Read Online Wild Card by Mark Henwick, Lauren Sweet - Free Book Online Page B

dressed in a suit and tie, with a goatee and dark brown hair brushed straight back. He sat with his legs crossed, looking lost in his chair compared to Ricky and Felix. I recognized him as one of Alex’s friends from the charity ball. He smiled briefly back at me and returned to jotting on a pad in his lap.
    “Finally,” said Felix, by way of starting. “We don’t have much time.”
    Alex glared at him and the small guy stirred on his seat. Felix relented and introduced me, pointing at the others. “You’ve met Ricky. And this is Dr. Noble.”
    “We almost met,” I said to Noble. “You helped me escape the charity ball.”
    “I tripped the doorman,” he replied, pursing his lips. “That’s hardly help. But I’m pleased to meet you at last.”
    I laughed.
    Felix got up and started to pace like an animal in a cage.
    That felt uncomfortable, but not as much as seeing the effect it was having on the others. Ricky and Alex tracked his movement as if mesmerized. Even Noble’s scribbling in his notebook went on hold for a minute.
    Felix stopped abruptly and turned to face me.
    “We had an agreement, didn’t we?” he said.
    “Yes,” I replied.
    “Tell me what it was.”
    I’d kinda expected this. It was the standard disciplinary setup, getting me to admit I knew exactly what I was meant to be doing first and then going through where I’d failed. Like screwing Alex in his office and not making any progress on tracking the rogue down.
    “There’s a temporary arrangement in place, which I guess means I’m a sort of honorary werewolf and honorary member of the pack. While that’s the case, I’m on call for you. I’m supposed to leave Alex alone and work on tracking down the rogue.”
    “Succinctly put. What about my instructions for Alexander himself?”
    “No contact. And that he wasn’t supposed to get involved in fighting between Athanate.”
    Failed again. Both counts. I’d visited him at his office and Alex had helped storm the factory at Longmont where Jen had been held.
    I could explain each step and give reasons for it but I didn’t want to go down that route. That felt like admitting this was like a trial, and besides, I wasn’t sure Felix would listen anyway. I kept quiet and waited.
    Felix was looking at me. To see if I was going to justify our actions?
    I thought I’d made the right decision to shut up for the moment.
    “I’ve set a precedent for your status and given clear requirements for your behavior which you have not followed. You visited him at his work.”
    I throttled my demon. I had a lot I could have said. Alex hadn’t been working when I’d visited him in his office; he hadn’t been able to work. Felix had had him running as a wolf during the nights, trying to strengthen the pack bond and weaken his bond to me. Too much time as a wolf had been pushing him to the edge. He’d been so close to wolf, Olivia had to keep people away from him. And I’d brought him back.
    Felix wasn’t finished. “Then you persuade him to join you in attacking the Basilikos Athanate at Longmont.”
    I hadn’t. He’d insisted.
    Alex stirred, but neither of us interrupted Felix. Alex seemed to be able to take the spin Felix was putting on this much easier than I was finding it, or he was better at hiding it.
    “Remember, you came to me to petition to be part of the pack. Your immediate actions so far show that you can’t be. The pack can’t operate in anarchy. Not only do you disobey my instructions, but you also persuade Alexander to do the same. He has a senior and responsible role.”
    He started pacing again.
    “This is not how a pack works.”
    Why wasn’t Alex arguing back? Should I take his silence as a message to me to keep quiet?
    It was a fine balance between letting Felix blow off steam at me and letting him get up momentum toward a decision to throw me out. I didn’t want that. It would put Alex in an impossible situation. And I needed the support that the pack offered, for my