Page 33 of Relics of the Wolf

“I’m not sure that’s what happened with him. He said he’s never had a pack.”

“Hesaid. Didyounot say that he lied to you? That he worked against you for the sake of your former mate?”

“Yeah. Like I said, I don’t trust him, Mom, but he knows about finding things. That’s the only reason I reached out to him.”

“If you work with him, you might help him in finding your artifact, only to have him disappear with themboth.”

“I won’t let that happen, Mom. I’m strong, remember?” I said it half-jokingly, or at least self-deprecatingly, since I’d felt like a punching bag for life of late.

She was raising a good point. I should put together a plan, a way to make sure I could get the best of Duncan if hedidturn on me. I didn’t want to believe he would, but…

“You are strong, but he is dangerous.”

“I know. I’ve seen him fight.”

“I have not sensed a werewolf that exuded such power before. Even your father was not that strong, and he was an alpha through and through, one who few dared challenge.”

“I’ll be wary of Duncan,” I assured her, then stood up, feeling the press of time in the weariness on Mom’s face.

If I wanted to return the medallion before she grew too ill to appreciate it… Well, I might not have that long.

Before leaving, I withdrew a salami log from the box and laid it on the table for her. Salty preserved meat probably wasn’t the ideal food for someone dying, but I also rested a bar of dark chocolate on it. Surely,thatwould help. It could only improve her mood.

Indeed, her eyes seemed to brighten a touch as she watched.

“I’ll get your medallion back for you, Mom. I promise.”

10

Twilight was creepinginto the woods, and most of the family had dispersed by the time I stepped out of the cabin. A few remained on the porch, arms folded across their chests as they gazed into the woods toward the road. Was that the direction Duncan had gone? I suspected they were keeping an eye on him—or at least making sure he didn’t return and represent a further threat. I didn’t see any of my cousins.

I trotted into the woods, thought I caught a hint of Duncan’s scent, and headed onto paths that wove between the trees. A faint beeping soon reached my ears. His magic detector.

Following the noise, I spotted his outline near an ancient fir a dozen yards from the road. His fingers rested on the mossy bark, as if he were communing with the tree, while the metal detector in his other hand beeped cheerfully.

As I approached, I tried to see and sense him as my mother and the various other people who’d called him dangerous had. When he’d first appeared in the greenbelt by my apartment complex, whistling and wielding his metal detector, my senses had been dulled by the lingering effects of my last potion. Even then, I’d gotten a hint of the feral power about him. I’d known right away he was a werewolf. But was hemorethan that? And, if so, what more?

Since I hadn’t taken a dose of the potion at the last full moon, my magic—and my senses—had returned to me. Icouldnotice his power, like the sun radiating energy. I’d gotten used to it, and his affable smile always seemed to say he was the opposite of dangerous, but when I attempted to assess him through fresh eyes, I could see what others saw. He seemed pure werewolf to me—not like those guys taking the strength-enhancing potion—but, as Mom had said, he was an especially strong werewolf.

“Hey, Luna.” Unaware of my scrutiny, Duncan waved for me to come over.

“I take it your device isn’t beeping due to the proximity of werewolves.”

“Nope. I’ve programmed it not to register those right now.They’reall over the place here.”

“I did warn you about that.”

“You did.” Duncan lowered his voice to add, “One of your cousins is watching from the other side of the road, about fifty yards that way.” He twitched a finger but didn’t look in that direction, instead continuing to consider the tree. “He’s in hiding, but I know he’s there, so you might want to be careful what you say.”

“I doubt he’s working for the other side,” I replied, but I did speak softly. It sounded like Mom hadn’t admitted to many others yet that she’d lost the medallion. I intended to get it back before the rest of the family found out. “He probably wants to see if an opportunity comes up to kick your ass.”

“I have no doubt aboutthat.” Duncan turned off the magic detector to stop the beeps and opened a tool kit he’d also brought. He pulled out pliers, then poked them into a hole in the moss and bark.

Abullethole, I realized. He’d already used a knife or other sharp tool to cut some of the bark away, and he used the pliers to extract the projectile.

“It’s silver but notonlysilver.” Duncan held it up, the bullet smashed flat from striking the tree. “Whatever metallurgist made it imbued it with additional magic. Your pack is lucky nobody died.” He looked at me. “Is that right? Is the kid you mentioned going to make it?”

“Emilio, and I heard it was bad, but he smiled and grabbed a salami in his sleep, so that seemed promising for his health.”

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