Page 25 of Relics of the Wolf

The humor vanished from Duncan’s eyes. “In retribution?”

“I… don’t know yet. I need to go up there.”

“We didn’t evenhurtthe blond man. And none of the others were seriously injured.”

I spread my arms, confused and frustrated, and waved for him to move his van.

He started to put it in gear but paused. “Is your brutish cousin going to be there?”

“Unfortunately. It sounds like the whole family is gathering.”

“Do you want me to go with you? Do you want me to drive you up there?”

“No. You’re a lone wolf. They’ll attack you again.”

“They treatyoulike a lone wolf. What if they attackyou?”

I opened my mouth, wanting to say I could handle it, but could I? Even in my powerful lupine form, I hadn’t been able to best my cousins, not when it had been four against one. I might have knocked Augustus off that train trestle, but they’d then knockedmeoff. And what if Augustus blamed me for the attack on Mom and wouldn’t let me close enough to her cabin to see her?

“Let me take you up there, Luna,” Duncan said softly. “They’ll think twice about attacking you with me at your side.”

“They won’t think twice about attackingyou.”

“Let them.” His eyes flared with feral energy, reminding me of how strong and dangerous he could be. “It sounds like your pack could use some of its weakest members weeded out.”

“They are, unfortunately, not weak.”

“Its non-contributingassholemembers then.”

I couldn’t object to that description of my cousins, especially if it was true that they weretaxingmembers of the paranormal community who were trying to do business in the greater Seattle area—in a part of that area that our pack didn’t even claim. What did werewolves need with that kind of money anyway?

Still, I hesitated, loath to get Duncan involved. I didn’t want him to put himself in danger on my behalf.

“Let me help, Luna,” he urged softly, watching the indecision on my face. “Like I said, I owe you.”

“You don’t owe me anything. You just…” I groped in the air. Hehadbetrayed me, and I didn’t want to dismiss that, but I’d also let myself be drawn in by his charm when I should have been warier. I couldn’t blame everything on him.

“Need to earn your trust,” he said firmly.

“Are you planning to stick around long enough for that to matter?”

“I told you there are a lot of bodies of water to fish in here. I could be in Seattle alongtime, and since fate is making it so our paths keep crossing…” He extended a hand, palm toward the sky.

“Our paths are crossing because you keep driving into my parking lot.”

“Fate.” His affable expression returned as he gave an insouciant smile and waved toward the passenger seat.

“This is a bad idea,” I muttered, but I got into the van with him.

8

“Didyou ever find out who the white wolf was who spotted us when we hunted together?” Duncan asked as he drove through Monroe, heading northeast toward the winding forest roads that led to my mother’s cabin.

“That was Lorenzo. He and my mother seem to be an item these days.”

“That night, when I looked into the side mirror, he was giving me a squinty, dangerous look.”

“Because you were a lone wolf invading the pack’s territory, but he stood up for me after my cousins tried to take me out on the family hunt. I don’t thinkhe’sgoing to be a problem when we get there.” During the first part of the ride, I’d filled Duncan in on what my niece had told me. “My cousin—cousinsare more likely to be a problem. They’re not happy with me, and you already beat up Augustus once, so he’s really not going to be happy with you.”

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