Page 94 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

I'd been afraid the voice would sound familiar, but it didn't. Relief coursed through me that another person I trusted hadn't been working against me. Granted, the two people I trusted most were here with me.

"Samuel?" the man said in a lower tone.

Griffin, Killian, and Sierra entered the room, and we all looked at each other, at a loss as to how to proceed.

What's the plan?Griffin asked as he glared at the phone.

"Who's there?" the man demanded. "I take it the silver wolf is listening."

Sierra's head snapped in my direction, and her mouth dropped open.

Well, there went keeping Sierra in the dark. I only hoped Killian's judgment was sound with this one…because it hadn't been with Carter.

"For some supposed ‘fierce warrior,’ you’re sure scared to talk to me." The guy chuckled, clearly trying to get a rise out of me.

He already assumes I'm here, so I might as well speak.Maybe I could wrangle some sort of information from him. "I'm not scared, just trying to decide if you're actually worth the effort."

"Ah, I heard that you had a smart mouth." Hetsked. "Very unbecoming of a lady."

I let disdain drip from each word. "I'm sure I'll lose sleep tonight over disappointing you."

"See, that's what’s wrong with having a female who thinks she's destined to be alpha. You don't respect the natural balance of the hierarchy."

No. Hedidn'tjust go there. "You mean I should be willing to submit to any male wolf?"

"Exactly." He scoffed. "This whole women's rights movement doesn't work, especially in the supernatural world."

This guy was a dick and the exact reason Dad had been so hard on me growing up. Assholes like him had to be put in their place, and I couldn't wait to be the one to teach him that lesson. "Yet, you're the one hiring people to come after me while you stay behind, all safe and snug in your secret hideout."

"There are reasons for that," he growled. "And none of them have to do with me actually being worried that you could best me. There's a lot at stake here, more than you even know."

"All I'm hearing is that you all are too scared to let your identities be known." This situation had been one hot mess after another—along with many different races getting involved—which made it even more complicated.

Maybe you shouldn't goad him?Griffin frowned, as concern flowed from him through our mate bond.

He wanted to protect me, but this person wasn’t going to stop. Whether I spoke to him or not, whoever was behind this would continue to come for me. They had this grand plan that centered around me; they wanted to control the silver wolf population. We had to figure out the end game—if we could do that, it should help us determine who might be pulling the strings.If I anger him enough, he might reveal something, or react without thinking. It's the best strategy we have right now.

"We aren't scared, and our identities will come out sooner rather than later." The guy sounded amused, not angry. "I applaud your efforts to rile me up. However, you have no clue what you're up against. If you’re free, that means Samuel failed, which is unacceptable. Death is a blessing compared to the punishment he would have received for coming back empty-handed."

The reference to Samuel killing himself was clear. This guy was feeling me out—trying to determine if the bear shifter had given up anything. I wouldn't let him know that the bear shifter wasn't alive any longer.

"Noted." I inhaled sharply. "I'll relay the message to Samuel for you."

"Oh, is he near?" His tone took on an edge. "I'd love to hear his voice to confirm he's still alive."

"Why would I do you any favors?" He was calling my bluff. We were in a game of chess where we were trying to outsmart one another.

"Because I don't believe you have him." The guy chuckled. "He's too smart to do something that would negatively impact his family. Well, this conversation has been fun, but I've got other pressing things to attend to. I'll talk to you soon."

Now the bear being desperate enough to kill himself made sense. He’d been protecting his family, just as Carter was trying to protect his brother. Whoever we were up againstwas heartless and cruel. They didn't mind taking whoever they needed to in order to get their pawns to comply. Though, I imagined the bear shifter’s familywasn'tsafe. We needed to locate these assholes so we could free everyone they'd taken prisoner.

Before my finger hit the red hang-up button, the guy spoke again, "Oh, and Sterlyn."

The fact that he dropped my name made me uneasy. He was about to say something that would trip me up. My gut screamed a warning, but there wasn't a damn thing I could do. "Yeah?"

"Tell the Shadow City alpha and the Shadow Ridge alpha that I said hi." He ended the call; the silence was harsh—a screaming in my ear.

He wanted the shock value, and he’d gotten it.

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