Shiver

While Grace is at school, Sam goes to the post office to check Beck’s mailbox. Once Beck decided to homeschool Sam, they collected Sam’s books from the box every Tuesday. Sam recalls fondly how all the pack-members pitched in on his education with Ulrick teaching him math; Beck, history; and Paul, vocabulary and science. Sam liked all his subjects but fell in love with poetry and music. A few summers later, Beck rescued Shelby, who, before she was bitten, suffered abuse at the hands of humans. Beck bought books for Shelby as well, but unlike Sam, Shelby was not interested in a human education. Instead, she spent her time researching wolf behavior online. Sam was the only person in whom the wary, prickly Shelby confided.

One day, Shelby came into Sam’s room and demanded he stop reading a book of poems by Yeats. According to Shelby, such human pastimes were useless, as she and Sam would soon turn into wolves forever. With Paul and Beck growing old, Sam was poised to be alpha male; Shelby wanted to be his mate, the alpha female. Sam protested that he would always have a human side and Shelby yelled at him.