Page 11 of Red Hood, Bad Wolf

Serenity's disapproval sharpened. "Alpha, if something happens to the Red Hood, her whole order will come down on us."

"I can handle myself," Rowan said quietly.

"Of course you can, dear." Mae patted her hand, her grip surprisingly strong. "And I'll help however I can. I know all the old stories about pack disputes. Did I mention the time River Valley's previous alpha tried to claim our southern forest? Such a nasty business. He learned why we've held this territory so long." Her sweet smile didn't reach her eyes. "Some lessons have to be... taught firmly."

The meeting broke up into tense clusters. The divide in the pack became physically apparent—younger wolves like Danny and Erica gravitating toward Rowan's side of the room, older ones drawing away. The air filled with heated whispers:

"—mate bond, you can smell it on both of them—"

"—can't trust Red Hoods, they're all killers—"

"—Alpha knows best, and she's different—"

"—not natural, mixing witch and wolf blood—"

"—so romantic though, like the old tales—"

"—remember what they did to his mother—"

Rowan caught Mae watching the growing divide with sharp eyes, though her expression remained benignly concerned. The older woman drifted between groups, dropping careful comments that somehow managed to validate both sides while deepening the rift.

"Change is hard," she told the older wolves sympathetically. "We must protect our traditions." Then to the younger ones: "Young love is so precious. But of course, pack harmony must come first."

Alder's hand brushed Rowan's lower back as he passed, sending heat sparking through her. His power wrapped around her instinctively, like a comforting hug. "My office, ten minutes?" His voice was rough. "To coordinate our investigation."

She nodded, ignoring the disapproving huffs from the elders and the knowing smirks from younger pack members. Professional distance. They could manage that.

The interviews proved even more challenging than the meeting. Pack members filed into the small study one by one, their reactions ranging from open hostility to nervous support. Each conversation felt like navigating a minefield of old prejudices and new possibilities.

"Never seen the Alpha so drawn to someone," Erin admitted during her interview, practically bouncing in her seat. "It's kind of romantic, actually. Like those old tales about fated mates. The way you look at each other..." She sighed dreamily. "And you're not what we expected. You actually try to help wolves, not just kill them."

But the next interview, with James, a middle-aged enforcer, turned arctic the moment he entered. "Red Hoods killed my cousin," he growled, refusing to sit. "Said he was feral. He wasn't. Just like the Alpha's mother wasn't."

"The Order has changed," Rowan began, but he cut her off.

"Pretty words won't change what you are. Or what you'll do to this pack." His eyes flashed wolf-gold. "You'll destroy us from within, witch. And some of us won't stand for it."

The threat hung in the air between them until Serenity intervened, calling James away for patrol duty. But the beta's sympathetic look was for him, not Rowan.

The morning wore on. Each interview revealed the growing schism in the pack, even as they provided pieces of evidence that seemed to support the territory dispute theory. Almost too many pieces, Rowan realized. Strange scraps of fabric with River Valley pack colors. Reports of unauthorized scent markers. Distant howls that might be warnings or might be threats.

It was all circumstantial, yet it built a compelling picture.

"Find anything interesting, dear?" Mae appeared with a tray of coffee and honey cookies. "Alder just found out that it seems the River Valley's been moving some old boundary markers. Such a shame, really. In the old days, packs knew to respect territories." She sighed, settling into a chair with a wince. "Now they think they can just take what they want. The young ones forget the old ways of dealing with trespassers."

"Have there been many trespassers lately?" Something about Mae's tone made Rowan's magic stir uneasily.

"Oh yes. Especially near the deep forest." Mae's eyes glittered with an emotion Rowan couldn't quite name. "I still walk there sometimes, gathering herbs. You see all sorts of interesting things. Just yesterday I found these caught in some brambles." She produced some scraps of fabric. "Look like they're from River Valley, don't they? Their pack colors."

The evidence seemed almost too perfect. But Mae was just trying to help, wasn't she? And the territory dispute theory did fit some of the facts, especially if the River Valley was trying to weaken the pack. But getting the Red Hoods involved seemed over the top, even for territory hungry wolves.

***

ALDER WAS PISSED. THISwas looking more and more like a set up. The River Valley was killing humans and planting evidence to bring the Red Hoods down on them. And for what? Inches of forest land?

If the Red Hoods had sent anyone else but Rowan, all of this could have been deadly.

"The River Valley's been here," Serenity confirmed, nose wrinkling. "Recently. And look—" She indicated scratches that had deliberately obscured the original boundary runes. "They're trying to move the line."

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