“Interesting things.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve never met a runt, or rather as I prefer to call, a preemie that survived the change.” He gestured for her to sit.
Preemie? Somehow it sounded less insulting and very true. Her mother gave birth to her weeks before the due date. “So being born a runt makes me interesting?”
“That and the fact you pass so easily as human.”
“Umm. Thanks.” I think.
“I’m pretty good as passing as human, for a beta that is.” He shrugged. “My nephew, Gunner on the other hand sucks at it. He’s an alpha, but dreams of being a warden.” He scoffed. “Beats me why.” He sat, facing her and frowned. “Anyway, you didn’t come here for idle chitchat.” He pushed a button and a walled computer screen flickered on, displaying photos of the missing werewolves, including the German alpha, Raulf and his murdered shrink, Dr. Ivo Strom.
Cricket furrowed her brow. “Allen, Erik and Randi. All males in their twenties, except for the older shrink.”
“The warden in Europe is checking up on all the lone lycans, and we are going down our list. So far all are accounted for.”
“Yet. If anyone is kidnapping or murdering werewolves, odds are they are easing back. They must know we’re on high alert.” Even Cody was under suspicion and warranted continued surveillance. He'd been the last werewolf to see all three missing werewolves. So far, he turned out clean and as the warden for the last thirty years with no problems, nobody questioned his loyalty.
“No kidding.”
“I’ll ask Rylee if I can return to where they were last seen.”
“It’s worth a try. I’ll show you.” He switched to the next slide that showed a flow chart of the last known locations. “One in Santa Cruz, one in Colorado and one in Vermont. Team Greywolf came up empty.”
Cricket furrowed her brow. “There’s a pattern.”
“Yes, by time zone.”
“And all higher status. Alpha or beta. Then again, very few omegas leave their pack.” Rarely allowed.
“You did, but then again not as a lone wolf.”
Not exactly by choice. “Did the three ever communicate with one another?”
“No. Hell, I was the only lycan they ever talked to. Randi, the beta who abandoned his pack almost refused to meet with me, but the threat of having to meet with the enforcer changed his mind.”
“Let’s start with Randi.” She took out her pen recorder. “Randi, beta, last known location, Santa Cruz, California.” Most unusual for a werewolf to frequent a popular resort area. Turning wolf in a populated area risked discovery. The other two missing werewolves lived in private wooded areas, one in Durango, Colorado and the othe
r near a ski resort in Vermont.
He switched slides to just Randi. Apparently, the wily wolf had been to downtown Santa Cruz the day of his disappearance, only three days after the last check in with his warden. Randi repaired motorcycles and had parked his bike at a paid parking lot. “They found his scent here.” He pointed to a travel agency. “Then a mile away at this biker club, then nothing.”
Cricket cocked her head. “Adventure Work and Travel Agency.” She thought travel agencies had died out ages ago. “Rylee said her team talked to the owner, a human woman who checked out as normal. The bar owner remembered him.” Who didn’t forget their kind? Not that werewolves were extra hairy or had long fangs unless in mid-shift, but a werewolf’s hidden presence elicited a prey response from even humans in law enforcement or the military. Not so much fear, but the respect one attributes to the dangerous beauty of the predator. Cricket never elicited such a reaction, which made her the ideal werewolf spy.
“Your team didn’t have a chance to scope out the customers.”
“None. Naturally, the female waitresses remembered every detail about him.” Humans, especially women were sexually attracted to the superior werewolf, whether alpha or not. In that department, Cricket scored, making any man turn his head. Their scent indicated their readiness for sex. Not that it took much effort with human men. “Unfortunately, the place was packed. One waitress noted after a couple hours, he appeared wasted.”
Cody frowned. “He knows the rules about drinking to inebriation in public. If you find him, he must be sent to Enforcer Dominic.”
“Rylee says Randi always followed protocol and suspects he was drugged.”
“Yet, according to the owner, despite his drunkenness, he left the bar on his own two feet.”
Cricket laughed. “At least not four feet.” If he had been drugged, his primal instinct would have made him go wolf. Maybe he did have one too many.
“So Rylee will send you?”