“Are you okay?” Simon asked.
“Did—did I shift?” Nolan sputtered between coughs.
“Shift?” he said, and realization dawned on him. “Wait—you jumped into a polar bear enclosure in the middle of the night just to make yourself shift?”
“Did I shift or not?” demanded Nolan, his voice growing stronger.
“No, but you nearly got both of us eaten. Thanks for that.”
Nolan stared at him. His lips were blue. “You jumped in after me?”
“I wasn’t going to watch you drown.” Although now it didn’t seem like such a bad idea. “Why were you trying to make yourself shift, anyway?”
He drew his knees to his chest. “None of your business.”
“I just saved your life,” said Simon. “I have a right to know why.”
Nolan’s teeth began to chatter. His face contorted as though he were having some kind of internal battle, and finally he burst, “It’s your fault, anyway.”
“My fault? What did I do?” said Simon.
“You’re here. You could—you could be the heir instead. You could be—”
“The Beast King,” he said quietly, and Nolan’s eyes widened.
“You know?”
“Long story,” he muttered.
“It’s going to be one of us, you know,” said Nolan. “Yesterday, Malcolm told me—he told me that since we’re twins, one of us is going to be the Beast King, and the other one’s going to be an eagle.”
He spat out that last word as though it were dirty, and Simon scowled. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Of course there is,” said Nolan. “It’s bad enough we’re Hybreds. That’s when two parents—”
“Are from different kingdoms. Yeah, I know,” said Simon. “And you’re afraid your family won’t love you if you’re an eagle instead.”
Nolan was silent. He didn’t have to answer for Simon to know the truth.
“Birds aren’t bad,” he said. “They’re smart. They’re loyal. They can fly—”
“If I’m the Beast King, I’ll get to fly anyway,” he said with a sniff. “The Alpha’s mad at me. The mammals have been protecting our line since the Beast King was defeated, and all the ones before me had already transformed by the time they were twelve. She thinks it’s my fault that I haven’t, but I’m trying.” He pulled up his wet pant leg and unstrapped what looked like weights from his shins. “I’ve been trying, but no matter what I do, I can’t make myself shift.”
“That isn’t your fault,” said Simon. “I haven’t shifted yet, either.”
“That was kind of obvious in the pit, you know,” said Nolan. “What if we don’t shift until we’re fifteen or sixteen? We’ll be ancient.”
Simon was beginning to wonder whether that was such a bad thing. At least then they would have time to figure out how to escape before the Alpha killed them. “Nolan, about that—”
“Why did you save me?”
Simon paused. “You would have done the same for me.”
“No, I wouldn’t have. I’m not even sure I would have called for help.”
“You would have,” he said firmly. “Because that’s what family does.”
Nolan hesitated, and after several seconds, he mumbled, “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. You are my brother. I just—I just don’t want you to shift first.”
“I won’t,” said Simon. “I didn’t even know Animalgams existed until yesterday.”
“Really?”
“Really. Yesterday morning, I thought—”
A nearby howl cut him off. A gray wolf appeared through the glass window, and he scrambled up the side of the enclosure as if it were nothing. “What happened? Are you hurt?” said Malcolm.
“Just cold,” said Nolan. “Simon saved my life.”
Malcolm’s blue eyes fixed on Simon. “We’ll talk about it later,” he said. “We need to warm you up.”
“Simon!” Darryl’s massive wolf form appeared at Malcolm’s side, and he immediately shifted back into a human. “What the—did you two jump in?”
“Long story,” said Simon as his uncle gathered him up. Darryl was so warm that Simon felt as if he’d stepped straight into a fire.
“You’re freezing,” said Darryl. “Come on, back to the Den before you turn into a block of ice.”
Simon wanted to protest—he hadn’t even found the birds yet—but as they climbed out of the enclosure, several other members of the pack joined them. He had no idea whether they were loyal to Malcolm or the Alpha, and with them listening, Simon didn’t dare tell his uncle why he was really out here to begin with. Instead he kept quiet, and together Darryl and Malcolm helped them through the dark zoo and into the Arsenal. Exhausted, Simon leaned against his uncle until they hit the warm entrance hall, where the rest of the pack had gathered. Vanessa shifted back to her human form, hurrying to their side.
“What happened? Where were they?”
“They jumped into the polar bear habitat,” said Malcolm.
“They did what? Is the prince all right?”
“They are both cold and need to be warmed up, but they’ll probably live,” said Darryl. He didn’t sound like he was joking. “The reptiles’ section?”
“Not unless you want them to get bitten, too,” said Malcolm. “Mother’s office. She has a fireplace.”
Vanessa led the way, her curls bouncing with every step she took. Simon found it almost hypnotic, and he couldn’t look away, even when they reached the office. She pushed the door open, but instead of barging in, she stopped suddenly and bowed her head. “Your Majesty.”
“What on earth is going on?” said a regal voice. Had Simon not already been too cold to move, he would have shivered.
A pale woman with a sheet of dark hair that hung to her waist stood behind the desk, wearing a white pantsuit and a long silver chain around her neck. Her eyes were steely blue, and within seconds, they fixed on Simon.
He gulped. There was only one person she could be.
The Alpha.
17
THE ALPHA
Simon couldn’t take his eyes off the Alpha. He’d expected her to be taller and strong, like her sons. Instead she looked as though a gust of wind could snap her in half if she wasn’t careful. As she stepped out from behind the desk, however, there was strength in the way she moved. She might not be able to lift a boulder, but Simon had no doubt she was the Alpha—and that she was someone he would be crazy to cross.
But she wasn’t supposed to be back until tomorrow. She’d returned a day early, and panic crashed through him. Would she take them out of the city immediately, or did Simon still have time to find his mother?
“These two geniuses jumped into the polar bear enclosure,” said Malcolm as he helped Nolan to the sofa nearest the fireplace. “They’re fine. Just cold.”
Darryl followed suit, and once Simon was settled on the couch, the Alpha approached them. Her unforgiving stare flitted back and forth between Simon and Nolan, as if she were trying to find a difference between them. Simon refused to look away.
“So it’s true,” she said coolly. “There really are two of them. And you . . .” She focused on Darryl. “I see you’re still alive.”
“No need to pretend, Mother,” said Darryl. “You must have known for a while now.”
The Alpha made a noncommittal noise, and her lack of denial spoke volumes. Simon glanced at Malcolm, who knelt to tend to the fireplace. A muscle in his jaw twitched, and he poked a log harder than was strictly necessary.
“Dare I ask how you managed to get that hideous scar?” said the Alpha to Darryl as she turned back to Simon and Nolan, regarding them once more. Simon could practically see the wheels turning in her head, and he shifted uncomfortably.
Darryl frowned. “Orion, after Isabel left . . .” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I got his eye in return.”
“You should have ripped out his heart.” The Alpha knelt in front of Simon, touching his chin and turning
his head from side to side. The news that Darryl and Orion had maimed each other sent a shock wave through Simon. Now he understood why neither of them was willing to trust the other. “Have you shifted?”
“Not yet, he hasn’t,” said Darryl, and the Alpha’s eyes narrowed.
“I did not ask you.”
“I—I haven’t,” said Simon, his voice sticking in his throat, but his defiant stare didn’t waver.
“Hmm.” She stood, smoothing nonexistent wrinkles from her suit. Vanessa brought a pair of warmed blankets for the boys, and Simon shuddered as the heat slowly chased away the numbness. She politely excused herself from the office, and the Alpha waited until she was gone before she continued.
“Do you both have a death wish?” she said, folding her hands in front of her.
“N-No,” said Nolan, and Simon shook his head as well.
“Then what were you doing in the polar bear enclosure in the middle of the night?” There was no hint of concern in her voice, only irritation. “Did you think it would be fun to drown or to be eaten by a hungry animal?”
Simon didn’t want to think about what the polar bear could have done to them if he’d tried. But he did know that if his brother got into trouble for this, it would only be one more thing Nolan held against him, and he couldn’t let that happen. Not when they’d finally made progress. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I thought—I thought I would go exploring, and I fell in. Nolan rescued me—”
“Don’t,” said Nolan. The color was starting to return to his cheeks. “I’m the one who went aboveground. He must have followed me. I jumped into the water, and Simon pulled me out. He saved my life.”
“Is this true?” said the Alpha, and Simon nodded. “Why would you do such a thing?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” he said, baffled.
“I heard about the way Nolan has been treating you.” Under her stare, Nolan paled and looked at his hands. “Yet you still risked your life for him.”
“He’s my brother. He would have done the same for me.” Even if Nolan didn’t believe it.
The Alpha was quiet for several seconds. Focusing again on Nolan, she said, “Why did you decide to take a midnight swim with a polar bear in the first place?”
He fidgeted silently. She looked back and forth between them, but Simon kept his mouth shut, too.
“Isn’t it obvious?” burst Malcolm. “You’ve been pressuring him to shift since his eleventh birthday. I’ve had to keep half the pack on him to make sure he doesn’t kill himself trying. It’s a miracle he hasn’t succeeded. And if Simon hadn’t been there tonight—” Malcolm stopped suddenly, and he swallowed hard. “If you continue to pressure him, one day we’re not going to be so lucky.”
She narrowed her eyes, and though Malcolm stood at least a foot taller than his mother, he lowered his head and slumped his shoulders. The Alpha sniffed. “Luke shifted at age eleven. His father before him shifted at eleven.” She turned to them. “You are both twelve, and yet neither of you have come into your abilities. For all I know, you never will, and what use will you be then?”
Simon didn’t care what she thought about him, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see Nolan turning red as his fists tightened. Suddenly the numbness didn’t matter, and the hot knot returned, pulsing until it felt as if it was going to burst out of his chest.
“You only care because one of us is going to be the Beast King, and you want to know which,” he said hotly.
“Simon,” warned Darryl sharply, and Simon fell silent before he could accuse the Alpha of worse. But she merely leveled her gaze at him once more, and a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold ran down his spine.
“You’re exactly right,” she said. “If the rest of the kingdoms discover the existence of the Beast King’s heir, I want to know which of you will need my protection. I want to know which of you they will want to kill. If there is a crime in that, then so be it.”
It was more than that, and she knew it, but Darryl gave Simon a look, and he kept his mouth shut.
“Do you know which boy was born first?” the Alpha asked Darryl.
He shook his head. “If Isabel knows, she never told me.”
“It must be Simon, right?” said Malcolm, though he didn’t sound sure of himself. “If Isabel wanted you to hide him—”
“Does it matter?” said Darryl. Beside Simon, his brother had turned the color of sour milk. “The ability to shift is in our genes. Nature doesn’t care who’s born first. All we know is that one will be Luke’s heir, and the other will be Isabel’s. They aren’t the first identical twins born to our kind.”
“No, but they are the first born to the Beast King’s heirs,” said the Alpha. “I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”
So Simon would either be heir to the kingdom the Alpha wanted to destroy, or every Animalgam on the planet would want him dead. He wasn’t sure which was worse.
“We’ll leave for the country manor tomorrow,” she added. “Take the boys upstairs and make sure they get some rest. And Nolan, Simon—if either of you risk your lives like that again, I will lock you both up until you’re old and gray. Is that understood?”
“Isn’t that what you’re already doing?” said Simon, but the Alpha pointedly ignored him.
Darryl helped him up, but before they could leave, she said coldly, “A word, Darryl.”
“Can’t it wait?” he said.
“It’s already waited for twelve years. Stay. Malcolm, you take the boys.”
Simon started to protest—he had to tell his uncle where he thought his mother was, and he couldn’t do that with the Alpha listening. But Darryl shook his head.
“Go with Malcolm, Simon. I’ll be right outside later if you need anything.” He hesitated, and then brushed a lock of damp hair out of Simon’s eyes. “You know how much you mean to me, right? If I lost you . . .”
“I know,” said Simon. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
“Yes, you will. You’re a Thorn. We spend our lives getting into tight corners and finding our way out of them. Just be smarter about it the next time, all right?”
“I will.” He paused, and before he could stop himself, he blurted, “Love you, too, Darryl.”
To his surprise, Nolan didn’t make a sound, not even a snort of laughter. His uncle nodded briskly, and Simon let Malcolm lead them out of the office and through the atrium in silence.
Malcolm dropped Nolan off at his room first before leading Simon to his. “You need to hold your tongue around the Alpha,” he said quietly. “I’ve spent half my life pushing her, and it doesn’t work. Trust me.”
“Do you at least believe us now?” said Simon.
“It doesn’t matter what I believe,” said Malcolm, though his brow furrowed. “What matters is that we have time to figure out what the truth is. As long as you two haven’t shifted, you’re safe.”
“And what about Darryl? What’s going to happen to him? The Alpha doesn’t need him—not when she has you.”
Malcolm let out a noise that sounded halfway between a guffaw and a choking animal. “Never in my life, when faced with a choice between us, has she chosen me. I assure you that hasn’t changed.”
There was a note of bitterness in his voice as he said it, and also a hint of relief that Simon couldn’t help but wonder about. It wasn’t hard to imagine how Malcolm must have felt being overshadowed by his older brothers, even if it was strange for Simon to think of Darryl as anyone’s brother. “You don’t know that for sure,” he said. “What if she decides she doesn’t need him, or that he can’t be controlled?”
Malcolm sobered. “Then that will make this decision a whole lot easier.”
Simon didn’t ask what he meant, and Malcolm didn’t explain. He exited the bedroom and closed the door behind him, leaving Simon alone with the all-too-real possibility that no matter what he did, no matter how much help he had from his uncles and Orion, the Alpha would win one way or the other.
&
nbsp; The next morning, Simon awoke with a plan.
It wasn’t a very good plan, but Simon couldn’t just sit still and wait for his world to right itself again—he had to do something. After changing into the only clean clothes he had left, he checked outside to see if Darryl was in the atrium, but there was no sign of his uncle. That was it, then. Simon was on his own.
He returned to his bedroom, but before he could begin putting his plan into action by sneaking into Nolan’s, Felix scampered in front of the bathroom doorway to block him.
“You almost died last night,” he said, crossing his tiny arms in front of his chest. “I won’t let you put yourself in danger again.”
“You don’t even know what I’m going to do,” said Simon.
“Do, too. You’re going to look for your mother.”
“I have to,” he said. “The Alpha’s back. We’re leaving today. I’ve got to find her, and we need to get out of here.”
“But Darryl’s here,” said the mouse. “He’ll be able to look—”
“I didn’t have the chance last night to tell him where she is, and there’s no time now. I’m her only shot,” said Simon.
Felix’s whiskers twitched disapprovingly. “And how exactly do you expect to get past your brother?”
“I—” Simon hesitated. “I’ll tell him the truth. That Mom’s missing, and I think the Alpha is hiding her somewhere in the zoo.”
“You trust that bumbling baboon with this?”
“I don’t have a choice, do I?”
Simon stepped around Felix and pushed open the bathroom door. To his surprise, Nolan was crouched on the other side, his mouth agape and his eyes wide.
“Mom’s missing?” he said. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
Simon instantly kicked himself for not mentioning it earlier, but when could he have? While they were freezing to death fifteen feet from a polar bear? While he was pouring chocolate milk over Nolan’s head? While Nolan was snickering at him with the rest of the mammals and refusing to admit he had a brother at all? “I’m sorry,” he said. “Since you knew the Alpha, I thought—”