Venus Lin Yue rushed into the house, calling out loudly, "Siz!" hoping her sister was really home and not just another story her mother had invented for her, she always told her your sister is here but when she goes to her room to look for she ends up being caught in a big lie. "There's a guy in the—"
Her voice stopped short when she saw a strange woman standing in the other room beside the kitchen, rummaging through the cold storage. The woman wore a flowing red dress and large earrings shaped like crescent moons. Venus stiffened, ready to defend the house from an intruder, but then the woman turned and flashed a bright smile.
"Look at you, all grown up!" the woman said warmly.
Venus blinked. It wasn't a thief. It was her elder sister, Bai Lan, whom she hadn't seen since she was ten.
"Uh... hi," Venus said, still stunned.
Their father,Bai Luo, had mentioned Bai Lan was coming back to the pack after so many years away, but Venus hadn't believed it. Bai Lan had vanished without a word, not even telling them she had a child with her old mate, or that she had married another wolf, the Second of another werewolf pack in Sichuan. Venus had only learned these things through gossip at Kunming Academy.
Trying to stay focused, Venus asked, "Where's Dad?"
Bai Lan wiped her hands on her dress. "He's at the sacred meeting grounds with the Elders."
Venus bit her lip, remembering the real problem. A boy had broken into the training shed — and she had stabbed him in the foot with a farming fork while defending their territory. That wasn't exactly good behavior for a healer-in-training at Kunming Academy.
"What's wrong?" Bai Lan asked.
"Um…there's a guy locked in the shed. He's injured," Venus said quickly. "He wouldn't leave. I didn't mean to stab him."
Bai Lan's eyes widened. "What? Oh no. Wait, wait. I know who can help!" She slammed the cold storage door shut and dashed into the den. "Zhao Xin!" she called.
Venus blinked. "Who's Zhao Xin?"
When Bai Lan found no one in the den, she ran to the living room, her long, bleached hair flying behind her.
"Zhao Xin, where are you?" she shouted.
"Who is Zhao Xin?" Venus asked again. She thought Bai Lan's husband was Zhao Diwen. Was Bai Lan seeing someone else?
"Zhao Xin is my stepson," Bai Lan said, breathless.
"Wait... you have a stepson?"
"Yes! Zhao Diwen's son from before he met me. Zhao Xin is seventeen."
Venus's heart sank. "Is he tall? Blue eyes? Wears a beanie? Southern accent?"
Bai Lan's eyes grew even bigger. They both understood at once.
They raced outside to the training shed. Their wolfhound, Baihu, barked loudly, wagging his tail.
Bai Lan pounded on the door. "Zhao Xin! It's Bai Lan! Are you okay?"
"Still breathing," came the boy's muffled voice.
Bai Lan pulled at the lock. "Venus, where's the key?"
"Um… key?" Venus said weakly.
Zhao Xin groaned from inside. "This can't be happening."
Bai Lan looked around. "Where are Dad's big bolt cutters?"
"In the shed," Venus answered.
Bai Lan picked up a big stone and started hammering the padlock.
"I could break the door down," Zhao Xin called, "but no promises the roof stays up!"
"No!" Venus cried. The shed was old and full of sharp tools for the wolf form ritual practices. She didn't want Zhao Xin getting hurt worse.
"Wait! Think, Venus, think..." She remembered something. "Zhao Xin, look for a watering can. Dad used to hide a spare key in it!"
Using his cellphone's light, Zhao Xin rummaged inside the watering can . "Got it!"
He shoved the key through the slats. Bai Lan grabbed it and quickly unlocked the door.
Venus peeked inside. Zhao Xin leaned against a wooden bench. His rugged features were lit by the soft moonlight filtering in. He looked calm, a little annoyed — but thankfully alive.
Bai Lan rushed forward. "Zhao Xin, this is my sister, Venus Lin Yue. She's... your step-aunt now. Isn't that funny?"
"Real funny," Zhao Xin said dryly.
Bai Lan inspected his foot. There was a hole in his boot.
"You did stab him!" she said in horror.
"Not on purpose!" Venus defended herself.
"At least her aim was bad," Zhao Xin said with a smirk. "Barely grazed my toe."
Bai Lan fretted. "But what if the pitchfork was rusty? You could get an infection."
"Relax," Zhao Xin said, glancing down at a little blond-haired boy clinging to Bai Lan's dress. "I got a booster last year."
Venus turned to look at the boy. It was Zhao Jerry Xin, Bai Lan's son. The little wolf cub looked at Venus like she was some monster.
"Don't be scared," Zhao Xin told the boy. "Your aunt's not evil. Just a little nuts."
Zhao Xin kept away from Venus the rest of the day. He wasn't afraid of her, but he wasn't ready to face the warrior healer girl who had attacked him, either.
He sat on a crate marked RITUAL SUPPLIES and talked on his phone to Li Tao, his best friend from his old pack near Sichuan. They laughed about the time Li Tao had hidden gambling stones in Zhao Xin's suitcase as a prank.
That's when Venus barged into the den without knocking, her big white wolfhound trailing behind her like a second shadow.
"I need to talk to you," Venus said, folding her arms across her chest. Baihu, her wolf flopped down next to her, watching Zhao Xin with suspicious yellow eyes.
Zhao Xin lifted an eyebrow, amused. "Li Tao, I'll call you back," he said before pocketing his phone.
"What's up, Healer Girl?" he teased, rocking his boots on the crate.
"You need to tell Jerry I'm not crazy," Venus said stiffly. "The kid's terrified of me."
Zhao Xin chuckled. "I'm not the one threatening pack members with farming tools."
"Maybe you should've said you were Bai Lan's stepson right away," Venus shot back. "And stop wearing winter hats in the middle of summer!"
"It's a beanie," Zhao Xin corrected.
"Whatever," she snapped.
Zhao Xin leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "Relax. If it'll make you feel better, you can polish my boots for ten minutes and we'll call it even."
Venus scowled. "I'm used to seeing strong bodies all the time. Doesn't impress me."
"Really?" Zhao Xin asked, genuinely curious. "Then what body types does impress you?"
"You'll never find out," Venus replied coolly.
Zhao Xin smirked. He liked a challenge. He could feel the spark between them, even if she refused to admit it.
At that moment, Baihu groaned and started grooming himself loudly. Zhao Xin shook his head. "Your wolf's got issues."
"We all have issues," Venus said, holding his gaze. "Just stay out of my business."
"Good," Zhao Xin said. "Last thing I want is to get mixed up with a bossy healer."
Bai Lan peeked into the room, her silver earrings swinging. "Zhao Xin, how's your foot?" she asked, full of concern.
-