Page 17 of Tested
“That’s what we’re going to find out.” She pulls onto a side street and parks the car.
We’re surrounded by three and four-story buildings housing every kind of business imaginable. On our immediate block, there’s a mission, a sketchy looking hotel, a “wild foods” juice bar – whatever that means – and something called the Feather Palace. I elbow Sheena and point to it. “Might have to check that one out when we’re done here.”
“Whatever.” Her frown is more serious than her eye roll. “I just want you present. Keep your mouth shut and when it’s time, do your alpha mojo thing.”
Alpha mojo thing?I’m not entirely sure what she means. If I’m called on to shift, more than likely my wolf will cooperate –maybe– but if all she needs is attitude, I can do that no problem. She heads for a warehouse with a faded sign sayingNix Toyzover the door. I follow her, throwing an extra swing in my stalk.
The place is big and fairly empty of anything that it would take to run a business. Instead, there are two clusters of people, each having staked out a section of the dusty floor. Lydia and three of her wolves are in the corner closest to the door, near a window where the late day sun glints off their black leather and chains.
Lydia’s dark hair is streaked with grey and the skin around her eyes is creased, as if she’s spent a lot of years staring at the sun. Her posture mixes cautious and bored, grounded in an inarguable pride. Her wolves share that pride, and together they’re an imposing group.
The other group is busier, less organized. There’s at least eight of them, none of them older than thirty, and at a glance, it’s hard to tell which one is the alpha. I stare at them until they’re all staring back, and that’s how I figure it out. Seven of them look annoyed. The alpha looks amused.
He’s not much older than me, but taller and rangy. He must be good in a fight or he wouldn’t have four guys hanging around like some kind of Greek Row chorus.
And he must be good in bed or he wouldn’t have a trio of women cat-clawing each other to be close to him.
Lydia’ll take him without breaking a sweat.
Still not sure what I’m doing there, I trail behind Sheena. When Lydia catches sight of me, her lips twist in annoyance. “Jesus, Sheen. What’d you drag him in here for?”
“Back-up,” Sheena says tersely, and we slide into position behind Lydia’s weres.
“Hey, I called for a sitzung,” the Los Feliz alpha says. “That’s for wolves only. Tell your loser friends to wait outside.”
Oh, my wolf does not like his tone of voice. Not at all. I don’t say anything – Sheena told me to keep my mouth shut, so I do – but I let my gaze tell him he’s a suckafish punk and his wolf would piss himself if he ever came across mine.
“Ground rules say I can have guests of my choosing, and while I don’t remember choosing that one”—Lydia glares at me—“they can stay.”
I meet her heat with a cocky grin. It’s clear she doesn’t want my help and I know darned well she doesn’t need it. Maybe I’m only making Sheena happy, but whatever, I’ll stay.
“All right, Lydia Sanchez, let’s get this over with.” The Los Feliz alpha speaks to Lydia but he’s side-eyeing me. “I formally notified you of my intent to take control of the area around the Hollywood Forever cemetery, as far as North Highland Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard.”
“And I told you to go fuck yourself.”
Her stone cold tone makes me smile for real.
“Is that right? I should go fuck myself?” He steps into the neutral zone, one of his girlfriends hanging on his arm. “I think you could come over here and tell me how you really feel.”
He’s smirking like he has this in the bag. There’s as many kinds of alphas as there are wolf packs, and I’m going to enjoy seeing Lydia turn this one into puppy chow.
Lydia strides forward, her three wolves maintaining their position. I like their discipline, especially compared with the lax and jeering frat boys from Los Feliz. Their alpha takes a moment to suck face with the girl on his arm, then sends her back to the others.
“We gonna do this?” he asks Lydia, hands clenched like he can’t wait to throw the first punch.
She laughs. “No.”
“Now see, you guys. The cemetery is ours.”
Lydia reaches over and grabs a fistful of his shirt, dragging him forward till they’re face to face. “The cemetery is mine, you little fuckwit. Do some goddamn homework before you challenge someone who might fight first and answer your questions after you’re dead.”
He shoves away from her. “What the fuck? I gave you notice the way I’m supposed to.”
“Land’s assigned by the Were Council, dumbass. There’s one for the city and another for the state, all the way up to the American Alpha.”
“American Alpha.” His snort grates on my nerves. “You think the American fucking Alpha cares about your little piece of LA?”
With a not-very-apologetic grin at Sheena, I pull out my cell phone. “Want me to call him and ask?”
