Chapter Forty-Two

June

Ferdinand brought three items with him the next night with notes about precisely where to place them attached. Dom didn't look phased, but I was less sure of the items in question when I saw them.

A cracked porcelain chicken needed to be buried in Linda's neighbor's vegetable garden, dangerously close to their front door. A bumper sticker for some radio station in Ohio was to be placed as precisely in the middle of the basement of the pack house as possible, and a knife that had very obviously and recently had blood on it needed to sit on or under the general store's porch.

"I'm impressed he really did spell the smell away," Dom said, holding up the knife by the cleanest parts of the handle.

"I don't think I want to know anything about dark magic," I mumbled, looking at the cracked chicken.

"Do you two think you can have this done tonight?" Jerod asked. "As much as I want to say I'm powerful enough to snatch Ferdie out of harm's way if he gets caught scratching at people's doors, I'd rather not risk it."

Dom said, "We can, but the hardest part will be the pack house."

"I'll do that one," I said. "I can do it early in the morning. I'll meet up with Alice and walk in with her before she makes breakfast."

Dom frowned. "I don't like you going in there."

"If we get caught snooping in the pack house, which of us do you think is in for a lot less trouble than the other?" I asked.

Dom grumbled, but he didn't argue. It was painfully obvious that Evander and Dom disliked each other, and that Evander had taken a liking to me. Or at least, he was nice if not suspicious when he'd invited me to dinner.

"I'll send Ferdie back tomorrow night," Jerod said. "Let me know if everything is in place, and I'll activate my spell."

And Ferdinand waddled off.

Dom and I watched him go. Then Dom growled and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll let you take the bumper sticker if I can take the other two. Go on in and get some sleep, you've got to get up early if you want to meet Alice and make it look natural."

"All right." I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Will you be back before I leave?"

Dom shrugged. "I should be, but if I do this fast enough I might try to sneak out and see if we have a follow-up note from Nathan. I hope we hear back from Salt Fur. I'll see you after you slip that in the pack house," Dom said. "Get some sleep. It's going to take me a bit to watch and make sure the old man running the general store is sleeping. Unless he's found a solution to an old problem, he's a habitual insomniac."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then." I slipped back into the house as Dom shifted forms and prowled off in the other direction.

Warm light woke me up. I opened my eyes enough to confirm that it was barely sunrise, or maybe even just before. Stretching my arms out beside me where I would normally run into a big warm wall of muscles and morning lust, it was . . . actually a bit refreshing for once. I smiled, knowing I'd miss him if this happened more, though.

Dom, you there? I asked, my wolf and I reaching out as far as we could.

Yeah, looking for a note , he said. The signal was very weak, he must be all the way to the borders by now.

Okay, see you later.

Tossing my covers aside, I jumped out of bed and into the shower. A quick wash, combing my hair with my fingers and hoping for the best, I slipped on something easy to wear. Sneakers on, I put the bumper sticker in my back pocket and hurried out the door.

A grin spread across my face as I stretched and began an easy jog. I could loop the village a few times and watch for Alice as well as enjoy my newly regained hobby. The memory of my accident was still vivid, but I'd been forced to acknowledge that my new body wouldn't let me down as easily as it had when I was just a human.

The sound of my shoes crunching on gravel became a welcome beat for me to jog to. It would only last as long as I stayed on the main road, but I could enjoy it as long as it lasted.

The sun came fully up, and a few sleepy wolves began their day. Even though we were now all confined to the village, people still wanted to get outside. Gardens to tend, animals to feed, eggs to collect. The everyday actions that kept the Moonpeak wolves from needing to rely on the outside world.

My running finally took me past the road I knew Alice lived on, and I was excited to see her door swinging open.

"Good morning, Alice." I waved. "Off to cook?"

Alice beamed at me, holding up a basket on her arm that appeared to have bell peppers from her garden in it. "I am! And to do a bit of dusting."

"Mind if I join you? I need a good walk to cool down from my run," I said.

"Of course!" Alice said. "Come on, dear, you can help me peel potatoes."

"Sure." I waited for Alice to get closer to me at her own pace. I stretched, pretending I had come a lot farther than I actually had. As she neared, I fell into step with her.

"So, how has it been just cooking for the alpha and not Naomi?" I asked. "Is it easier?"

"Oh, I can't seem to drop the habit," Alice said. "I've been cooking the same amount anyway and storing the leftovers in the fridge."

"Old habits die hard, I guess."

"Well, they aren't going to waste, anyway," Alice said. "At least there's that."

"What do you mean?"

"I put the leftovers in the fridge, but Evander must be eating them because I find the empty dishes in the sink the next day anyway." Alice shrugged. "Then again, he's a big wolf. He must be hungry with all the extra patrols he runs now to take care of the . . ."

Alice looked around, then cupped her hand to her mouth to whisper. "Rogue problem.

"So, anyway, it works out just the same," Alice continued. "Haven't seen much of Alpha lately, usually I'm done and gone before he gets back from the morning patrol, so I leave his breakfast on the table."

"Oh wow," I mused, glad for the trove of information Alice was giving me so freely. "He must be busy."

"Quite right," she agreed. "He is. And here we go, the pack house! Come on in, June. Have you had breakfast yet? I can make you a plate while I'm at it."

In the kitchen, Alice got to work pulling out vegetables and washing them while I peeled the potatoes. Once everything was cleaned, peeled, diced, and in the skillet for a scramble, I saw my opportunity to slip away.

"Alice, I'm going to find a bathroom real quick," I said.

She was busy with the cooking food as she cracked eggs into the pan. "All right, dear. Just down the hall, the door is marked, you can't miss it."

"Thanks." I left the kitchen, grabbing the bumper sticker from my back pocket and looking for a door that could lead to the basement.

I passed the door with a bathroom sign and a few more before I found a hallway with a door at the end. The sign on it read authorized pack business only in bold letters. My instincts told me it was the one I was looking for.

Sure enough, the door was locked. But it was one of those old pinhole doors that could be opened without the key if you had a little metal piece to stick in it. Looking around the door frame, I didn't see one, but I did realize that other doors might have what I was looking for.

Back around the corner, I found what I needed on top of the bathroom door frame.

"Bingo." I slipped it inside the tiny hole on the door handle, the faint clicking inside allowing me to turn the doorknob.

The door swung open, and I looked for a light switch by the stairs. Not finding one immediately, I relied on my wolfish eyes to adapt to the darkness.

At the bottom, I could just make out a few hard shapes—tables and shelves—to avoid. I walked to the middle-ish of the room and dropped to the ground level.

I smiled when my fingers brushed the corner of a rug. Easy, hide the bumper sticker underneath it, and even if Evander came down here, he wouldn't spot it. Jerod was smart to spell its scent away, now I would just have to slip back upstairs, eat my breakfast, and make a casual getaway.

I turned in the dark and carefully made my way back to the stairs I had come from. That was when I heard a sneeze.

My head jerked up and I looked around. Someone else was in the dark basement.

My pause ended up costing me because the lights flickered to life as I was standing in the middle of the room. No cover, nowhere to hide. My eyes darted around, looking for whoever had turned the lights on as there were too many strange scents in the air to pinpoint anything. But instead of finding the source, I stared in horror at the masses of magic paraphernalia spread around me.

Knives, candles, and books written in the strange letters Jerod used. Pictures, markings on the walls and floor, and at the far end of the basement was one giant barred cage. Big enough for a wolf to run just a few paces and then turn around to run back. The floor was well worn, and on the floor in a blanket a figure was lying down. The one who must have sneezed.

"Oh Juniper." The voice from behind me gave me the chills. "When something triggered the alarm at my private door, I had hoped it was simply a mouse."

I spun on my heels, eyes wide as I took in Alpha Evander leaning against the wall next to a light switch.

My heart hammered in my chest.

Dom! I cried.

Nothing.

"Trying to mind link?" Evander asked. "Not in this room."

He walked a few steps to run his fingers over some of the strange markings on the walls. Then he took a lighter from his pocket and picked up a candle from one of the shelves, lighting it as he spoke. "I've already taken that into consideration, I'm afraid."

"What is this room?" I asked, my eyes locked on the candle.

"It's just a basement, June," Evander said. "Where important pack business is conducted."

"What kind of pack business requires magic?" I asked. The smoke from the candle hit my nose, irritating my senses and making my thoughts foggy. I shook my head to snap out of it.

"I use whatever tools I can to keep the pack in order," Evander said. "You can understand that desire, can't you, June?"

His voice was so soothing now. Yeah, I guess an alpha does just want order in the pack.

"Yeah . . . order . . ." I murmured.

"You shouldn't have come down here, should you?" Evander asked softly. "You saw the signs, didn't you?"

"Signs . . ." I remembered them, they clearly stated that I didn't belong here. "I saw them."

Evander looked at me like Grandad when I brought home a bad report card. "What am I going to do with you? Snooping in the pack house of all places. These are dangerous times, you know. All these rogues running about."

"Rogues . . . right," I agreed.

"I can't very well let you go free to spill my secrets, now can I?" Evander asked a question but it was more like he was thinking out loud than actually talking to me.

The smell of the candle was so odd. I could nearly sense something familiar about it, but every time I came close the thought drifted away.

"Why don't you rest here for a while, June?"

"Rest here?" I shook my head. "No, I need to . . . I need to do something."

Something. What was it? Tell someone something? Hmm.

"No, no," Evander said, coming closer and putting my senses on alert. "I must insist."

I froze, hands out, and ready to run on instinct if I had to.

But Evander got to me first. He was definitely an alpha, his speed and strength were every bit of what Dom's were. If only my head wasn't so fuzzy, I could have dodged him but . . .

His hands wrapped around my head, palms on my temples as he whispered something under his breath.

Everything dimmed.

"Have a rest, June," Evander said. "We'll have a talk when you wake up."

And then everything went black.