Dare. That’s an awfully long time for him to be plotting revenge for you humiliating him, without doing anything about it.”
Silver rather agreed with her cousin about the length of time, but she also trusted Dare’s judgment, so she stayed silent, searching her mate’s face for hints of his reasons.
Dare shook his head. “Madrid plays a long game. He gathers information for years before acting on it. I’d estimate he’s due to try for a better source by now. I’d recognize any of his pack he tried to send, so while I’m away would be a perfect time.” He dropped her hand and paced a few steps.
“Wouldn’t Felicia recognize someone he sent too?” Silver cupped the side of Dare’s jaw, stilling him from further pacing. It would be good to be on their guard, but she thought Dare perhaps underestimated the effect of distance. She had no doubt Madrid would carry a grudge against Dare until Death took his voice, but Madrid was very far away. Revenge at such a distance took more energy than most people had. “I’ll ask her about any strangers. Promise.” She pressed her thumb to her forehead, sealing the promise in the Lady’s name.
“Fair enough.” Dare kissed her forehead where she had touched it. “I promise not to worry about it, then. Much.” They both laughed and Dare took both of her hands. His squeeze, though it looked equal, felt uneven to her, conveyed in a muffled fashion by her bad hand. “Don’t feel like you have to enforce anything with Felicia until I get back.”
Silver squeezed back, one-handed. The situation couldn’t be clearer: this was her time to learn to deal with Felicia properly. “We’re alphas of all of Roanoke. I can handle one sulky cub. If she doesn’t choose to go roaming, Susan can help me judge her progress.”
“Thank you.” Dare gave her a wan smile. “If you can think of some time-consuming task to give her as well, don’t hesitate. When I was that age, half the restlessness came from not having something to focus my energy on.”
“I can think of plenty of ways to provide her that,” Death said in the voice of a past enemy, the one Susan had killed for them. Silver took his point. Lady ensure that circumstances wouldn’t step in to provide excitement once more.
* * *
After the hunt, Felicia went straight back to her room, absently picking pine needles out of the ends of her curls. She wanted to know what was going on, but she wasn’t going to seek out her father and ask him.
She stopped with her hand on the knob, sniffing. Everyone’s scent was all over the pack house, but her father’s had just reached her more strongly. Lady, was he waiting for her? Lovely. She jerked the door open a little harder than necessary.
Her father sat at her desk, working on a laptop. She thought it was hers for a moment, since she’d left it there, but a quick scan found it closed and sitting neatly on a flat spot in the piled blankets on her bed.
He tapped a last few keys and looked up. “John and I have to take care of some things up in Alaska. Our flight leaves pretty early tomorrow morning.”
Felicia shucked off her shirt and dumped it beside the door. Scent marking her space like that was a little rude when someone was in it, but she hadn’t invited him in. She left her jeans beside the bed before removing the laptop and forming the blankets into a nest. She’d sleep in wolf tonight, she decided. “So this is when you tell me to listen to Silver?”
“If I have to tell you to listen to your alpha, you have deeper problems,” her father said. He closed his laptop and stood. “Just don’t”—he sighed—“poke at her because you’re angry at me, all right?”
“I’m not angry at you.” Felicia jerked one blanket off the bed entirely. She actually was a little. He’d smell that. But it wasn’t him so much as being European and not having a pack company job to look forward to and not really knowing what she was doing, searching for a
Silver rather agreed with her cousin about the length of time, but she also trusted Dare’s judgment, so she stayed silent, searching her mate’s face for hints of his reasons.
Dare shook his head. “Madrid plays a long game. He gathers information for years before acting on it. I’d estimate he’s due to try for a better source by now. I’d recognize any of his pack he tried to send, so while I’m away would be a perfect time.” He dropped her hand and paced a few steps.
“Wouldn’t Felicia recognize someone he sent too?” Silver cupped the side of Dare’s jaw, stilling him from further pacing. It would be good to be on their guard, but she thought Dare perhaps underestimated the effect of distance. She had no doubt Madrid would carry a grudge against Dare until Death took his voice, but Madrid was very far away. Revenge at such a distance took more energy than most people had. “I’ll ask her about any strangers. Promise.” She pressed her thumb to her forehead, sealing the promise in the Lady’s name.
“Fair enough.” Dare kissed her forehead where she had touched it. “I promise not to worry about it, then. Much.” They both laughed and Dare took both of her hands. His squeeze, though it looked equal, felt uneven to her, conveyed in a muffled fashion by her bad hand. “Don’t feel like you have to enforce anything with Felicia until I get back.”
Silver squeezed back, one-handed. The situation couldn’t be clearer: this was her time to learn to deal with Felicia properly. “We’re alphas of all of Roanoke. I can handle one sulky cub. If she doesn’t choose to go roaming, Susan can help me judge her progress.”
“Thank you.” Dare gave her a wan smile. “If you can think of some time-consuming task to give her as well, don’t hesitate. When I was that age, half the restlessness came from not having something to focus my energy on.”
“I can think of plenty of ways to provide her that,” Death said in the voice of a past enemy, the one Susan had killed for them. Silver took his point. Lady ensure that circumstances wouldn’t step in to provide excitement once more.
* * *
After the hunt, Felicia went straight back to her room, absently picking pine needles out of the ends of her curls. She wanted to know what was going on, but she wasn’t going to seek out her father and ask him.
She stopped with her hand on the knob, sniffing. Everyone’s scent was all over the pack house, but her father’s had just reached her more strongly. Lady, was he waiting for her? Lovely. She jerked the door open a little harder than necessary.
Her father sat at her desk, working on a laptop. She thought it was hers for a moment, since she’d left it there, but a quick scan found it closed and sitting neatly on a flat spot in the piled blankets on her bed.
He tapped a last few keys and looked up. “John and I have to take care of some things up in Alaska. Our flight leaves pretty early tomorrow morning.”
Felicia shucked off her shirt and dumped it beside the door. Scent marking her space like that was a little rude when someone was in it, but she hadn’t invited him in. She left her jeans beside the bed before removing the laptop and forming the blankets into a nest. She’d sleep in wolf tonight, she decided. “So this is when you tell me to listen to Silver?”
“If I have to tell you to listen to your alpha, you have deeper problems,” her father said. He closed his laptop and stood. “Just don’t”—he sighed—“poke at her because you’re angry at me, all right?”
“I’m not angry at you.” Felicia jerked one blanket off the bed entirely. She actually was a little. He’d smell that. But it wasn’t him so much as being European and not having a pack company job to look forward to and not really knowing what she was doing, searching for a
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