Page 8 of A Wolf's Heart

“Why are the humans here?” Rain asked. “If it’s a simple matter of territory marks.”

“May I speak?” the female asked.

I remained standing, held in a staring contest with Marcus.

“Speak,” Rain said, his patience wearing thin.

“Cartway Park surrounds this town. It’s a provincial park run by the government and a protected forest.”

“And?” Rainor tried to speed this meeting up.

“Three bodies have been found mutilated, torn apart. We believe they are wolves.”

“Yes, well, wolves are territorial, and if whoever has claimed this land is defending their territory, I assure you, there isnothing that can be done. Call the council,” Rain said, waving her off.

“Three people are dead! Human or not!” she screeched.

“She left out one detail.” Marcus growled. “Tell me,Alpha, do you still practice power consumption?”

Owen shook his head when the male human whispered to him. “It’s an old practice, outdated.”

“Outdated but not illegal.” Marcus grinned. “Few old blood packs still practice it.”

“I’ll have to ask you to leave now,” I growled.

Marcus raised his lip, baring his teeth only slightly. Not ready to play with the big boys yet. “You better watch out.”

“Is that a threat?” I could hear Weylin’s claws elongating.

“Kage.” Owen’s voice was calm, the voice of reason. My eyes left Marcus’ and they would not return. I glanced at Owen, who seemed genuinely worried. “Whoever is doing this is targeting alphas. Nadair, Sgrios, and Awlen packs are the bodies we have found. Ophidian pack, Marcus’ alpha is missing. All bodies found on this territory. All bodies… missing a heart.”

“That’s why Marcus is here,” Rain said. “Standing in, is he?” Owen nodded. “And the humans?”

“Liaisons between shifter and human worlds. They are organizing a transfer from local police, there is a detective on the case currently. We are unsure if sending shifters in right now is a smart move. We’ve come to ask you to sniff out your territory line. See if it is a scent you recognize as one of your own.”

“How big is your pack?” the male human asked.

I scoffed.

“Thousands? We just want to know. Maybe it’s someone going rogue or something,” he said it like he knew something about our world.

I snarled. “My pack is tens of thousands, and I know every single scent. I can assure you, if it were my pack attackingalphas, I would know about it. I don’t control them, Iownthem. Leave, now, so we can deal with this matter.”

I wasn’t sure how menacing my voice had gotten, but the humans stood immediately, slipping out. Marcus tried to capture my gaze once more, but I refused to look at him. That’s how insignificant he was to me.

As Dom and Owen stood, I stepped forward, lowering my voice to them. “As neutral liaisons on my pack territory, I respect you, but if you ever bring another alpha on my land without my knowledge, I will be seeking repercussions.”

Owen tilted his head towards me, concern coloring his features. “Kage, is it you? Are you still consuming—”

“What I do on my land is my prerogative. It’s not my pack, but I will find who it is.”

They both nodded. “Careful, my Alpha.” He whispered, resting his palm on my shoulder.

Weylin closed the door behind the officers, the room now empty, save for the three of us. “What do we do now?”

Rainor’s eyes were already glowing red.

“We hunt,” I said. A wolf that has taken out at least three alphas was bound to be powerful. That was a heart I didn’t want to let go.

---