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Janice and her lover had set up a den knowing they weren’t mates. Knowing the stigma. Knowing the possible consequences. Knowing, ultimately, it would be their pup who bore those consequences.
And thanks to my brother, our pups would bear the exact same stigma (or worse) as their father. But did it stop Sterling and I from our antics?
The whole train of thought was toxic and contradictory, full of a lot of ‘but ifs’ and you could justify it any way you wanted. No wonder we’d been able to kill ourselves off so nicely. Nobody could resist sliding down that slippery slope of just once, or my situation is different and exceptional.
Maya intruded on my thoughts. “So now you understand why GranitePaw needs to be in the loop on everything, so everything goes through us.”
“Sounds like a strong-arm cheap imitation version of regional influence to me.”
Maya’s sweet facade cracked a hair. “Things can’t happen we don’t know about. We all have to breathe the same air and share the same space. And that means one pack calls the shots. Same as a multi-pack hunt.”
I doubted Maya had ever been on a proper multi-pack ceremonial hunt in her life, or any hunt at all.
Maya picked up the pace a bit. “Your father let SnowFang be registered. GranitePaw would never have allowed it, but your mate was somehow able to leap-frog the line.”
So GranitePaw didn’t know about the Cerys/Rodero/FrostFangare web. But they did know about Sterling’s silver scar, not that the scar wasn’t visible if his waistband was low enough, and given how the GranitePaw seemed to be everywhere, and there were rumors they had some human spouses in the pack, perhaps GranitePaw did keep some human pets, and those pets had crossed path with Sterling, and he’d never realized it.
“—you two haven’t lived here long enough to appreciate the machine.”
That word triggered my nerves. “What machine?”
“How this city works. Settling disputes, which are innumerable and usually over territory and living arrangements and wolves violating neutral ground. MoonDark manufacture and supply, which is in high demand, and is supplied at no cost to those who can’t afford it. Taking care of wolves with Sickness so that they don’t do things they shouldn’t. Safehouses to maintain and guard. There are a great deal of loners here and not-packs who do not have resources when one of theirs becomes a risk to all of us. The problems extend outside Manhattan to the entire tri-state area. Wanderers are just one of our concerns.”
“Seems to me like they should become your primary concern.”
“There are plenty of other things besides a bunch of degenerate lupine incels that need attention on a daily basis. You antagonizing that hive is unwelcome. We thought you had the ability to handle it.”
“Oh, I antagonized them? How? Breathing?”
“A feral like you couldn’t have known she shouldn’t go out unattended. Your mate is to blame. Females never are unattended in this city. They recognized instantly you and your pack were not prepared. We had to get involved when we never should have had to,” she said, aggravated.
“I didn’t see you swooping in with offers to help or free advice. This run doesn’t count. You’re two months too late to complain about how we solve our problems.”
“But you didn’t solve them. Ultimately, we did. You might be a little more gracious.”
“For what, a doorman outside my den?”
She rolled her eyes. “Do I have to spell it out? Four letters, one syllable, starts and ends with D. Let me know if you need another clue.”
“I passed first grade,” I said, refusing to feel ingratiated to them. “So you’re doing your job. Your pack wants elevation, sometimes that means you’ve got to flex that influence.”
“Or you could just use your brain and not wander around like a stupid doe,” Maya retorted. She glanced at the men trotting after us. “How does it feel to have a mercenary tagging along after you?”
“Better than feeling like a wounded doe in the middle of an open field.”
“A pet human is a lot of responsibility.”
“Shut up and get to your point, Maya. What am I really out here for?”
“I’m here to extend an offer to you and Sterling to join GranitePaw.”
I yanked to a stop. Gravel crunched under my sneakers. “What did you say?”
“To join GranitePaw.” She indulged a harsh, sarcastic look. “I know, I was shocked too.”
I played it back in my head a few times, then, having determined I hadn’t misheard her, I sorted through the various possible emotions available. I was a Luna, Sterling a rumored hybrid, and collectively we were a political barrel of toxic waste that probably glowed green in the dark. For those reasons alone, we weren’t recruitable. Not that poaching was common to begin with, and poaching pack leadership? Never happened. No Alpha or Luna worth recruiting would ever abdicate for a better offer.
My SnowFang might be small, and dysfunctional, and Sterling might have been tricked into being Alpha and I might have flopped into being Luna, but I wasn’t going to fling myself into GranitePaw’s loving arms and how dare this snide little scab act like she hadn’t just asked me to sell my soul for a bargain price.
