Alpha Omega 02 - Hunting Ground
full of instincts and desires but no true thoughts.â
He looked at her pale hand on the green silk shirt he wore. âI am not my grandfather, to look into the heart of man,â he told her. âI donât know that what Iâve told you is truth. It is just what Iâve seen and felt.
âBrother Wolf and I reached a different compromise. In situations where I am better able, he allows me full controlâand I extend him the same courtesy.â
âTwo souls,â she said.
âNo,â he shook his head. âOne soul, one man, two spirits. We are one, Brother Wolf and I. Inseparable. If he died, so would I.â
âHave I crippled my wolf?â
He rolled on his side, drawn closer to her by her concern. âIt isnât something to be mourned. It is simply survival. But if it helps, I think you and your wolf have reached a different compromise altogether.â He smiled. âI think thatâs why Brother Wolf chose you in the first placeâbefore weâd had much more than a chance to say hello. We balance, you know. You to me, your wolf to mine. Sheâs shy unless you are threatened, but sheâs all there.â
Anna closed her hand on his arm. âOkay. I can deal with that better than the alternatives.â
âDo you need any more words between us?â he asked, her touch making his voice go husky.
FOUR
BEFORE she could answer, his cell phone rang. It wasnât his daâs ringâand if theyâd been home, heâd have let the answering machine pick up. But this wasnât home. He was here to do a job, and that meant answering phone calls at inconvenient times. So he snagged his coat off the floor and took his cell out of the pocket.
âCharles,â he said.
He was answered by a stream of southern French that flowed by so fast he caught one word in four. But that was enough.
âIâm coming,â he said, and hung up while the other wolf was still speaking.
âDid you catch that?â he asked pulling on his boots.
Anna shoved her feet in her shoes. âI donât speak French.â
âThe Spanish wolves were eating at the restaurant that Jean Chastel decided to bring his wolves to. Matters are escalatingâand to add to the fun, the British Alpha is there, too.â
âWho called you?â
âMichel, one of the other French Alphasâwhoâll be punished if Jean ever figures it out. I gather our informant called from the menâs room. Hopefully, heâll take proper precautions to protect himself.â He jerked on his coat. âSeattle is a big city. Hard to fathom that three factions of werewolves ended up in the same restaurant at the same time. If I find out someone planned this, heads will roll.â
âIf the restaurant is Bubbaâs Basement Barbeque, it might be an accident,â Anna said, pulling on her own coat. âI had at least five pack membersâincluding your father and Asilâtell me to make you take me there. Itâs apparently famous for its endless, endlessly good ribs. Asil told me heâd never been, but its reputation was good enough that it had spread all the way to the packs in Europe.â
Charles looked at her thoughtfully. âPeople talk to you,â he said. âThat could be useful.â
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APPARENTLY, they were going to jog to the restaurant. Anna was glad of her tennis shoes on the wet and steep hill they charged down.
Charles, cat-footed as he was, slipped and slithered in the pouring rain. His cowboy boots were slick-bottomed, though she didnât think it really slowed him down much. They both ran quietly, but she could feel the attention they were drawing. In the city, people pay attention when you run because it makes you either predator or prey.
It concerned her for a moment, but risk assessment was something sheâd have to leave to Charles. She didnât know the wolves involvedâor how far they were from the restaurant, exactly. He kept their speed to easily within human limits, so he was giving some consideration to the attention they were gathering.
She liked running with him. Without him, something inside her always worried that she would become the prey. She couldnât imagine Charles being anyoneâs prey.
After a few blocks, he slowed to a brisk walk, and they turned onto a level street paralleling the Sound. Like Lake Michigan in her native Chicago, the water had a
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