Page 36 of Bitter Discord

I looked past him to see Lonan staring in our direction.

“I see. Thank you for speaking up with some logic. If you need a friend or any help, just give me a call.”

“I’m not worried about it too much. If he comes for my territory, I can pick up and move on. I’m a good fighter, but there’s no reason to fight a battle I can’t win. I just don’t want to move.” He chuckled, leaning on the wall next to me. “Let’s hope he doesn’t hold a grudge.”

“What’s his beef?”

“He and the Phoenix werewolf Alpha have never been on speaking terms, and… well, it’s gotten hostile before, but they’ve kept it between them from my understanding. They hate each other, but never to the point that the Tribunal has needed to step in.”

“Ah… there has to be bad blood then.”

“Probably, but I couldn’t tell you what caused it.”

Lonan knew we were talking about him. We didn’t hide it. I could hear my name coming up in conversation. Everett and I didn’t continue as we both listened to the room.

“She’s a child,” Marcia snapped at Zuri.

“She’s in her forties. Young to us, but an adult,” Zuri fired back. “But please, tell me more about my sister.”

“What’s her game plan? Hm? You and I have been fighting werewolves since before humans invented algebra or the calendar.”

“Algebra, yes, calendars, no. The first twelve-month calendar was developed in Sumer around thirty-one hundred B.C.E. The time of our fathers.” Zuri seemed bored as she corrected Marcia.

“For once in your dreadfully long life, don’t be a know-it-all,” Marcia hissed.

“Abraham, it’s good to see you again,” Marnar said, giving him an annoyed look as he sat close to her.

“Is it? Last time we spoke, you were telling me to stay as far away from you as possible.”

Marnar’s smile was all teeth.

“How do you feel about all of this?” he asked, ignoring her threat. “I’ve heard things about Alpha Heath Everson. Some digging pulled up a lot of interesting information. Have you heard anything? Looked into anything?”

“I probably have the same information,” she said as Ysabel and Roland joined their table. “We can discuss it later.”

Heath’s not going to be surprised people are looking into him, but I kind of am. I wonder what they know.

Chao drifted toward Zuri and Marcia while I debated heading toward that table.

“Ladies,” he greeted.

“Chao,” Zuri said, eyeing him. “We haven’t heard from you in close to two thousand years. Why the sudden reappearance? When did you come to North America?”

“I heard this wasn’t just about werewolves. I don’t care about werewolves. I don’t bother them, and they don’t bother me. No…” He pointed at my sister. “I heard you’ll have an announcement.”

“So you wanted to hear it firsthand,” she said, sighing. “Of course. And my other question?”

“I came with the immigrants, wanting to see a new place,” he said, looking around the room. “It has been a very interesting place to live.”

Coyotl was silent in the corner, watching the room as I was, Tokabi close by. Lonan was finally sitting with the growing group as they talked in half-sentences about what they knew and didn’t know. Hannah was watching me from across the room, though she sent a glare in Zuri’s direction when she realized I was looking at her.

I need to watch that one.

Elissa was telling Lonan and Andon a story about how she once dealt with a troublesome werewolf Alpha. She had ripped off his head in front of his pack. Andon’s booming laugh filled the room.

I looked at Everett, already tired of people watching.

“You want to play tennis or something?” I asked. “This is…” I shook my head. I’d had all sorts of ideas of how this would go, but now I felt a bit lost.

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