Book excerpt: Mates are found before you turn 22 - that's the rule. If you don't, you are branded. Being branded as an Unfortunate isn't easy, and you can't come back from it. Avery Wilcott: the daughter of an Alpha, formerly an Alpha herself. Branded at 22, she threw herself into training. A spinster, an Unfortunate, and living at home with her parents and Alpha brother, she's a disappointment to the werewolf community - and to her mate.