Hunted (Pack of Dawn and Destiny, #1)(73)

Even though we hunters weren’t affected by an Alpha’s presence, Harka’s raw strength was pretty hard to miss—or oppose.

Amos snapped his jaw shut and retreated to where his family was clustered, but his expression was murderous.

This isn’t over. I frowned as I watched him whisper something to one of his hunters. He’s not going to give up that easily. He’s too obsessed with the Northern Lakes Pack.

“A new investigation into wolfsbane is opening, but it will be headed by the Dominant.” Harka nodded down at the Dominant’s secretaries. “Due to the nature of the case, details will not be available until the Dominant publicly posts the findings, but the Low Marsh Pack has already agreed to cooperate with further investigation. The Northern Lakes Pack is entirely cleared. That’s all.” Harka turned her back to the wolves and moved to stand with Rafe and the wolves from her Pack.

Behind me, Aeric released a deep breath. “So we’re free,” he said. “Awesome! I can’t wait for those hunters to get out of Timber Ridge—no offense, Pip.”

“No, I get it.” I shifted my weight, trying to balance so my heels wouldn’t punch through the grass into the dirt. “But at least they’re gone.”

“They have a ton of stuff up north that I’m sure they’ll come get.” Wyatt tucked his hands into the pockets of his dress pants and jingled his keys. “But after a day or two they’ll be gone.” He glanced at Amos—who was stalking off through the trees, his face dark with anger as his family raced after him. “I hope.”

“If they don’t leave, we’ll be able to kick them out,” Aeric said. “Right? Alpha Greyson?”

Greyson watched Amos, his golden eyes cold. “They’ll leave.”

Why does that feel like more of a promise than a prediction?

Aspen, who’d wandered closer to us as the meeting let out, frowned. “I think it’s shameful the wolfsbane supplier wasn’t uncovered.” She glanced at Greyson in a way that made me think she was implying he needed to step up and handle it.

The Pack shifted uncomfortably around us at this valid but problematic point.

“We’ll watch for the dealer,” Greyson said. “And join the Dominant’s investigation. Though it’s likely the dealer already moved on, rather than risk detection.”

“I suppose so,” Aspen said, a smile budding on her lips at the thought.

“Aspen,” Rio called.

Aspen slightly bowed her head to Greyson, then slipped off to join her boyfriend where he was talking with some of Harka’s people.

Some of the other Pack members began talking, leaving Aeric, Wyatt, and me to our own devices.

“This whole thing got me wondering, though.” Aeric thoughtfully peered up at the sky and watched a squirrel jump in the trees overhead. “Why do we have such a great survival rate, and have so many potential Alphas in our Pack?”

“I didn’t think it was that big a difference,” I said. “I just figured everyone else exaggerated the difference.”

“No,” Wyatt said. “We’ve been crazy successful. That’s why Pre-Dominant Harka asked for Aspen to join our Pack—her chance of surviving the change was way higher.”

Together, all three of us turned to Greyson, curious if he’d give a reason.

Greyson stood up. “The Northern Lakes Pack is what it is.” He walked off, heading for Pre-Dominant Harka.

“And that is that,” Aeric said.

“Unsurprisingly,” I grumbled. “Of course he wouldn’t share anything.”

“Really?” Wyatt leaned back in his chair. “I think it was pretty telling.”

I eyed him. “Telling of what?”

“That there is a reason for it,” Wyatt said. “Because if there wasn’t, he would have just told us we were idiots.”

Aeric and Wyatt exchanged nods, then moved on.

“We should eat somewhere in Magiford for lunch before we head home,” Aeric said.

“Yeah, agreed. Oh, there are a few specialized weapon forgers in Magiford. I’d like to check them out before we leave, too.” Wyatt took off his glasses to peer at the dirty lenses. “And I want to stop at the board game store downtown. Is there a car shop you want to visit?”

“You know me too well!”

I was not nearly so satisfied with Greyson’s answer—and Wyatt’s valid point.

If there is a reason…why isn’t the Pack telling other wolves? What is Greyson so deeply protecting?





*



An hour later, I sat at a plastic table, safely hidden from the hot summer sun under an umbrella, finishing up my french fries from our lunch.

All the Pack that had come with us to Magiford had swamped the place—a little diner-style restaurant set against one of the lakes, with a bunch of cute outdoor seating.

Since they finished eating their food—about twice as much as what I had ordered—they were exploring Magiford.

At a glance I could see Aeric and Wyatt standing outside the board game store Wyatt had wanted to see. I was pretty sure at least a handful of humans had figured out they were wolves, because a clutch of teenagers were standing on the sidewalk, gawking at them.

Apparently wolves don’t come to town very often, even in a place like Magiford.