Page 46 of Wolf's Witch

“Good. If you hurry, there might still be a donut left downstairs.”

He gave me a jab in the side with his elbow. “You should’ve led with the donuts.”

I chuckled and followed him back downstairs. “I’ll catch up with you soon.”

Wes and Wyatt were talking with two of our farm hands by the fireplace, and Reason and Ranger were in the kitchen filling their insulated tumblers with coffee. Lobster season would start soon, and they’d be out on their boat, but they helped us with planting crops during their off-season.

I went into my bedroom and changed clothes. When things quieted down in the house, I stepped out and checked to make sure I was alone. Phone calls with werewolves close by were never private unless the others were outside.

Satisfied the others were out working the farm, I dipped back into my room and closed the door before opening my contacts to call General Sloan.

“Sloan here.” His answer was clipped as if he were still in the military.

“Hey, it’s Zeke from the Salem Pack. Do you have a few minutes?”

“Sure.” He paused and added, “Rayne is here, too. She’s my mate. I trust her.”

Werewolf code to let me know someone else was going to overhear everything I said. “Okay. Things are changing up here. Have you talked to Mathias?”

“Not recently,” Sloan replied.

I sighed. “The hunters are still out there. Mathias caught his leg in a bear trap during the full moon.”

“Shit. Is he all right?”

I sat on the edge of my bed. “Yeah. But he’s decided to step down and make me the Alpha.”

“Wow. When?”

“New moon. But that’s not why I’m calling.”

He cleared his throat. “Okay. What’s going on?”

“There’s a private eye sneaking around Salem. He was following one of the witches from the Coven of Light. He said he was hired to find her by a Boston law firm, Hinterland and Bloodstone. Have you heard of them?”

“Damn.” General Sloan sucked in an audible breath. That couldn’t be good. I gripped my phone a little tighter. “I haven’t heard that name in thirty years. Or more.”

“Do you know why they’d be interested in a witch? Do they even know supernatural races exist?”

Sloan sighed. “Oh, they know. They have some working inside the firm. Ancients.”

“What?” My eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. The firm has been around for…centuries.” He paused. “They’re not evil, per se. No more so than any other law firm anyway. But they seem to enjoy stirring the pot. Sometimes that benefits werewolves, and sometimes it puts us in danger. I’d say if they sent a PI to find one of the witches in Salem, it’s probably not for anything good.”

Dammit. I pulled my hair back from my forehead. “She wiped the guy’s memory so he wasn’t carrying any information back about her, but sounds like it’s safe to assume they won’t stop trying to locate her.”

“That’s a good assumption.”

“There’s one other thing, too.” My heart was currently running the Kentucky Derby, but Sloan wouldn’t be able to hear it over the phone. “Mathias told me you stay in touch with wolf packs all over the country.”

“I try. Why?”

“I’m wondering if you’ve come across any pack that’s converted a witch before.”

Once the words were out, I couldn’t put the lobster back in the pot. I held my breath.

“That’s an interesting question. You aren’t planning to have the coven bitten once you’re the Alpha, are you?”

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