Page 249 of The Werewolf’s Wrong Mate

My mother pressed both hands to her temples. “Mostly?”

“Later,” I said quickly. “We are not doing vampires today.”

Aunt Linda looked disappointed.

Ronan resumed. “Your phones will be returned after the media files are removed.”

Tessa frowned. “You’re wiping our phones?”

“Only photographs, recordings, and messages from the relevant time frame.”

Dad’s face reddened. “That is illegal.”

“So is exposing an entire hidden species and inciting panic,” Ronan said.

Dad opened his mouth.

I touched his arm. “Dad.”

He looked at me and I shook my head once. This was not the fight to pick. Not right now. Not with Ronan still deciding how much of old law he was willing to burn.

Dad leaned back.

Barely.

Ronan’s gaze softened by one degree when he looked at me.

That was something.

“The official story will be a private security breach tied to Silas Thorne and his people,” Ronan said. “They were armed. They took guests hostage. The resort isolated everyone until the threat was contained.”

Grant’s voice was thick from his swollen nose. “And the wolves?”

Ronan looked at him and Grant looked away.

“No wolves,” Ronan said.

Dad made a disbelieving sound. “People saw wolves.”

“People saw trauma,” Cormac said. “Rain. Blood. Poor visibility. Costumed attackers if necessary. Large dogs. Fear does half the work in memory before anyone lies.”

Aunt Linda tapped the table. “The dog part is plausible. Henry has always been dramatic.”

Henry, beneath the table, wagged at his name.

Tessa leaned toward me. “Are they going to Men in Black us?”

“No,” I said.

Ronan paused.

I looked at him. “No.”

“We do not erase memories,” he said.

I narrowed my eyes. “That pause was too long.”

“We do not erase memories,” he repeated.