Remus might be a lot of things, but he wasn’t a traitor, and he certainly didn’t foster the kind of pack a traitor might exist in. Even I could see his packmates cared for and respected him. It seemed like an actual community, even if the pack was much larger than I was used to back in England.
He also wasn’t a fool. I just couldn’t see how an operation — an entire military operation — could be hidden in hisneighborhood,and he wouldn’t be able to find it. It just didn’t add up.
Iris simply shrugged, giving me a wry look. “Look—”
Whatever she was going to say, I didn’t want to hear it. “What proof do you have?” I demanded. “How do you know it’s a wolf selling out his fellows?”
“I don’t have any,” she replied, her expression grim. “It’s a gut feeling. Besides, how would a human know how to pick out wolves without the help of a wolf in the first place?”
I rolled my eyes.A gut feeling? I should have known. “That proves nothing. A wolf would never risk his place in a pack like that — he’d never risk his community. That would put the entire existence of shifters at risk.”
Iris rolled her eyes right back. “You are a naive fool if you think every wolf has the group’s best interest above their own,” she snorted, shaking her head. Her arms had been folded back over her chest, and she clenched her jaw. “It’s a damn good thing you don’t run a pack. The first person to sell you a scam would also have your wolves and your business.”
I jerked back, growling. “From where I’m standing, you are a paranoid birdbrain chasing after shadows and believing in urban legends,” I snapped. “You need to stop these baseless accusations at once — or I’ll have you removed from Austin whether you go willingly or not.”
Iris flipped me the bird, marching towards her door. “You and what army?” she snapped, jerking the door open. “Get the fuck out of my room, Eli. I will get to the bottom of this with or without help. Why don’t you go crawling back to your daddy, and learn a thing or two about being a real alpha before you start harassing citizens?”
I could feel the red rising in my vision as I bared my teeth —I need to get out of here.Now.My wolf writhed with indecision, both wanting to be near Iris — to make her stop being so damnnastyto us — and to put her in her place for being so insubordinate to an alpha. Frankly, I didn’t want to do either — I just wanted to get as much space between her and me as possible.
I didn’t feelany better by the time I arrived at the office. I’d hit what felt like every stoplight in Austin. All I’d managed to do in the time it took to drive here was decide Ishouldtell my father about this entire situation. I still couldn’t believe the story Iris was trying to spin, but she was clearly problematic. Something needed to be done, even if I didn’t knowwhatjust yet.
Amber smiled as I walked in. “Your father arrived a few minutes ago,” she informed me. “Your coffee’s in your office.”
Small mercies.
“Thank you,” I murmured, heading down the hall. My father was sitting outside my office with his phone pressed to his ear, but when we made eye contact, he stood up, walked into the conference room and closed the door.
What the—? Ugh.
I shook my head and went into my office instead. Maybe I’d feel better after coffee. I sat at the desk, embracing the caffeine while trying to get my thoughts in line.Obviously, something was going on at home. I didn’t know what because Nic was being so damn secretive — secretive enough that Myles hadn’t picked up on anything, either.
I bet he wouldn’t have walked out if Remus walked in instead of me.
The thought made me scowl, my mood only worsening by the time my father finally walked into my office. “Good morning, Eli.”
I snorted. “What was that all about?” I didn’t have the patience for pleasantries.
“Nothing,” my father said, waving it off. “Just checking in.”
It didn’t sound like nothing. It sounded like my father was trying hard to make itsoundlike nothing, but I knew what stress sounded like in his voice. It had been just him and me for a long time; I didn’t suddenly forget what he was like now that he had found a new son and a new love, even though his memory seemed to be failing him.
What is happening with the pack — and why isn’t he telling me?
The thought settled uncomfortably in my gut. I couldn’t dismiss it. It felt like he thought he couldn’t trust me, and if he couldn’t trust me… could I trust him?What if he thinks I’m overreacting about this Iris business? To this missing wolf business?
I knew I wasn’t, but the last thing I needed was for him to try to shut me down before I even got started because he was too caught up with whatever was going on in London. Even if I’d intended to share with him just ten minutes ago, I knew that wasn’t an option now. I’d handle it myself, and maybe he’d finally see I was trustworthy enough to share pack business with again.
17
IRIS
Redwood Motel
Austin, Texas
Ispent the rest of the morning working; I hadn’t meant to, exactly, I usually made a point of at least going for a walk to get coffee and something to eat, but Eli had made me soangrythis morning that I’d lost track of time. It wasn’t entirely unreasonable for the man to be skeptical — after all, we’d only met once at a party. He didn’t know me from a hole in the ground, but he hadn’t even looked through the files. I told him to. I wouldn’t have stopped him. It was quite a tale to have made up, and for what? What would someone like me gain by accusing a pack wolf of being a traitor?
I hadn’t even named anyone. Certainly hadn’t implied it was the pack alpha — though I technically couldn’t rule him out, it seemed unlikely based on what I knew about these people — but Eli had acted as if I’d just put Remus Silverstreak on blast and shouted to the whole world he was a treasonous liar.