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Harley groaned inwardly "Tess"

"He doesn’tback, Tess urged them inside "Lunch is almost ready And no, Harley, I did not make it How about a tour, Jesse?"

Interested to see the inside of what had once been his round floor, he was unsurprised to see that the interior was as grand as the exterior White walls, luxurious carpeting, stylish furnishings, and expensive paintings ran throughout the entire space There wasn’t a single thing out of place, and everything seerand staircase, Tess showed hier to see--Harley’s old room His as just as curious "I left it exactly as it was," Tess told hi his e, he’d expected a space that was typical of a teenager But there were no posters or girly things or even any personal touches It didn’t shout "Harley" at all He got it To fit in with her human friends--friends ould have spent time here--she’d had to be hu a shiftera dualisether In hiding her cat, she’d hidden her true self He doubted many people knew the real Harley Vincent

When the tour was over and they wererooraphs on the wall They were all of Harley at different ages, even from when she was just a cub and still part of her pride She was s in each photo, but the smiles in the earlier pictures didn’t quite reach her eyes The photos of her as a teenager when she’d come to live with Tess were different; Harley was clearly happier and healthier

In the dining roo over them as she set out the food and poured drinks The moment her ass hit the seat, she turned to Harley "I’ hed "I told you why I didn’t"

"Yes, you did, but" Tess forked so, "I don’t think it was just about protecting ave lected her chores, and never got into any trouble in school Seriously, I never had to ground her even once That’s just not natural, is it? I talked to her principal and school counselor about it"

Jesse blinked "You had awith her principal and counselor about her behaviorbecause it was perfect?"

"It concerned me Then one day, I realized what it was--like someone had whispered the answer into ive her up" Tess turned to Harley with a soft so back to Lily, so you did everything possible to please iveinto his steak "I thought Clive agreed to you having custody of Harley"

"He did, but Lily wasn’t happy about it She’d relied on Harley for a lot of things--cleaning, laundering, and grocery shopping Lily turned up every so often, claied and wanted Harley back She’d rob us blind before she left Harley used to put ‘Stop being a bum’ notes in her purse for Lily to find, but Lily could never complain about it or she’d have to aded a conspiratorial saled Jesse with tales of a teenage Harley and recited all her acco Tess he already knew of all her achieve kept watch over her

It hen they were finished with lunch that she took in Jesse with a speculative gaze that made his wolf lift his chin "Soyou claimed my niece"

"I did"

"And you want her to do the sah there are dozens of reasons why this h"

Tess considered that for a h"

Harley rolled her eyes "Great interrogation skills, Tess"

"Actions speak louder than words I’ve been watching hi hier He touches you a lot, but not in a creepy way; they’re subtle, affectionate, reassuring touches that let you know he’s there and provide him with the co in every e the view I know for a fact that if I showed o for ht

Harley blinked "And that ood aunt wants for her niece" She moved her s that Tess was extremely astute, he said, "There are sixteen shifters in total, all wolves except for Harley" Without revealing anything that would be considered pack business, Jesse told her about the territory and each of the members

"They sound like wonderful people I’ll bet you fit right in from the start, Harley" Tess noticed Harley tense, and she was right on it "What? What’s wrong? His pack doesn’t like you?" Tess turned to him "I can talk to them I’d be happy to come forward as a character witness"