Page 71 of Wolf's Mark

And to hunt.

The moment I’d dropped Sedona off at her car, I’d gathered the same pungent odor of the creature that had been stalking her. I’d been unable to decipher whether another Wolfen was keeping tabs on the one considered the potential great leader of all the packs. Or if it was a degradation of our kind, a beast determined to destroy us. It was frustrating as fuck not to know for certain.

One thing was clear to me. I needed to shift more often to develop my highest level of senses.

What I could tell was that while he’d left the area, his trail remained disgusting.

I’d resisted following her, at least too closely. I owed her my trust even though I knew she was lying to me.

The call had been about her work. I’d been awake. I’d heard her side of the conversation. Her whispered words had come through loud and clear.

A morgue had always fascinated me. Maybe because our lives were so much longer. I understood grief but had never truly experienced it.

Even with the physical loss of our father. Not that he was dead. My mother certainly wished he was. Leaving her for another woman, a human no less, hadn’t been his finest hour.

She would kill him if he ever entered her territory.

I’d parked close enough that I could keep an eye on what was going on. The fact that a body had been brought in wasn’t unusual. The timing was strange, but if there was a murder investigation, time was often of the essence.

Not that I bought the reason she’d left. She was being pushed. By the look of the woman in the pantsuit who’d arrived seconds after Sedona had walked into the facility, I’d say the FBI was involved.

Perhaps Mother had been right.

I’d resisted my urge of storming inside, instead concentrating my efforts on following the trail of odor. It had led me to the outskirts of one of our nicer parks, the entire area surrounded by woods.

I’d consider it a pristine hunting ground, an area not policed at night. The town had been deemed safe, one of the safest in the Midwest. Now this shit. Whether the fucking werewolf creatures were feasting on animal or humans, if the beasts wanted to keep themselves well fed, it was the perfect place.

Yet the entire situation was unnerving.

I’d contacted both brothers after devising my plan. Assistance would be greatly appreciated since I had no clue what I could be dealing with. Even before spending a lovely evening with Sedona, I’d tried to find as much information as I could about the old lore and any purported meanings.

Our kind was notably secretive about everything. Of course we had reason to be, but I was the son of the matriarch. That should provide me with some clout or at least additional clearance in learning important information.

Apparently, I was wrong.

Every phone call I made had been shut down.

I noticed a car pulling into the parking lot. At least one brother was obviously eager to hunt.

It wasn’t the best option or a good decision, but I wanted to see for myself what we were dealing with.

Especially since dear ole Mom wasn’t being completely forthcoming in allowing us to be told what she anticipated the future would look like.

“Are you becoming a pervert now?” Riker asked as soon as he approached. “Oh, wait, you already are.”

“Very funny.”

“Hey, I don’t mind the outdoors, but I was having a nice dream when you interrupted me.” He yawned and stretched on purpose.

“We need to start tracking the wolves.”

“Are you talking the big dudes with fangs?”

He was cracking himself up, but in truth, I found no humor in what was happening. “This is serious. Can’t you smell them?”

“Dude, I’m not dead. I can smell them. I did earlier when I went home.”

Exhaling, I was surprised he was taking the potential war so casually. We weren’t equipped for engaging in battle no matter our genes or heritage. “We wait for Chase.”

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