I really liked that we got to know more about pack dynamics in this installment and how pack dynamics affect each member of the pack. In Adam’s case, not having Mercy live with him actually makes his control over the pack more unstable. It makes sense why she isn’t wanting to move in, though. She’s been living alone for a long time and I’m sure I’d feel weird about moving in with an entire pack of werewolves with supernatural hearing. On top of that, she was right to be concerned about Sam considering he tried to commit suicide and was only stopped by his wolf, Samuel. It’s clear that Sam’s declining mental health affects his relationship with his wolf drastically. We are told but also shown that one cannot exist without the other to balance them out. 

Watching Samuel (the wolf) attempt to pass for human really showed how the wolf and the human side of Sam are different entities. The anxiety that Mercy was feeling the whole time Samuel was interacting with Sylvia’s children also showed how dangerous werewolves can be. The author didn’t have to say anything verbally for that to be understood, so I think she did that very well. The first thing that came to mind for me when Samuel was with the children is that he’s really just a big depressed fluffy puppy, just with sharper teeth and more of a killing instinct, because you know, werewolf. Mercy and I as a reader know Samuel wasn’t going to really hurt Sylvia’s kids, but I can understand why she had that falling out with Mercy after finding out Samuel was a werewolf and not a dog. Her kids could have been in danger and Mercy didn’t tell her and her children’s safety comes first. I just think it’s a shame that Gabriel was forced to quit working for Mercy as a consequence. I hope that Sylvia and Mercy are able to makeup in the future. Gabriel seems to be doing well being an apprentice under Mercy and I’m hoping he has a future in that profession. Speaking of Sylvia, I had no idea that Ted was head over heels in love with her and it’s a subplot I would want to have more of. 

As for Henry, he’s nothing but a coward to me. He was obviously part of the plan to dethrone Adam despite not being the first contender to fight him. How much of a weasel do you have to be to purposely set up your alpha to get injured right before a fight for the leadership position so that you have the advantage? He ended up shooting himself in the foot anyway, since Adam won. The best part for me was probably when Mercy shot him to shut him up. Mary Jo also acted out of jealousy for Adam, but at least she didn’t have the intention of permanently hurting Adam and attempted to redeem herself somewhat. 

We get a glimpse into the Tri-City Pack’s relationships with one another a lot in this book and I think my favorite was seeing Aurielle and Daryll interact with each other like a normal married couple. Despite being in the middle of an event that would literally determine the future of the pack they had a marital spat and to me it was super funny. On another note, I do feel like the introduction of Ariana as Sam’s ex-lover was last minute, but I’m hoping we find out more about how they met and fell in love. They both seem to be broken and battered by life in many ways, but I love that Sam now has someone to help him out of his depressive rut at least. I’m looking forward to glimpses of their relationship as the books continue. Last of all, I have to say that I’m glad Mercy’s cat is okay. Part of me was sad for a second there when I thought she had died inside Mercys’ house. You don’t find a cat every day that likes vampire and werewolves and thank God Mercy’s cat is one of them. I highly enjoyed this installment and I’m looking forward to seeing how Mercy adapts to living with Adam.