Not the Enemy

Being different doesn't make someone an enemy.

Alvin never found a place where he belonged, so he did what no one else would-he snuck into the Allegheny forest. He hoped to find a home there, but things are more complicated than he expected, so he's been roaming the forest, alone and starving, not knowing how to get himself out of this mess.

Then a coyote shifter bites him after he hears something he shouldn't have.

Roman is the new healer for the skunks, but he feels he has no idea what he's doing. At twenty-four, he was never supposed to have this role, and he's still grieving the death of his mentor.

When Roman hears whimpers coming from the forest one evening, he expects to find a wounded animal, not a half-starved human who shouldn't be there.

Roman can't keep Alvin's presence in his home a secret, but telling the council means they might kick Alvin out of the forest. Alvin might have been able to deal with that, but when he falls for Roman, he knows that whatever happens, his place is in the forest.

But some people disagree, including the surfeit's previous alpha, who is plotting his next steps from his cell in the council jail.