Page 7 of A Wolf's Heart

He snorted. “Don’t put yourself out now, Alpha. She’s a good-looking wolf.”

Rainor cleared his throat. “She’s not his type. But her living situation and the fact she is so moldable means she’s the type the pack needs. She won’t cause any trouble. She doesn’t want to be returned to her pack.”

Emma came into the room then. “Your meeting with city police is in twenty minutes. I have them waiting in the lobby,” she said meekly. Weylin grinned like a wolf looking at a plaything.

“Move them to room 406. Humans?” I asked.

“Not all. Two humans are among them.”

“How many are there?” Weylin asked.

Her eyes flickered down to his feet. “Six, sir.” She inclined her head at me. “Alpha,” she mumbled before exiting the room.

None of us finished our lunch. “What would four shifters be doing bringing two humans to a meeting with us?” Weylin asked.

I met Rainor’s stare, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of my stomach.

We madeour way to the meeting room. Weylin was all business as he stepped behind Rain and me, closing the door behind him and standing at it with his hands clasped in front.

I nodded to a few of the officers I knew. “Owen, Dom.” Then I stood straight as I took in the others. Owen wasn’t just an officerhe was the head chief for the city, and Dom was his second-in-command, both of them shifters. We worked well together.

“Alpha Cridhe, I’d like to introduce you to Nicolas and—”

“Marcus,” Rain said, his voice clipped, his eyes sharp. The way Owen had said my name told me two things. One, this was shifter business. Two, the two humans here knew of our world. It wasn’t uncommon for shifters to work with humans, though it posed many risks. In this case, Owen felt the benefits outweighed the risks. Which brought me to three, whatever was happening could be a real issue.

Owen continued to speak after nodding to Rainor, a sign of respect. “These two are officers from an unmarked region that borders your lines.”

I frowned. Rainor carefully schooled his confusion but brought out his tablet. “There are no unmarked regions in this area…”

Rain handed his tablet to me, which I set on the table, taking a seat. Everyone followed. “May I?” Owen asked.

I waved my hand to the map that was brought up. Owen zoomed in on the map, following a line that bordered our pack territory and Marcus’ pack territory. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Footsteps approached behind me—Weylin.

When I raised my eyes, Marcus was staring at me. It was a challenge and Weylin was ready to meet it. I held Marcus’ gaze, ready to show him his place. He wasn’t an alpha yet.

“Need I remind you three, there are humans present,” Rainor said, sounding bored.

“Oh, they very much know this world.” Marcus' voice was like a slimy snake’s.

“And they are very much delicate,” Rainor snapped. “I won’t have human blood spilled on this floor.”

“Perhaps you’d rather have wo—”

“Here!” Owen jumped in. I took the tablet and slid it to Rainor, not taking my eyes off Marcus.

“It’s a grey area. Completely missed. We’ll have it claimed by the end of the day,” Rain said, pulling out his phone.

“Not so fast,” Marus hissed.

“You’ve claimed it?” I asked. I couldn’t care less about the territory. It was a small, insignificant town, but I’d take advantage of any excuse to go head-to-head with Marcus before he became pack leader, so I could put him in his place now, instead of having to wait for an official declaration of challenge.

“No,” Dom answered. He had been positioning his body in front of the humans, their fear apparent even from here. If they wanted to run with the wolves, they best get used to this level of intensity.

“The town has been marked, but the scent is unknown,” Dom continued.

“Of course, if it isn’t one of your own going rogue, we will have no issues claiming the land.” Marcus stood up, and I got to my feet at the same time.

“It may very well be one of my own. I’ll have to investigate.”

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