Page 3 of The Wolf Prince's Fated Heart

"Should we expect Tinker Bell to rent our services to find Peter Pan and the Lost Boys next?" I ask, purposefully mocking her.

A bit over the top, don't you think? my wolf asks.

I need to make her see how ridiculous it is, I shoot back.

Except that it's not, my wolf replies without missing a beat.

Of course, he's right, but I can't just nod my head and confirm the rumors.

From her chair, she just barely manages to reach my shoulders. A very good metaphor for the people's opinions. If I look calm and say the big bad wolf is a joke, they, the little people who can't do anything about it, have to accept the fact that they may have made a mistake. And will hopefully leave the wolves alone.

Harper rubs a hand over her face. "You're laughing," she says, dead serious. "If I didn't know you, I'd be scared of you now."

I want to tell her that she should be. She should be very, very afraid. But not of me. Whether she might believe it or not, I'm actually one of the good wolves. It's the rogue ones she should look over her shoulder for.

If she's not inclined to be afraid of wolves, then she should worry about crossing the witches. They are just as deadly as the biggest of wolves. When with a coven, they are willing to strike directly, but when alone, they transform into poisonous and back-stabbing snakes. Nasty lot.

But they're not our enemies anymore. Not since Helia and Grayden managed to do the impossible. The treaty between our two species is something for the history books.

If Harper decides not to fear either one of those two species, there are always vampires to think about. Nocturnal bloodsuckers tend to run the nightclub scene and as long as they keep their fangs to themselves, no one wants to deal with them.

"I apologize for laughing," I finally say, my voice catching. "I didn't mean any disrespect. It's just that when you say things like that, I can’t help but laugh."

"You sound convincing when you say that," Harper mumbles.

"We should go back to work," I tell her, hoping to get some peace and quiet.

To work. I need to do the important things. Starting with locating the source of the hack before one of those back-stabbing witches points their finger at me and tells the human government we wolves are to blame.

The worst part is that I don't even know which species the radicals come from. Though, this time, they attacked a family of wolves, the time before last, they murdered a coven of witches. So who's to say they're not doing it for attention?

Harper leaves, and the quiet consumes me.

Yes. Back to work. It's as simple as that.

There has to be an individual. A person to give me answers.

In times like these, one can always count on family.

I take my phone and dial Grayden's number.

"Little brother," he answers after the second ring. His voice is strained. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk to you," I say, skipping the pleasantries. "How soon can you be in my office?"

No doubt sensing the urgency in my voice, Grayden clears his throat. "As a matter of fact, I'm just around the corner visiting Helia at work. I can see you in twenty minutes or so."

"Make it fifteen," I grunt and hang up.

The call makes me feel marginally better. As an ambassador appointed by the wolves, Grayden will know more about the radicals than anyone else. He and his wife Helia, who is also a witch, as well as the ambassador for their species, are determined to keep the peace treaty between the witches and the wolves alive and thriving. That is not an easy job. Even after five years, it remains fragile.

I pace the office. There's no point keeping an eye out the window for my brother's arrival. Grey Tech's headquarters are located in a skyscraper with fifty floors, my office being located at the very top one. To get a view like this one requires lots of money and even more stubbornness to defeat your competitors.

Unlike the humans, who spend their time waiting for the fairies to send a white pumpkin to take them to the ball, the CEOs, stockholders, and lawyers of Grey Tech form a part of different species. I don't care about their origins. I only care about their contributions to the company.

Besides running a business, I am one of the company's top programmers. One cannot build a tech company without knowing their way around a computer.

Without much else to do until Grayden arrives, I sit back in my black leather seat and make sure my screen with an internal cameras' view of my offices is updated. Right now, I watch it intently, so I don't miss it when the elevator doors open to reveal my brother.

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