Alpha Omega 02 - Hunting Ground

that he chose to stay with them.”
    Charles was watching the interest in Anna’s face. Yes, he thought, you aren’t alone. He should have thought of it himself. He’d see to it she met the young German Omega.
    â€œMaybe that’s it,” said Moira thoughtfully. “Everyone in the pack has been talking about it—sorry, Anna. But most of them were more interested in you than in all the strange wolves coming in. Maybe it’s someone who wants an Omega.”
    â€œI met someone like that once,” said Anna coolly. “Make sure you warn the Italians.”
    â€œYes,” said Angus, with a little amused glance at Charles as Anna gave him another order.
    â€œDon’t forget you have a dinner to get ready for,” said Moira.
    Charles looked at the witch, and he wasn’t the only one. She smiled at them all. “We don’t know exactly what they were trying to do. Probably they were trying to kidnap Anna. But there is a lesser chance that they didn’t want you to get better acquainted with Arthur of Great Britain.”
    â€œBesides,” said Angus, “why give them the power to change your plans when no permanent harm was done?”
    Yes, Charles realized. That was logic he could wrap his head around. He had no desire to go out and do the social thing at the best of times—and this attack made him want to take his mate and barricade her in where she was safe.
    â€œI’ll go get another room,” he said. “Tom and Moira can stay here until he’s healed—and order room service.”
    â€œI’ll stay here, too,” said Angus. “Until Tom’s up to taking care of himself.”
    Charles looked at the Alpha and realized that he wasn’t the only one feeling protective. “Good,” he told them, and left to do as he’d said.
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    A collective sigh of relief went through the room when Charles left, but no one said anything until the elevator ding was heard faintly through the walls.
    Anna knew Charles had that effect on people—but she hadn’t seen or felt any trouble tonight. Except for the pointing-finger thing.
    â€œWell,” said Angus, and Tom whined. “There’s a reason Bran uses him to scare the bejeebers out of miscreants. I think we all saw it tonight.”
    â€œSaw what?” asked Moira.
    â€œExactly,” said Alan Choo, who was repacking the bag he’d brought with him. “Angus pointed—and I didn’t even see him move. He just was . Standing between his mate and Angus.” And then he lapsed into Chinese for a few sentences.
    Anna found she didn’t like their being afraid of Charles. It hurt him, though he accepted it from everyone. Even if it was safer for him, it wasn’t good.
    Angus shook his head. “Did you see the faces on some of the wolves when he talked to them today? I suspect they didn’t even know he could talk—let alone make so much sense when he did. It was as if a shark started speaking the King’s English.”
    Tom raised his head and looked at Angus, and Alan broke off his Chinese muttering to stare at his Alpha.
    â€œ Queen’s English,” said Anna with more sharpness than she meant to allow. “And there’s nothing wrong with Charles.”
    â€œBefore God there’s not,” agreed Angus. “I thought to myself—well look at that, he’s conducting a meeting just like everyone else. Maybe the other rumors were exaggerated about him, too. And they weren’t. Not a bit of it. I don’t ever want to face that man fang and claw.”
    â€œIf you don’t shut up,” Anna bit out, “you might not ever have to worry about it.”
    And Angus sat back in his chair and smiled at her with satisfaction. “Well, now,” he said in an entirely different voice. “Maybe I won’t.”
    She’d missed it, she realized looking at Tom and Alan Choo. She’d mistaken Tom’s astonishment for agreement. Angus had been playing her.
    â€œWhy the test?” she asked.
    Angus shrugged. “I’ve known Charles a long time. I saw him turn from a quiet boy into the weapon his father needed—that we needed. Just because I understood the need, it didn’t mean I couldn’t regret. I just wanted to make sure that you were able to see below the killer to the man beneath.”
    â€œSo you set him off on purpose?”
    Angus’s