resentment. Behr was a fool.
“I respect the position of Alpha,” Knight said. “I don’t respect a man who will allow others to fight a battle, only to wait on the sidelines for a reward.”
“He’s not wrong, Bishop,” Rook said.
“Even if I did agree with you, as your Alpha I couldn’t say that.” Bishop arched an eyebrow, sealing his silent agreement. “And nothing is certain yet.”
“No, one thing is certain,” Knight said, the darkness creeping up, fueling his anger. “I’m staying here. My home is here. My family is here. I’m going to be an uncle, damn it.”
“As I said, nothing is certain about Behr. Weatherly gave me a heads-up, so I’m passing it along. And it stays in this room, understood?”
“Right.”
“Understood,” Rook said.
Bishop’s cell buzzed. He checked the text. “Why don’t you two hang out for a while longer. A.J.’s team is back, and he’s on his way over to give me a report.”
Knight settled with his back against the wall, near one of the trailer’s windows, in no mood to sit and relax. He was proud of himself for not pacing.
A.J. Fowler had been out of town for the last five days, along with two other enforcers, chasing up potential leads on the whereabouts of Shay and the hybrids. He was a sharp tracker with a good nose, and his phone reports hadn’t mentioned any significant finds. Bishop hadn’t wanted them out in the field for too long, just in case the hybrids got wind and started hunting in return.
A new team, this one led by Mason Anderson, was scheduled to go out tomorrow.
A few minutes of awkward silence passed before heavy footsteps on the trailer’s metal stairs preceded a sharp knock.
“Enter,” Bishop said.
A.J. walked in, taking a moment to acknowledge everyone in the room before presenting himself fully to Bishop. The two men were close in age and size, but even sitting down, Bishop’s position as Alpha made him the bigger and older of the two. Knight couldn’t put his finger on exactly what about Bishop had changed since becoming Alpha, only that he had.
“We didn’t have any luck finding the hybrids or any new leads,” A.J. said. They’d been searching in Maryland, since that was the hybrids’ last hideout. Despite being a relatively small state, it was still a lot for three loup to cover. “However, we did make contact with a small vampire clan in rural Maryland, about thirty miles west of Baltimore.”
Bishop’s eyebrows jumped. “Vampires.”
“Yes, sir. One had actually been tailing us for a few hours before we noticed, curious why a trio of loup were snooping around when none lived nearby.”
“The vampire didn’t attack?”
“No. I’d never actually seen one in person before, so it was an interesting experience.”
Knight had never seen one before, or even a picture of one. The vampires were nearly extinct after a bloody war with the loup two generations ago. It was rumored that only a few hundred still survived, keeping to themselves in small nests.
Even Bishop seemed interested in the meeting. “What did they look like?” he asked.
“Almost human, actually,” A.J. said. “Thin, almost emaciated, very pale. It was a male, hair all shades of brown at once. He moved incredibly fast, which fits what we’ve heard about them. Black eyes.”
“And his fangs?”
“He flashed them a few times, but I didn’t see them all the time.”
“Fascinating.” Bishop shook himself, getting back on track. “Was this contact useful to us?”
A.J. nodded. “I believe so. I told him our reasons for searching. He was extremely disgusted by the idea of loup-vampire hybrids. It seems the vampires are as against interbreeding as we are. He volunteered his clan’s services in searching for them, and he said he would spread the word to neighboring clans.”
“Did he happen to mention how many vampires are in his clan?”
“No, but I got the impression the number was somewhat low. Maybe less than a dozen. They
“I respect the position of Alpha,” Knight said. “I don’t respect a man who will allow others to fight a battle, only to wait on the sidelines for a reward.”
“He’s not wrong, Bishop,” Rook said.
“Even if I did agree with you, as your Alpha I couldn’t say that.” Bishop arched an eyebrow, sealing his silent agreement. “And nothing is certain yet.”
“No, one thing is certain,” Knight said, the darkness creeping up, fueling his anger. “I’m staying here. My home is here. My family is here. I’m going to be an uncle, damn it.”
“As I said, nothing is certain about Behr. Weatherly gave me a heads-up, so I’m passing it along. And it stays in this room, understood?”
“Right.”
“Understood,” Rook said.
Bishop’s cell buzzed. He checked the text. “Why don’t you two hang out for a while longer. A.J.’s team is back, and he’s on his way over to give me a report.”
Knight settled with his back against the wall, near one of the trailer’s windows, in no mood to sit and relax. He was proud of himself for not pacing.
A.J. Fowler had been out of town for the last five days, along with two other enforcers, chasing up potential leads on the whereabouts of Shay and the hybrids. He was a sharp tracker with a good nose, and his phone reports hadn’t mentioned any significant finds. Bishop hadn’t wanted them out in the field for too long, just in case the hybrids got wind and started hunting in return.
A new team, this one led by Mason Anderson, was scheduled to go out tomorrow.
A few minutes of awkward silence passed before heavy footsteps on the trailer’s metal stairs preceded a sharp knock.
“Enter,” Bishop said.
A.J. walked in, taking a moment to acknowledge everyone in the room before presenting himself fully to Bishop. The two men were close in age and size, but even sitting down, Bishop’s position as Alpha made him the bigger and older of the two. Knight couldn’t put his finger on exactly what about Bishop had changed since becoming Alpha, only that he had.
“We didn’t have any luck finding the hybrids or any new leads,” A.J. said. They’d been searching in Maryland, since that was the hybrids’ last hideout. Despite being a relatively small state, it was still a lot for three loup to cover. “However, we did make contact with a small vampire clan in rural Maryland, about thirty miles west of Baltimore.”
Bishop’s eyebrows jumped. “Vampires.”
“Yes, sir. One had actually been tailing us for a few hours before we noticed, curious why a trio of loup were snooping around when none lived nearby.”
“The vampire didn’t attack?”
“No. I’d never actually seen one in person before, so it was an interesting experience.”
Knight had never seen one before, or even a picture of one. The vampires were nearly extinct after a bloody war with the loup two generations ago. It was rumored that only a few hundred still survived, keeping to themselves in small nests.
Even Bishop seemed interested in the meeting. “What did they look like?” he asked.
“Almost human, actually,” A.J. said. “Thin, almost emaciated, very pale. It was a male, hair all shades of brown at once. He moved incredibly fast, which fits what we’ve heard about them. Black eyes.”
“And his fangs?”
“He flashed them a few times, but I didn’t see them all the time.”
“Fascinating.” Bishop shook himself, getting back on track. “Was this contact useful to us?”
A.J. nodded. “I believe so. I told him our reasons for searching. He was extremely disgusted by the idea of loup-vampire hybrids. It seems the vampires are as against interbreeding as we are. He volunteered his clan’s services in searching for them, and he said he would spread the word to neighboring clans.”
“Did he happen to mention how many vampires are in his clan?”
“No, but I got the impression the number was somewhat low. Maybe less than a dozen. They
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