In from the Cold — Bailey Bradford

Running away twenty years ago didn't mean Gael could ever escape his past.

Gael Martinez fled the small Texas town of Del Rey the minute he turned sixteen. Legal or not, he had to leave or end up dead. Life's been hard, and everything Gael ever hoped for has been stripped from him. He's close to giving up, so worn down from fighting to live every day. When incredible information reaches him that gives him a reason to hang in there, at least a little longer, Gael is afraid to hope for a better life.

An accidental encounter leads to him being told things have changed with the coyote den that had been floundering in Del Rey years ago. Miller Hudson, the coyote shifter alpha, had found his mate, and the den was now flourishing -- and the biggest miracle of all, some of the shifters could now actually shift.

As tempted as that makes him to return, it could all be a bunch of lies and Gael is still hesitant, even though he yearns to go home. There's no point if he's only likely to be killed. Dying at another's hands isn't the way Gael ever intends to die.

It's only upon discovering the changes regarding some of the humans in Del Rey that allow Gael to truly consider going home.

What he finds in the small town is more than just a home. He finds himself, and the man he's always meant to be.