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was in an alternate universe. Prior to his car accident, Heath had been nothing other than stable and steady as a rock. He’d gone into the military straight out of high school, worked his way into the Special Forces in the Marines and lived an upstanding life. His accident had derailed his military career, although fortunately he’d been honorably discharged before the stain of his arrest occurred. Now, he was working his way back to the life he had before. Sophia spoke to him weekly, but she knew he spoke to their parents almost every day. The brother she knew and loved was weighted down with guilt over the events of the last year. No matter how many times she reminded herself only Heath could be held responsible for his actions, she remained sick with fury about the smuggling network and the easy gateway it opened in Painter.
    “He’s probably going to keep apologizing, so I suppose you’d better get used to it,” Sophia replied. “He feels terrible. I’m just relieved he’s finally getting help. I wish we’d understood how addictive those damn painkillers could be.” She shook her head sharply and grabbed a cracker.
    Lila watched her for a long moment before shaking her own head. “Enough of that. Your father keeps telling me to stop dwelling, so moving on. Ever since you asked me about the Hayes family the other day, I’ve been wondering how their son is doing. If I have it right, he should be about thirty-two years old now. I can’t believe it’s been that long since they moved away. Have you seen him again?”
    “Actually, I have. I kind of have a favor to ask.”
    Lila cocked her head to the side and nodded for Sophia to continue.
    “He asked me what I knew about his family. Since I don’t know much, I suggested he talk to you. I hope you don’t mind.”
    “Of course I don’t mind. Does he even know what happened to his brother?”
    “He does. I didn’t ask, but he offered it up. I probably didn’t do the best job of hiding my expression when he asked about his family. I guess he wants to learn about them. Seeing as the only one left is Nelson Weaver, and I barely know who he is, I thought you had a lot more to share. You know everyone and everything.”
    Lila laughed softly. “Not everyone and everything, but I do know most everyone in Painter. I knew his mother because we grew up together. I know his uncle, but Nelson has all but disappeared the last few years. After David died, Daniel’s grandparents were devastated. They kept to themselves. The whole thing was just terrible. It was bad enough David was shot and killed in front of all those children on the playground, but there were some shifters who blamed the family for putting shifters at risk.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “The man shot a mountain lion, but once David fell to the ground, he shifted back to human form. Needless to say, it was terrifying. Except for shifters and the humans who already knew they existed, it was like nothing they’d ever imagined. Thank goodness the local police covered it up. Shifter rumors have always been a concern, but it was years before things quieted down after that. The last few years have got people nervous again because of that damn smuggling network.”
    Sophia sat quietly for a moment, absorbing what her mother said. Shifters had been so successful at hiding in plain sight for so long, sometimes she forgot how precarious their secrecy could be. All it would take would be something like what happened to Daniel’s brother, or one of the shifter smugglers getting caught in the wrong place and wrong time. She took a breath and brought her mind back to the moment.
    “The whole thing is so sad. It seems like that incident overshadows almost everything about Daniel’s family.”
    Lila nodded, her eyes tinged with sadness. “Hard not to. The saving grace for Daniel now is it’s been so long. I can tell him what his mother was like before all that. I got to know his father some, but his father was