Page 61 of Triumph of the Wolf
After taking care of biological needs and turning on the espresso maker to warm up, I grabbed ham out of the fridge and a bar of the caramel-truffled chocolate. So armed, I took a roundabout way to the woods, using one of the back apartment buildings to hide my approach. Lykos would sense me as easily as Duncan would, but maybe he’d be distracted by observing his prey and wouldn’t have time to run off.
Taking a side trail, I veered into the woods and tried to sneak up behind Lykos. Not surprisingly, he sensed me and, soon after coming into my view, turned away from the kids to look at me.
His brown hair hung in his eyes, he wore torn, dirt-stained clothing, and he didn’t have any shoes. My heart ached for him. I knew Abrams had been a shitty guardian, but things must have gotten worse lately. The memory of the scars on Duncan’s wrists always haunted me, a testament to how Abrams had treated him in his youth.
“Hey, Lykos.” I forced a smile and offered a friendly wave, rustling the bag of deli ham.
If he’d been a dog, familiar with the ways of humans and kitchen items, Lykos would have known to come running at the sound. His head cocked with curiosity, but he also lowered into a crouch, ready to spring off to run in any direction.
I stopped several steps away so I wouldn’t appear threatening. “Do you want something to eat? Or did you come to see Duncan? I know he enjoyed teaching you about magnets. Have you gone fishing with him yet?”
Duncan had said Lykos could speak, but he’d yet to say anything to me, and he didn’t respond to my burbling now. Instead, he looked toward the parking lot where Duncan and Bolin were gesturing near the open door of the van. He also glanced at the boys again, though they were heading toward a rack where their bicycles were chained, probably on their way out.
I didn’t know where my family had gone but was glad they weren’t loitering here. Maybe they were on the trail of the missing werewolves? Jasmine, at least, they knew well. But she’d been taken in a van, so I questioned if the pack would be able to track her. If it were easy to trail someone in an automobile, Duncan or I could have done it ourselves.
The wistful gaze on Lykos’s face as he watched the group of children made me realize he hadn’t been contemplatinghurtingthem, the first thought that had come to my mind.
“Those kids all live here,” I told Lykos. “If you lived with… Duncan, you could play with them.” I’d almost saidlived with us, but it wasn’t as if Duncan and I had moved in together. Unfortunately, I still had no idea where I would be living in the future. “One problem at a time,” I murmured.
Lykos met my gaze again. “I must kill him to take his place as the chosen wolf.”
His tone was quiet and earnest. I couldn’t tell from his eyes if he wanted to do that or didn’t like the idea of it.
“Is that what Abrams said?” I asked. “He’s an asshole and a liar.”
“You killed Radomir.”
“He was an asshole too.”
“Is that ham?”
“Yeah, black forest. It’s delicious.” I waved the baggy again. “Do you want me to leave some?”
“You keep bringing food, as if you think I’m a hound that can be won over with treats.”
I might have been comparing him to a dog scant moments before, but I refused to feel embarrassed. “Yeah, it’s how I won over Duncan, so I figured I’d try it. You’re mini Duncan, after all.”
Lykos squinted suspiciously at me. “You earned his loyalty with ham?”
“Ham and chocolate. And bacon, though I guess that’s similar to ham.”
“That’s it?”
“He likes my boobs too.” Okay, that wasn’t the most age-appropriate topic to bring up with a kid, but Lykos had thesoulful eyes of someone who’d never had a childhood and wouldn’t be fazed by anything adults discussed.
“He is your mate.”
As of last night, I could finally say, “Yes, he is.”
“Then you will say anything to keep me from killing him.”
“I guess I would, but I’m not that concerned about you being able to pull that off. Not for some years anyway. He’s full-grown and pretty badass.”
Did Lykos look offended? The young never liked being told they were just kids. Maybe I’d done better with him before he’d started talking.
“He is powerful,” Lykos said. “I will be too one day.”
“Definitely. And you don’t need to be thechosen wolffor that. Abrams is telling you stupid shit to manipulate you.”
