the older gentleman. Hell would freeze over before she convinced Patrice of her plight, that much was obvious. The two men were her best bet to winning her freedom. “I understand this place needs to remain a secret. But I need to leave. My family could be out there. They could be hurt, or even being pursued by the hunters. I have to find them.”
    “There are more of you out there? Perfect. I don’t want her kind prancing around here. She should be locked up, not out and about,” Patrice hissed.
    “Patrice,” the older man snapped.
    “Charles,” she taunted back.
    “What is it that you want?” Tess growled. Would they just tell her what was going on already? If she needed to fight her way out, she would prefer to do it before anyone else showed up.
    Nate’s grip on her wrist tightened—she’d forgotten his hand was there. She wrenched her arm free. Her eyes shifted into their feline form of their own volition and her body shook, readying to transition if needed. If these wolves thought they could easily subdue her, they had another thing coming.
    “Easy,” Charles insisted, holding out his hand as a sign of peace.
    “If you are trying to assure her, you two are doing a horrible job,” Nate said, sitting down on her abandoned bed.
    Patrice grunted and took a step back. “I can’t stand to be around her another minute anyway. I trust you’ll follow the rules set forth and agreed upon by the council members,” Patrice glared at Charles.
    Charles nodded his head as Patrice continued to stare. Finally, she took another step back, spun on her heel and marched off down the hall.
    The tension in the room lessened and Tess blinked, allowing her eyes to return to normal.
    “You’ll have to excuse her,” Charles started. “Her pack had a bad run in with a pride a long time ago. It cost a lot of wolves their lives. But that is beside the point, and in the past. While you are not a prisoner here, Tess, we don’t want you to go out on your own again. Hunters know Sanctuary is around—they just don’t know where. I don’t believe you would willingly tell them where we are, but we all know the types of torture our enemy can inflict, and there is only so much a person can take. I presume you are trying to meet up with another pride?”
    “Yes,” she replied hesitantly. Was he going to help her after all?
    “I have a proposition for you,” he started. “The choice is of course yours. You can leave with a few escorts that will help you to your pride, or you can stay with us and make Sanctuary your home. Show our residents that the werecat community is not to be feared and if we come across any other werecats, you can be here to welcome them.”
    “I need to see if my family is in Ohio,” Tess insisted. That’s where they would’ve gone, and she needed to ensure they weren’t already there.
    Charles turned his attention to Nate. “Ohio?”
    “I already told her we don’t know of any shifters in the state,” Nate explained.
    “Even if they aren’t there, my sister and her mate will have gone there to search for them,” Tess replied. “My sister, Thea, she’s... she’s pregnant and vulnerable. I need to find her.”
    Tess held her breath as she waited for Charles to reply. The alpha’s eyebrows crinkled as he contemplated her request.
    Nate cleared his throat after a long moment. “Father?”
    Charles turned to Nate. “Your team will leave first thing in the morning, Nate. Tess, I know you must be anxious to continue your search for your family, but you need at least a night to heal properly. An injury can cause mishaps and slow downs, and I’m sure you’ll move faster fully healed. Nate, show Tess to a guest room, but,” he paused, pinning Nate with a piercing stare. “Ensure you keep her close. Your mother isn’t the only one here who is disturbed by her presence,” he warned.
    Tess