Page 24 of Wanted

The pack provides protection as well. It’s our way of life. It keeps us guarded from loneliness and despair. Lone wolves are rarely born. More likely than not, a lone wolf is one who couldn’t abide by the rules of their pack and either refused to or couldn’t find another pack to blend in with.

Other lone wolves have been kicked out for crimes against their leaders or other members. Some of those disposed of wolves end up forming their own small packs. At times they cause trouble, but for the most part they’re looked at as nothing more than nuisances.

In general, we don’t trust a wolf without a pack. It’s a sign they’ve betrayed the pack they were born into. Which means that none of the lone wolves here or anywhere else would be called on to represent us wolf shifters in the National Shifter Alliance.

Especially not after the recent deception by Rufus Dalton. All wolf shifters are feeling especially distrustful these days.

“Of course it wouldn’t make sense,” Ms. Cynthia says. “You know how those lonies think,” she says, using the slur often used to describe lone wolves. “You can’t trust ’em as far as you can throw ’em.” She shrugs.

“It might be just rumors. A few lonies with nothing better to do but complain. But…”

She pauses, her eyes going to the door before coming back to me. “That girl.” She points, obviously talking about Emery. “There’s something about her.”

She leans in and cups her mouth as if she’s lowering her voice. I raise an eyebrow. She gives me an impish look and waves her hand.

“Force of habit.”

“What is it?” I ask about Emery.

“She’s in danger.”

Everything inside of me goes rigid. Except for my wolf. He immediately goes on high alert as soon as Ms. Cynthia’s words register.

“What kind of danger?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t know. But her sister did come here looking for answers. Her parents, in the picture she showed me, did look familiar but I couldn’t place them,” she explains. “Like I’ve seen them somewhere before. But I got an eerie feeling once I saw the photo…” She trails off, a confused expression taking over her face.

She shakes her head and waves a hand in the air. “Don’t get old, pup,” she points at me in the similar way Ms. Elsie does when she’s giving advice that I didn’t ask for. “It’s like once you hit a hundred, your ability to remember a photo from fifty years ago starts to fade.”

She shakes her head and looks as if she’s clicking her tongue.

Yes, us wolves live a lot longer than humans, but all of us age with time.

Ms. Cynthia looks at me, her eyes ballooning. “Oh, she also smelled…” Her gaze moves toward the door.

“Odd?” I ask.

Ashley must’ve had that strange scent as well. The one that’s human but not quite human, but unlike a wolf or any other shifter.

She nods.

Ms. Cynthia has a keen sense of smell, even for a wolf. It’s one of her gifts. Mine was forged in my training. I would stay out and hunt for hours with my father’s betas, learning from them. They taught me how to rely on my remaining four senses to make up for my lack of hearing.

I can catch scents that most wolves can’t. So can Ms. Cynthia. I would imagine that to the average wolf, Emery, smells like a human. To us, her scent is different.

Ashley must’ve had that odd smell about her too. The one I’ve been trying to figure out ever since I first came across her in that office in the back of Mike’s Bar.

“Did she ask you anything else about her parents?”

“I couldn’t tell her much,” Ms. Cynthia replies. “I didn’t recognize them from the photo, but I swear I’ve seen them before. I’ll be darned if I can’t remember.” She snaps her fingers.

The frustration on her face prompts me to steer the conversation in a different direction.

“How do you know Emery’s in danger?” My wolf champs at the bit as we await her answer.

Ms. Cynthia’s eyebrows snap together. “Is she your ma?—”

“No,” I shut her down quickly. “I don’t have a mate.” I hold up my hand. “I’ve already explained this to Ms. Elsie. Mating is not for me. Please tell me about the danger you sense around Emery. This could be related to the Alliance.”

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