Page 7 of A Pack of Lies and a Big Bad Wolf

“Not that I’ve ever noticed, it’s just something to say. See you tomorrow, and I can’t freaking believe you went there and didn’t get murdered.”

“You sound almost disappointed,” I say drily.

He hangs up.

“Yoo-hoo!” a feminine voice trills, and then the teenage sister of Kieran plops down on the bench where her brother was sitting minutes ago.

Like her brother, she has storm-gray eyes, thick dark brows, and full lips.

She grins at me. “You’re Olivia. I’m Rose. You get under my brother’s skin for some reason. I like you.”

“He’s got that effect on you too, huh?” I say drily.

“Isn’t he the absolute worst?” she groans and rolls her eyes. “He’s a nightmare. A tyrant. A bully. The worst big brother ever.”

“Is he…” I hesitate, afraid to ask. I have to know, though. “Is he honest?”

She snorts in annoyance. “Brutally so. The word tact is not in his dictionary.”

Why does that not surprise me? Because Kieran obviously does not give a hoot about anyone’s feelings.

“If he says he’ll do something, will he do it?” I press her.

“Oh, yeah, he never goes back on his word. Whatever. Who cares. Wait…” She looks at me with interest. “What did he say he’d do?”

“He said that you guys will try to figure out why my younger brother can’t shift.”

“Oh, right, he did say that.” She nods. The mischief in her eyes fades into sympathy. “I’m sorry about that. It must be hard.”

“So he’ll keep his promise that you guys will try?” I can’t keep the anxiety from my voice.

She nods. “If he said he will, he will. He doesn’t change his mind.”

“That’s the thing,” I say, frowning. “He originally sent my brother away, and today he actually did change his mind about it and he says he’ll try to figure out why my brother can’t access his wolf. I’m trying to figure out why.”

Rose chews her lower lip, looking puzzled. “Something must have changed. I don’t know what. But if he says we’ll try, we will, and my older sister is really good. Hey, would you consider sneaking me into town? I’m kind of grounded right now.”

I laugh ruefully. “I really wish I could, but I can’t do anything to risk getting on His Royal Hiney’s bad side.”

“Ha!” she laughs delightedly. “His Royal Hiney! I’m going to use that on him. All right, later, gator. And please give my brother as much grief as possible.”

Chapter 4

Kieran

I lean against the doorway of my cabin, my emotions churning.

I have made Amaryllis swear, on her life, that she will only examine and diagnose Stephen. She will not treat him. I now have a guess as to what the problem might be, but I’m not going to tell anyone other than my sister for now.

And if I’m right, there’s a chance that there truly will be no cure for the problem, but at least we’ll have answers. They’re just not going to be answers that Olivia is going to like, and that is a problem, given that she’s the woman who I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.

She just won’t admit it yet.

As the sun melts into the horizon, Olivia storms across the gravel path to the guest cabin next to my house, spine straight, still clenching her leather bag, along with the bag of clothes and female stuff that Amaryllis put together for her. I imagine she’s given her some makeup, shampoo, maybe a silver-coated axe for Olivia to throw at my head.

Olivia slams the door hard enough to rattle the porch light.

My house sits at the edge of a ridge that overlooks pack property. It’s a sprawl of timber and stone, much too big for one person, but that’s what’s expected of the Alpha. Past the tree line the land drops toward the creek, and far past that, Frostbane pack territory glints with mining lights after dark.