CLAIRE'S MOTHER STOPPED her as she was hurrying out of the house to meet Matthew.
"Now where are you going?" There was a frayed edge to the question that caught Claire off guard. She stared at her mother, surprised. When had Marie become such a worrier? The way she'd been looking so much older, the anxiety in her voice—she was starting to resemble Beatrice. At least, the way Beatrice had been when she was the Alpha. She'd become significantly more relaxed since she'd stepped down.
"I'm going out with Matthew," Claire said, crossing her arms defensively.
"You're not going to practice your fire lighting?"
Claire struggled to keep her face smooth. "You haven't bothered to ask me about that in ages. Why do you suddenly care now?"
Her mother slumped in on herself, looking deflated. "I could smell the smoke," she whispered. "It seemed like you were more successful when I left you alone."
Claire's head began to throb. "Actually, Victoria helped me. I've been practicing on my own since then, but it's going really well, thanks to her."
Her mother eyed her. "So, you're ready?"
Claire shrugged, her bravado fading a little bit. "I think so. I hope so. I know the pressure of having the whole pack watching—the fact that it's a test—I know that will make it harder."
Marie's expression hardened. "You must succeed. You must do whatever it takes to ensure that. Your abilities are the only thing you have to rely on, in our world."
Claire stared at her mother, amazed at the difference between her attitude and Victoria's. Wondering which one of them was right.
Outside, Matthew's car horn beeped.
"I've really got to go," Claire said. "I'll be home later."
She practically ran out of the house and into Matthew's waiting car.
"Hey, babe. How was your day?" His voice was summer warm and rich with happiness. It sounded—he sounded—the way he had when they'd first started dating. Like things hadn't been weird and strained between them for the last few weeks. She should have been elated, but she couldn't shake off the tension that had marked the end of her shopping trip.
She groaned. "It was freaking exhausting."
"Really? I thought it was supposed to be girly, best-friend shopping stuff. What happened?" Matthew asked as she shut the door.
Claire leaned back and closed her eyes. "Amy sort of ended up tagging along with us, and things just got . . . hard. I don't know. She was asking me all these questions that weren't easy to answer. It got so bad—she started to seem sort of suspicious."
Matthew tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully. "Maybe you're being too hard on Amy. I think she's just trying to get to know you. To fit in. And you're not that easy to fit in with, you know?"
Claire stared at him, her lips parted in astonishment. Did he really mean that? And was he seriously on Amy's side? Her heart gave a painful little flip inside her chest.
He glanced over at her and took in her expression.
"You think I need to cut her more slack because I'm not easy to get along with?" she asked, keeping her words as measured as possible.
"That's not what I'm saying—I mean, you're a werewolf. You have to be extra sensitive and careful and all that. But maybe you're reading more into it than a normal person would."
Claire closed her mouth, turning to stare out the window. He was right, she did have to be extra careful, but just because she noticed things that other people missed didn't mean she was some sort of paranoid freak.
Matthew rubbed the bridge of his nose between two fingers. "Claire, I'm not trying to make you mad. I'm just saying there are two sides to every story. That's it."
She raised an eyebrow at him. It was the calmest response she could manage. "Fine. Let's drop it," she said.
"Yes. Let's." He looked over at her. "Okay. I'm starting this date over as of now. So, hey, babe! Are you hungry? There's a Mexican place over by Oakwood that's supposed to have killer burritos."
Claire pasted a smile on her face, playing along. "Really? That sounds good." Even though she was faking her brandnew start, she felt herself beginning to relax.
"It's over by the library, I think. I've got the address in my phone." Matthew reached for the cup holder where he always put his cell while he drove. It was empty. "It must still be on my desk." He groaned. "Do you mind if we swing by my house? It's on the way."
Claire stomach rumbled, breaking the tension in the car.
"Um, as long as you're not too hungry," he added. "We could always go to Louie's."
Claire laughed. She couldn't help it. And she was hungry. "I can wait. Let's go get your phone."