Page 37 of The Sacred Wolf

“Possibly he has to act a certain way in public,” I could almost hear her say. “Because he’s the Alpha of a very old-fashioned society. Everyone looks up at him… like Joe Fox. All of you had to carry on a certain way in public. And because you were a discounted female Alpha your whole life, you’re a literal underdog like Shopgirl. Both you and Sebastian are trying so hard to be dominant and in charge that you can’t let down your guard and just be with each other.”

To be honest, I was pretty sure real Charlie would have told me to dump him and move on, but my brain was recalibrating the conversation so that Dream Charlie had a much better understanding of pack politics. And she was right. Yesterday on the tram had been amazing when no one else was around, but that was so hard to make happen in a wolf pack. We needed some way to communicate that no one else could see, some magical invisible place where we could let down our guard and be ourselves.

Oh. Right.

I pulled out my phone and pulled up my text chats, my lips twisting as I tapped on the contact I’d labeled “Stupid Hot Alphahole.” Yeah, I guess my attitude could use a tiny reset. With that in mind, I started to type. Maybe connecting behind screens would give us an outlet that IRL just didn’t.

Hey Sebastian, I began and then erased. Hey Crabcakes. I know we’ve gotten off on an awkward paw, ha—

“Hey, Elyse” Evan’s elbow jostled me. “The rules?”

I rolled my eyes. “Rule #1. The movie comes first.”

“Darn tootin’.”

“Well, I gotta go pee,” I said, hopping up to head to the lobby. “That comes before Rule #1, I’m afraid”

“I suppoooooose,” Evan drawled.

The movie rules were important but so was mending fences somehow with Sebastian. I didn’t really want to run away from problems, and it seemed like it might actually be possible to solve the Evan issue if Sebastian would just listen. Or read, as the case might be. As I walked, I re-composed the text. Playful was probably good but flippant, maybe not so much. Not with all that was on the line between us.

My wolf poked my insides. Maybe we should change his name in our contacts?

Hmm. Maybe later. We’ll see how he does.

I erased what I had and began again. Sebastian, I know everything in our world has gone sideways and with your mother missing it’s hard for you to think of anything else Except how much you hate Evan, but—. I stopped and erased the last bit. I’m sorry that I haven’t been sensitive enough about the pain you must be in. I would be grumpy and moody all the time too if I were you, but it was really nice—

This wasn’t working. I tapped my way back.

We need to talk about Evan. And Us. I think it will go better than you’re expecting if you’ll hear me out. Perhaps we can start over. I promise to open up and not turn into a sarcastic snot all the time, if you give me some room to learn how to be an Alpha too.

Yes, I thought, pushing through the doors. Something like that sounded good.

As the doors swung closed behind me, a wave of metallic aroma hit my senses. I stopped dead, and the phone slipped from my fingers, clicking on the vintage tile floor.

Blood.

My wolf roared to life, and my fangs extended, but I held her back while I searched the room for anyone who might be looking to hunt and kill shifters without asking questions first.

And I found him.

Damien stood in the doorway, dressed impeccably as usual, with hair slicked back and a starched button-down beneath a sharp blazer. Though his face wore its usual expression of boredom, a wildness in his eyes made my heart stutter.

Behind him stood two of the mangiest looking stranger wolves I’d ever seen. Their bones were visible beneath patchy and unkempt fur… like loose bags of bone and sinew wrapped up in a wolf pelt. Both had muzzles and flanks crisscrossed with scars, tattered ears, and one was missing an eye. The skin was closed over where it used to be. I’d never seen anyone so rough in all my days in New York.

But neither the wolves nor Damien held my primary attention for long because as they stepped forward, I saw what they had been hiding… our two Manhattan pack guards covered with scarlet blood.

Chapter Eighteen

“What are you doing here, Damien?” I demanded in the gruffest voice I could manage. “You know I can have both the Manhattan and Bronx packs here in a heartbeat.”

To make my point, I swiped my phone from the floor. My heart pounded so hard, I was sure he could hear it. The thought that my fear was floating to his nostrils made my stomach turn, but even if I could get backup, it might not be quick enough to save my friends.

Please let them stay inside. I prayed to the Gods.

Damian held out his hands in a placating gesture and waved to the wolves behind him. They stopped, though the one-eyed wolf let out a low growl. My hackles rose.

“Elyse, I just wanted to talk to you.”

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