Kiss of the Silver Wolf by Sharon Buchbinder Page B

never be off the damn drug."
    "You bastard!” The distinct sound of a hand slapping a cheek had rung out in the house. A gasp. “Fred. I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."
    A door had slammed.
    Charlene had crept back to bed, pulled the quilt over her head, and cried herself to sleep.
    She opened her eyes as the realization overwhelmed her. The signs had all been there, but she'd never had the family history to put them into context. Not until now.
    She stared at the perfect picture of her mother. Perfect, perfect, perfect. Not.
    "What happened, Mom? Where were you going that night?"
    The police placed the accident on I-83, heading south, at about midnight. Why were they out at that hour? Were they heading to the genetics lab two exits away? Had her mother convinced her father to destroy his werewolf research? Who was she hiding it from? Why bother? Hoffman knew and was planning to fire her father soon.
    "You wanted to protect me. You confronted Fred at a full moon."
    Her mother must have been furious. Did she forget to take her medications—or did she skip them on purpose? Without medications, when the full moon of March came to collect her due, did Joanna change like Joey and the boys on the bus? Knowing how frightened she'd been, Charlene could only imagine Fred's reaction. In her rage, had her mother attacked her mate, clawing and biting him? Maybe the car had gone out of control. Or maybe Dad had felt he had no choice but to drive straight into a concrete buttress. Each, in their own way, fought to protect the next generation—her—from knowing the family secrets. And in the end, they both lost. Because, as Jethro said over and over, “Blood will tell."
    An unbidden thought bubbled up in her mind. What had her mother looked like in her werewolf form? She sat down hard in an armchair, her mother's photo clutched in her hand. The fact that she found herself accepting the possibility of such a creature, and that she even wondered what her mother looked like when she changed overwhelmed her.
    She took deep cleansing breaths and tried to think of rational explanations for all the strange experiences she'd had before coming to Eden. Her mother's monthly “migraines,” her brother's fixation with the moon, her own urges to go on long distance runs on nights when the moon was full. And, now, here in Eden, all the other weird events, even the visitation by the strange silver wolf. She stood up and walked back to the bedroom.
    Next to the bed on the floor, she found a few strands of silver-white hair. The same color as Zack's. The animal's eyes had been the same as his, too. She whispered to herself, “I'm either going crazy—or I'm in love with a werewolf."
    How could she leave Eden now? She found her family, her home—and a man who made her feel complete. Her soul mate. There must be another solution. Her mother and father had chosen a path that led to death. What should she do? Her mother struggled for decades to protect her perfect daughter—and died to keep the secret. Now that she knew, Charlene had to choose. But what should she do? Be disloyal to her mother and all the sacrifices she made for her? Or accept her hidden birthright and destroy the last vestiges of her mother's perfect human child? Was it all or nothing? Or was there a way to have a “mixed marriage,” like her parents, and live in both worlds?
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    Chapter Eleven
    Secrets Within Secrets Within Secrets
    Zack pulled the bus, now empty of all riders except Joey, into Charlene's driveway. His beloved stood on the porch in a cobalt blue dress that accentuated her smoky blue eyes. Her berry red lips looked as if they were waiting for his kiss. His heart sped up, and his pants tightened at the thought of rubbing his hands across her breasts and hardened nipples. Later, he would make love to her and lick her all over.
    Not making eye contact, Charlene looked distracted and played with her bracelet. She approached the