Page 7 of Wicked Witch of the Wolf

“Not sure your alpha would see it that way.”

“Probably not.” Felicia’s gaze settled on her tightly knotted hands. “Are you going to report me to the pack, Betty?”

“No.” I sighed, tired in body and soul. “I believe you when you said you didn’t intend to harm the mayor.”

“Thank you. I don’t deserve your trust, but I’m grateful for it. I’m an old fool.”

“In more ways than one,” Ida said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Felicia scowled.

“What Ida is saying, albeit rudely, is Alpha Pallás was using you. He’d never have handed over the mayor position. He was planning to cut you out the second you turned Smokethorn over to him.”

I looked from her to my purse on the floorboard. Sighed again. “I’m going to show you something, but I need you to make a binding promise to me that you won’t tell anyone.”

“You sure about this, Betty?” Ida peered at me in the rearview mirror. “That’s part of your leverage against him. Part of what keeps you safe.”

“She deserves to know the truth.”

“Is this about Alpha Pallás?” Felicia asked.

“Yes.”

“I’ll make that promise.” She stuck out her hand, and I grasped it.

“You agree not to tell or hint to a single soul what I’m about to reveal to you. Not friends, not family, not even Mayor Derecho.”

“I agree and give you my word.”

A second of sizzling pain burned our palms, but we held tight until the agreement was sealed in magic. Then I pulled my cell phone from my bag, downloaded a video from my cloud service, and played it for her.

The video focused on a fixed object on the wall, a portrait of a wolf, in the alpha leader’s office rather than his face, but his distinctive gravelly voice could be heard clearly.

“The rats are fools. Always have been. Trusting fools.”

Floyd went on to detail his plan to manipulate the county rat packs into handing over control of their people to him. He explained how it involved the La Paloma and Smokethorn mayoral races. He mentioned Felicia by name several times.

“The perfect mark. She’s moneygrubbing, trusting, and too stupid to see how powerless she is. Typical rat.”And then he laughed.

“That son-of-a-bastard.” The ex-mayor’s voice lowered until it was little more than a growl. “That Machiavellian, shameless, backstabbingliar. I’ll show that traitor who’s powerless.”

Ida glanced at her in the rearview mirror, and Fennel poked his head over the seat. I was already watching her, waiting for the fit of rage that was sure to follow.

But Felicia Juarez did not rage. Instead, she got even quieter.

“Just you wait, wolf.”

Chapter

Two

Ida sat across from me at the mosaic-topped kitchen table in my mom’s cottage. We’d both needed another cup of coffee after leaving the mayor’s house. It was seven a.m. and we’d been up since sunrise.

The jade plant my mom had gifted me took center stage on the table. Cecil had planted it in a colorful Talavera pot after saving a cutting from my trailer fire. Beside it was the damaged jarrito mug Señora Cervantes had found in the ashes. I’d glued it together and filled it with sugar packets.

“So what happens if Mayor Rat spills her guts to someone?”

“The wordliarappears in angry red letters on her face.”

---