Page 76 of Wolf Cursed
Shoving aside my feelings, I focused on Oscar again.
“Okay, so what about another of the pack from that time? Doesn’t anyone know more about how this whole counterbalance or curse breaking thing works?”
“There aren’t many of us left,” he said. “Me, Teddy, and Warner—the twins’ father—are about the only ones left from the inner circle. The ones who attended the meeting that day,” he explained. “And now you know everything we know.”
“What happened to everyone else?”
“Moved away mostly. When the alpha bond couldn’t be remade, most left to find another pack they could tether to. Didn’t want their kids and wives left exposed to the more baser instincts of our nature.”
“Why doesn’t everyone leave?” I asked. “Do the same thing?”
He shrugged. “For me, this is home. And I’ve managed to tame my beast enough to keep it controlled. Some of the younger ones come here, looking for a pack like ours. They’ve been kicked out of their own clans or abandoned—everyone has their reasons.”
“So this became a sort of pack of misfits then.” I couldn’t help relating a bit to that.
“That doesn’t make us all the same, Ash.” He gave me a warning look. “Don’t forget that a lot of them, Silas included, came here because there was no one to make them fall in line. They like that.”
“You’re saying some of them don’t want the curse to be broken.”
“I’m saying you need to watch your back, especially until we can figure out more about this. And about how to call your wolf up.”
“That’s fair.” I sighed. “What I don’t understand is why the hexerei haven’t offered to reverse the spell. I thought you said you were in peace talks back when this all happened.”
“The hexerei claim not to understand the magic used.”
“You look unconvinced.”
“All I know is the hexerei leaders ran off that day and have only caused problems since. They send spies to watch us. Spooks to infiltrate. But they refuse to communicate directly.”
“What about the guy they found today? Can’t they try talking to him?”
“They’ll try,” he said wryly, “Believe me. But it’s never worked before, and I doubt it will now. Every one of them is either trained to withstand our methods, or they’re magically bound to keep from talking. They’re keeping something from us; we just don’t know what.”
“No wonder you see them as the enemy,” I said.
“Look, Ash, you’ve stepped into the middle of a giant shitstorm. I need you to know I’ve got your back, no matter what happens, but we have to play this very carefully.”
My heart warmed at his words. Danger aside, I felt a rush of gratitude for Oscar. It had been a very long time since I felt like it wasn’t me against the world. At least, now it was me and Oscar. And the twins.
“Should I worry about Kai?” I asked. “Will he tell anyone about my mark?”
His expression clouded with something I couldn’t read. But he shook his head. “Nah. He won’t say anything.”
“How do you know?”
“Kai’s wolf likes you,” he said simply.
I looked at him in surprise. And even though Kai had been an ass earlier, my heart fluttered at that.
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve known Kai his whole life, kid. Besides, I smelled it on him that night you saw him shift. Trust me, my beast is never wrong when it comes to scent.” His lips quirked toward something like a smile.
“Well, maybe Kai’s wolf and Kai should have a chat. Because Kai, the human, hates me.”
Oscar snorted. “If he hated you, you’d already be gone.”
I wasn’t sure Oscar knew what he was talking about, but I was too worn out to argue it.
