Page 30 of Relics of the Wolf

“Iasked Luna to come,” Jasmine said. “She has a right to see her mom anyway.”

The mutterer didn’t reply.

“Step aside, good chap,” Duncan said.

“It’s Rocco, and I’m not a chap.” The young man puffed his chest out even more and didn’t move. “You’d better be polite to us, bro. You’re all alone here, and you didn’t bring an offering.”

I lifted the gift box of salamis thatIhad brought, though I’d intended those more as presents to the wounded rather than offerings to appease the pack. Rocco didn’t look at me. Nobody did. They were watching the standoff.

A lupine growl emanated from Duncan’s chest.

People stirred on the porch, glancing uneasily at each other. I didn’t think they wanted to jump into a fight, but nobody made a move to stop it. Even Lorenzo only watched, that indifference in his eyes again. In his life, he’d doubtless seen dozens if not hundreds of young werewolves challenging their elders. It was, after all, the way of the wolf.

I was tempted to ask Lorenzo to intervene—poor Duncan had already had to endureonefight because he’d come with me—but I knew he wouldn’t.

“Move,” Duncan said softly, dangerously.

Rocco looked off into the woods, as if he was considering it, but then he threw a punch. It was so hard and fast that it would have flattened most men—most normal human men. But he didn’t feint first or do a good job disguising it, and Duncan reacted with the speed of a lightning strike. He caught the fist, halting it in midair, then slid his hand down to clasp Rocco’s wrist. Duncan spun Rocco as he hefted him off the porch, then jammed him face-first against the log siding of the cabin.

Snarling, Rocco threw an elbow back, trying to catch Duncan in the chest. But Duncan evaded it, then used his bodyweight to pin Rocco against the wall.

I watched the rest of the pack, ready to jump in if others joined the confrontation, but nobody else stepped forward. If anything, they snorted or rolled their eyes. Hopefully, they felt, as I did, that Duncan had already proven he wasn’t to be trifled with. Oh, if he threatened the pack or tried to kill Rocco, the others would spring in. Thiswasthe pack’s territory, after all, but they weren’t as foolish as this young pup.

“You’re an idiot, Rocco,” Jasmine whispered as he struggled ineffectively to escape. “If you want to pick someone to be a role model, don’t let it be Augustus.”

Rocco spat in her direction.

Duncan ground his face into the logs. “My ambitious young chap, aren’t you done being disrespectful yet?”

“Screw you.”

“A desire for that is behind your infantile display? Alas, you didn’t end up in the right position to enact such a gesture.”

Again, Rocco tried to free himself. His face was beet red, and his muscles strained against his shirt, but he couldn’t escape. Finally, he slumped.

“Are we done?” Duncan asked.

Rocco didn’t concede that, but he remained slumped, his body language full of defeat.

Duncan released him and stepped back. Not looking at him, Rocco straightened his shirt and slunk down the steps. He did glare over his shoulder atmebefore walking around the corner. I sighed, fearing I would yet regret bringing Duncan along. The pack was probably extra irritated after having intruders in here, shooting silver bullets at everyone.

Reminded of the injured, I raised a hand toward Duncan and stepped inside. As weary as Mom had looked in the driveway, I expected to find her in bed or collapsed in the easy chair in the two-room cabin’s living area. But chanting and the scents of essential oils wafted from the bedroom. Through the open door, Emilio was visible in bed, his shirt off and bandages wrapped around his torso. A woman with a strong aura of healing power attended him. A tray with medical implements rested on the bedside table, a bloody lump that had been extracted lying in the middle. The silver bullet that had struck Emilio?

“Come sit with me, my daughter,” Mom said from one of the hard wooden chairs at the small dining table.

The rest of the pack remained outside, and Lorenzo shut the door.

“Okay.” But I first held up a finger, removed a salami from the gift box, and eased into the bedroom. Careful not to disturb the healer, whose eyes were closed as she chanted with her hand on Emilio’s chest, I laid the salami next to the tray.

Emilio’s eyes were also closed, but his nostrils twitched several times. The salami was wrapped in plastic, but that didn’t mean no odor escaped. Without opening his eyes, Emilio flopped an arm onto the table. He patted about, found the salami, and grasped it, then brought it over to lay upon his chest, both hands over it, a contented smile stretching across his young face.

Since his eyes hadn’t opened, he might have done all that in his sleep, but I murmured, “You’re welcome,” on the way out.

“You seek to regain the allegiance of the pack through meat bribes?” Mom asked as I joined her at the table.

We had a view through a window into the woods behind the cabin, and I glimpsed Duncan out there, sniffing and gazing at the pine-needle-strewn ground.

“Regain? I don’t think I ever had the allegiance of the pack.” I hadn’t even been twenty yet when I’d left. Who felt allegiance toward teenagers? “I’ll be happy to give gifts to keep them from attacking me though.” And Duncan, I thought but didn’t say, doubting she approved of me bringing him up here any more than the others did.

---