Page 9 of Wild Wolf

“I find your honesty refreshing. I would say it is simple, but it is not. I will simplify it for you as I can. For our purposes, vucari means you are foreign and possessing control. We have watched you for many moons, and you do not stray, not even when the entire pack came to your door, which would break the control of even the wawkalak, who respect our ways and are at little risk of endangering others. You are correct about the nature of the sumasshedshiy volk. The bodark are beloved but lack control and may become sumasshedshiy volk at any time, and they must learn control. The bodark must demonstrate their control through not shifting for five years so they might become wawkalak.”

“That sounds like a guaranteed method of creating sumasshedshiy volk to me. Such control must be learned, gradually and over time, not forced like that.” I considered my childhood. “It took me ten years, maybe longer, before I could go without shifting, and my mother took great care with me during that time.”

Once again, I skirted lying, but I spoke enough of the truth I doubted anyone would catch me.

“That is not our way.”

I had no interest in trying to convince them their way would lead to more deaths. Shrugging, I sat on the step leading up to my porch and considered the two wolves, who eyed me with the same wary regard. “You asked. I’m sorry you dislike the answer.”

Flea-bitten titmouse. Why did people ask questions when they didn’t want to hear the answer? The woman would drive me crazy long before my wolf became a wild, ravenous beast and took me out with him. I kept a close eye on her and her wolves, waiting for her next move—and questioning why I cooperated with her at all.

“How old were you when you learned this?”

“I started learning when I was twelve,” I answered, and aware of how Desmond and his family had reacted to my situation, I added, “Americans begin learning at roughly that age, sometimes a little older. That is our way.”

“And you Americans do not have sumasshedshiy volk?”

“They have similar, but they rank their wolves in different ways, based on their position within their pack. Otherwise, there is no distinction like you have. I’m no expert, however. I can teach you what I know, but I don’t know if it will do you any good. But Americans don’t brand, and they’re private about what they are.”

“We tell nobody outside of our home, although outsiders like you are taught and given a talisman. But we did not realize what you are when you were gifted the talisman. We meant no offense, as we did not yet realize you are a vucari.”

“There was no harm or offense. The talisman does no harm where it is at.” The sting of silver hadn’t lasted long, either, and didn’t tend to sap away my strength like iron did.

Silver just burned and stained my fingers black, and it didn’t bother me all that much—and the metal only caused a problem with too much exposure.

“I can remove it for you if you would like.”

“You may as well leave it. It seems to reassure visitors. I’ve found people here to be quite superstitious. It doesn’t hurt me where it’s at on the door, and I’d rather not invite trouble without it. I would rather be left alone.”

“But the vucari are honored.”

“I appreciate that, but I enjoy my privacy, and Petra becomes alarmed when there are guests.” I became more alarmed than my wolf did, but I wouldn’t tell her that. The ved’ma already knew more of my secrets than I liked. Once I got rid of her and her wolves, I would go into my cabin and cook something excessively complicated in an attempt to make myself feel better.

It wouldn’t work, but at least I’d eat enough to sustain me for a change, rather than just get by as I normally did.

“We have butchers for the wawkalak. You are welcome to make use of them. The pack is concerned you don’t eat enough. You are very good at pretending you’re human. If it were not for our other senses, we would not have known.”

“Well, yes. In America, we don’t exist. Witches and wolves, they’re nothing more than superstitions. They work hard to make sure nobody realizes we exist. I learned early on how to mask my shopping so people would not suspect me.”

“Do you not believe this is a shame?”

“It may be why we don’t have sumasshedshiy volk, too. Or at least to the scale you do here.”

“Interesting.” Her expression implied she wasn’t convinced. “Who would we speak to who might know more of the American way of things?”

I wondered what Charles Desmond would do if I led the Russians to him. What sort of fallout would happen upon the clash of two very different worlds? Bringing him into the situation would offer me an out, and if pressed about Bodwin’s wolf, I would use the truth as my defense.

I hadn’t wanted her to be killed. I’d been in the habit of running for so long I doubted I could have adjusted my instinct to go with a group rather than escape on my own as needed.

Still, he was the only contact I knew who might be able to make sense of the situation.

“There might be someone,” I admitted. “I would have to call a friend of mine, who could reach out to him.”

“Would you?”

“I see no reason why not, but you would have to forgo your brands. They would not tolerate it, especially if he brought his children with him.”

“His children? But why would he bring his children?”