someone to stop them. He looked at Keva, who seemed strangely calm. “You seem confident,” he observed. She grinned at him, her blue eyes twinkling. “Actually, I think this will be a fun way to prove my talents,” she admitted. “Plus, I’m very angry with the Council right now, so I have to admit I have little respect for this elder of yours. Of course, we’ll have to hear his story first.” Liam nodded, sticking his hands deep into the pockets of his leather jacket. “Aye, I’m quite interested in what he has to say, as well.”
As they started up the steps to the cabin door, Elder Garr caught them unawares by flinging open his door. His pointed gray beard seemed more frazzled than usual. He lowered his eyebrows at the two people on his doorstep. “Liam. Who is this?” Liam grinned disarmingly at the old man. “My new girlfriend, Hannah. I met her in town,” he added, wrapping an arm around Keva’s waist. She smiled up at the elder. “It’s so nice to meet you, sir,” she said sweetly. “Liam has told me so much about you.” The elder glared at the young man, who only smiled back at him. “I wanted her to meet you, sir. I knew you would want to approve.” The elder looked Keva up and down, and scratched the gray fuzz on his head. “Oh, very well. Come in, then.” Liam followed him into the cabin, with Keva close behind. Elder Garr swept into the kitchen. “Tea, Miss Hannah?” Keva smiled gratefully. “Oh, yes please, Mister Garr.” The elder flinched visibly at the human address, but said nothing. He turned his back to fill the tea kettle with water, set it on the stovetop, and then turned back to the couple. “So, Liam, how did you meet this young beauty?” Liam shrugged, his eyes dark. “At the bowling alley,” he improvised. “She’s got a great arm.” Keva laughed, and then turned her focus on the elder, listening to his thoughts. The elder seemed surprised at Liam’s answer. He frowned slightly. “Liam, the bowling alley has been closed for six months,” he said slowly. Liam’s face went slightly pale, but he swallowed hard and made his thoughts clear. “Well, maybe I met her at a Council meeting, then,” he said, his tone hard and cold. The Elder blanched. “A Council meeting? Don’t be silly, boy. You’ve never attended one of those.” Liam shrugged. “That’s true, sir, but she didn’t have to attend to be able to listen in, you see.” The Elder’s mouth fell open before he caught himself. Suddenly, the tea kettle began screeching and shooting steam into the room. He jumped, and then hurried to move it off the heat.
“Well…hmm. So, Miss Hannah, what is it that you happened to ‘overhear’ at this meeting, eh?” The elder made quotation marks over his head with his fingers, his yellowish eyes zeroing in on Keva. She decided to throw in everything she had in the first move. “I ‘overheard’ that the Council has been selectively breeding the lycan species, both with true wolves and with other werewolves . Plus, any half-breed that results is given the option to either join the Council or be ‘eliminated’, particularly by being sent on a dangerous ‘mission’,” she concluded. The Elder stared at her, his eyes wide and bloodshot. “Interesting thoughts, child, but I sincerely doubt you overheard something as horrendous as that.” Keva listened to the thoughts that made up his undertone, and grinned. Beneath the elder’s words had been speculation as to her particular breed of werewolf. “No, Elder, I am not a red werewolf. Yes, I did overhear these things.” The Elder’s face went gray, and he sat down heavily on a chair in the kitchen. “By God,” he murmured, “We’re doomed.”
Liam rose from the couch and went to stand in front of the elder. “Elder Garr, the Council has been keeping some terrible secrets from the lycan packs that they were meant to protect,” he said firmly. “Right now, a messenger from this pack is
As they started up the steps to the cabin door, Elder Garr caught them unawares by flinging open his door. His pointed gray beard seemed more frazzled than usual. He lowered his eyebrows at the two people on his doorstep. “Liam. Who is this?” Liam grinned disarmingly at the old man. “My new girlfriend, Hannah. I met her in town,” he added, wrapping an arm around Keva’s waist. She smiled up at the elder. “It’s so nice to meet you, sir,” she said sweetly. “Liam has told me so much about you.” The elder glared at the young man, who only smiled back at him. “I wanted her to meet you, sir. I knew you would want to approve.” The elder looked Keva up and down, and scratched the gray fuzz on his head. “Oh, very well. Come in, then.” Liam followed him into the cabin, with Keva close behind. Elder Garr swept into the kitchen. “Tea, Miss Hannah?” Keva smiled gratefully. “Oh, yes please, Mister Garr.” The elder flinched visibly at the human address, but said nothing. He turned his back to fill the tea kettle with water, set it on the stovetop, and then turned back to the couple. “So, Liam, how did you meet this young beauty?” Liam shrugged, his eyes dark. “At the bowling alley,” he improvised. “She’s got a great arm.” Keva laughed, and then turned her focus on the elder, listening to his thoughts. The elder seemed surprised at Liam’s answer. He frowned slightly. “Liam, the bowling alley has been closed for six months,” he said slowly. Liam’s face went slightly pale, but he swallowed hard and made his thoughts clear. “Well, maybe I met her at a Council meeting, then,” he said, his tone hard and cold. The Elder blanched. “A Council meeting? Don’t be silly, boy. You’ve never attended one of those.” Liam shrugged. “That’s true, sir, but she didn’t have to attend to be able to listen in, you see.” The Elder’s mouth fell open before he caught himself. Suddenly, the tea kettle began screeching and shooting steam into the room. He jumped, and then hurried to move it off the heat.
“Well…hmm. So, Miss Hannah, what is it that you happened to ‘overhear’ at this meeting, eh?” The elder made quotation marks over his head with his fingers, his yellowish eyes zeroing in on Keva. She decided to throw in everything she had in the first move. “I ‘overheard’ that the Council has been selectively breeding the lycan species, both with true wolves and with other werewolves . Plus, any half-breed that results is given the option to either join the Council or be ‘eliminated’, particularly by being sent on a dangerous ‘mission’,” she concluded. The Elder stared at her, his eyes wide and bloodshot. “Interesting thoughts, child, but I sincerely doubt you overheard something as horrendous as that.” Keva listened to the thoughts that made up his undertone, and grinned. Beneath the elder’s words had been speculation as to her particular breed of werewolf. “No, Elder, I am not a red werewolf. Yes, I did overhear these things.” The Elder’s face went gray, and he sat down heavily on a chair in the kitchen. “By God,” he murmured, “We’re doomed.”
Liam rose from the couch and went to stand in front of the elder. “Elder Garr, the Council has been keeping some terrible secrets from the lycan packs that they were meant to protect,” he said firmly. “Right now, a messenger from this pack is
Similar Books
