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be so close and now it’s like we’re strangers. I don’t know if I can ever fix that.”
    Sarah, who had previously seemed so mature and wise, now appeared utterly helpless. This time, it had been Taylor who had offered up a hug.
    “I’ll keep an eye on him for you,” Taylor had promised.
    And there she’d gone again, making promises she couldn’t possibly keep.

CHAPTER SIX
     
    After a week of persistent nagging, Alder and Hale finally allowed Taylor to live in her cabin. Though he didn’t know it, Caim had actually helped her make her case. The gruff young alpha seemed to ruffle feathers everywhere he went, causing friction amongst the pack members. After a particularly bad fight between Caim and a beta male, Taylor had innocuously suggested that Caim stay with her throughout the day. He could watch over her while she was at the cabin, making sure the perimeter was secure.
    Surprisingly, Alder and Hale had gone for the idea. Granted, they still insisted keeping at least one other patrol—usually Fenix—close by as well.
    As far as babysitters went, Caim was very low maintenance. Unlike her previous guards, he never asked her what she was doing or told her where she could and could not go. One day, when she’d been feeling particularly restless, she had even taken a walk through the woods. Caim had simply followed her at a distance without a hint of protest.
    He was so unobtrusive that, much like today, Taylor often forgot he was even there. She was in the midst of making breakfast when she noticed movement from outside. She set her spoon down in the bubbling pot of stew and made her way over to the window. Drawing her curtain back ever so slightly, she saw that there was a visitor.
    Snow stood beside Caim, a warm smile on her face. She ruffled the hair on the top of his head. The usually stoic wolf leaned in to nuzzle the side of his sister’s cheek. Snow’s smile widened.
    Pulling back from the window, Taylor made a quick effort to fix her appearance. Aside from running her fingers through her hair, there was little else she could do to make herself presentable. Some time during the last week, her midsection had ballooned, making her new clothes ill-fitting overnight. Her feet had become too swollen to fit inside the boots she’d been given and the only other shoes she could find were two sizes too big. When it wasn’t too cold, she often walked around barefoot outside rather than making her gait any more absurd.
    Taylor was checking her nails for dirt when there was a soft tap at the door. She waited a few seconds, feeling strangely anxious, before plastering on her brightest smile and opening the door.
    “Hi, there,” Taylor said, sounding too cheerful even to her own ears.
    “Hey,” Snow said. “I was just stopping by to see how you were doing.”
    “Great, great.”
    They both stood there for a moment. Taylor had forgotten how tall Snow was and they stared at one another eye-to-eye.
    Biting her bottom lip, Snow asked, “May I come in?”
    “Oh!” Taylor’s eyes widened and she quickly backed up, allowing Snow room to enter the cabin. “Sorry.”
    Snow closed the door behind herself. “No worries. I wanted to come see how you were doing, but I also wanted to thank you. Um, is that burning?”
    “Shit,” Taylor blurted.
    She dashed over to the fireplace where her breakfast pot was bubbling over. Grabbing a cloth, she pulled the pot from the fire and placed it on the floor to cool off.
    “Sorry, I don’t have a place to sit,” Taylor said, shuffling over to grab some furs. “I’m in the process of figuring out how to build furniture.”
    She set the furs down in front of the fireplace and motioned for Snow to sit. “Want some stew? It’s mostly venison and mushrooms.”
    Snow wrinkled her nose, causing Taylor to grin.
    “Not a fan of mushrooms? Neither is Alder.”
    “Not the mushrooms,” Snow said, giving her a sheepish look. “It’s actually the venison. I’ve never liked meat