Hunted (Pack of Dawn and Destiny, #1)(76)

He’s a bigger nut than I realized. He’s absolutely insane.

“What are you talking about? If wizards lose control they’re just as dangerous, if not more so!” I kept my voice low and hopefully inaudible to anyone around. “You’re out of your mind and so wrong in your thinking I can’t believe you’re a certified hunter.”

“You think you can deny it when feral wolves almost ripped you apart?” Amos scoffed. “Given how your parents died, I can’t believe you don’t know it.”

I was so shocked by his arrogant stupidity, I found I couldn’t make my mouth move.

He…what?

Behind him, Radcliff shifted and exchanged glances with Scarlett. The two looked almost ill at the hatred their uncle spewed.

At least the whole family isn’t tainted.

“I don’t know what your problem is, but you need to get your head screwed on straight,” I said. “Despite what you think, the investigation is over. You have nothing more to do with the Northern Lakes Pack.”

Amos rocked back on his heels and shook his head. “Can’t do that.”

“Why is that?” I asked, my voice sword-edge sharp.

“Because they’re unnatural.”

“This again.” I rolled my eyes to the heavens. “If you’re so stuck on the natural order of things, you need to go watch a nature documentary.”

“Werewolves are dying out,” Amos announced. “As they should be.”

“Werewolves and every other supernatural,” I muttered under my breath.

“It’s the natural order of things that will allow magic to slowly leave this world.”

“You are aware that we are magic, right?” I asked. I peered at Scarlett and Radcliff. “Which means we’re gonna die out, too.”

Radcliff shifted his weight. “Uncle—”

Amos held his hand up, cutting him off.

“The success rate of werewolf changes has drastically decreased,” Amos continued. “It’s rare for a person attempting the change to survive, much less actually become a werewolf, which means the population is radically decreasing. Except for the Northern Lakes Pack.”

“That’s why you don’t like the Pack?” I asked. “You’re mad because they successfully change people?”

“Their change rate is better than werewolves have had in the past century,” Amos said.

“Well, hospitals are now a thing, you know,” I said. “Although maybe you don’t, given your other ways of thinking.”

“There is obviously something to the Pack—a potion or method they haven’t revealed,” Amos growled.

“There’s not,” I said. “The rate stayed the same with Hudson and then Greyson taking over. Yeah, they’re strong, but they’re not doing anything different or illegal.”

“They are,” Amos flatly said. “It’s impossible for them to thrive as they are and for magic to not be involved. The danger in that is that they could eventually reveal their method to the other Packs.”

I massaged the sides of my head. “I’m sorry. I’m struggling to think like a crackpot. What does that have to do with anything?”

“It means the werewolf population will stop decreasing,” Amos hissed. “And they won’t die out.”

“Ohh, yeah, that’s right. I’d forgotten already that you’re clinically insane,” I said.

“You crack jokes, but when the rest of supernatural society has died out and only the wolves are left—”

“And the vampires,” I interrupted. “Because they’re, like, immortal.”

“With only the most savage of supernaturals left, they prey upon the humans,” Amos said.

I pressed my hands to my mouth. “I don’t know how to tell you this,” I said. “But there are way more humans than there are supernaturals. If we’re all extinct, I think they’ll be fine anyway.”

Amos leaned closer so he invaded my space. “You may think this is a joke, Hunter Sabre, but it’s a dangerous problem. One I will take care of, even if the proper authorities don’t see it.”

I’m pretty sure my blood thickened in my veins—there was something threatening about the way he said it, and his yellow-toothed smile made my throat squeeze uncomfortably.

“Leave the Northern Lakes Pack alone, Amos,” I said.

Amos leaned closer still, near enough I could smell his terrible, hot breath. “We’ll see.”

“Uncle Amos, we should leave,” Scarlett said, her voice loud.

“You definitely should.” I gritted my teeth to keep from snarling as he backed up.

Amos slid his hands into his pockets. “Fine, but know this, Hunter Sabre. You need to pick a side: hunters, or wolves.”

I would have taken his words as gibberish, but given what he’d just said, my gut twisted in me, and something like dread clawed at my throat. “There are no sides, Fletching.”

Amos smirked. “There will be.” He turned around and strolled back up the boardwalk, the wooden walkway creaking under him. “Think about it!”

“There’s nothing to think about!” I shouted.

“Sorry,” Scarlett said. “Our mom leads the family. We’ve told her everything that’s happening. We’ll be leaving Timber Ridge immediately after we get our stuff.”