Hunted (Pack of Dawn and Destiny, #1)(48)

“I don’t think he’s really targeting me.” I tugged on my suitcoat—which felt stuffy and hot now that we were outside under the summer sun. It was still just morning, but Magiford got humid fast in the summer.

“He’s not,” Greyson said.

I carefully turned on my heels to face him—I’d thought for sure he’d turned off when Gigi led me outside. “Yeah, it seems like he’s after the Pack. Do you know why?”

Greyson shook his head. “He’s known for being generally disagreeable to work with among us werewolves. But I haven’t ever heard of him specifically targeting a Pack like this.”

“Yeah, he was pushing your wolves pretty hardcore according to the testimony.” Gigi opened the back seat of the Audi and tossed her briefcase inside. “It’s strange. You’d better be careful.”

“But the Northern Lakes Pack isn’t involved in anything to do with wolfsbane,” I said. “None of the wolves would ever take something so horrible—particularly given what it stands for.”

“Maybe they wouldn’t in the Northern Lakes Pack,” Gigi said. “But there’s no way the Low Marsh wolf was the only one taking it. Northern, rural Wisconsin is not a hotbed for producing magical drugs, and he couldn’t have stumbled on it if Amos is right and he took it over a long period of time.”

“You’re saying he had to have a supplier,” Greyson said.

“And that there is a very good chance he wasn’t the only one taking it,” Gigi grimly added. “With that, I need to head out. I’m calling on a friend of mine—a fae lawyer who helped me put your defense together. He’ll want to know how it went, and he has offices here in Magiford.” Gigi slipped into her car and yanked the door shut, then immediately kicked it open again. “Thank you, Alpha Greyson, for coming. It made my argument airtight. I hope you both have an uneventful trip back to Timber Ridge.”

“Thank you for helping Pip,” Greyson said.

Gigi smiled—this one with a touch of sadness. “Of course,” she said. “The Quillons always will. Call me when you need me, Pip.”

“Will do. Thanks again, Gigi.” I waved as she started her car up, but once she pulled out of her parking spot I turned to Greyson.

“I’m assuming you’ve got some Alpha business to take care of?”

“There are a few notices that need to be posted in the Curia Cloisters—the Night Queen has offered us an official alliance. I need to sign it, and a few other similar things.” He glanced warily at the Curia Cloisters building, then me. “It might take an hour or two.”

“That’s fine, I’ll head to downtown Magiford,” I said. “I want to tour the place and see if they have a welcome center. I think ours needs an update, so I’m looking for ideas—oh! And I want to visit the Queen’s Court! Chase told me it was the best café in Magiford.”

“You talked to Chase?” Greyson stared me down with his golden eyes, but he didn’t loosen his powers or anything so I was going to take that as a win.

“Yeah, I asked him if we could drop in for a quick visit. He’s on duty today, but he said he could take a break when we stop by…if that’s okay? I figured you’d be busy so I could use Uber or something to drive me out there.”

Greyson tilted his head. “It’d be good to check on him,” he finally said. “I assume he is the reason why the Night Queen has offered an alliance to us. I’ll drive us out there after I finish my work, but first I’ll take you downtown.”

“It’s not that far,” I said. “I think it’s only a few miles away. I can walk it.”

Thanks to the wolves and their obsessive training—or “playing”—anything less than five miles was just a stroll for me, especially if I got to walk it.

“I’ll drive you.” Greyson sauntered off in the direction of the car. “You can call me when you’re done at the café.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I asked. “We don’t own the cellphone store here. If you break yours, you’ll be without a phone until at least tonight—and that’s only if I call Aeric on my phone so he has one waiting for you.”

“That won’t happen,” he said.

“Why not?”

Greyson scoffed, a piece of his true personality breaking through. “Because if I break mine, I’ll take yours and break it, too.”

“Why would you do that? Then we’d be stranded without phones!”

Greyson unlocked the car. “It would make me feel a lot better. Get in.”

“I said I could walk.”

“Get in.”

“Oohhh, there’s the Alpha voice! You bust it out a lot more easily here. I assume that means you don’t care what people think about you in Magiford? But it would be bad PR for your future.” Despite my verbal prods, I hopped in the car.

Greyson slid in and turned the car on, which blasted hot air on us as the car had heated up during our brief time inside. “I don’t need to care for my future when you care enough for the both of us, Packmate.”

“Of course, Alpha,” I said in my chirpiest tour guide voice. “Do you need me to tell you where to drive, Alpha, or do you know where the Queen’s Court Café is?”