The Wolven by Deborah LeBlanc

no stopping him. Needless to say, it is crucial that the information I have shared with you not leave this room.”
    “It won’t.” Danyon got to his feet, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “I’ll find whoever’s responsible for Nicole and Simon’s death. The reason for the killings doesn’t matter. The murderer will be stopped, and if I have your permission, he’ll be stopped by any means necessary.”
    August nodded. “You have my permission. But understand this, Danyon. If it is as I fear, more murders will follow so quickly, all the alphas in this territory combined may not be able to stop it.”
    A shiver ran up Shauna’s spine, and she prayed it wasn’t another intuitive whisper. But somewhere deep in her heart, she suspected her prayers would be futile.
    For August’s words rang far too true.

Chapter 6
    “T here’s no need for you to come,” Danyon said to Shauna, for what seemed like the fiftieth time since they’d left August’s office.
    “And I said I am coming,” she said—again.
    As if he’d expected anything different.
    August had advised Shauna against going to the murder site, saying that there was no reason for her to subject herself to such gruesomeness. But she’d dug her heels in, refusing to be deterred. “I’m their Keeper,” she’d said. “And if I’m to fully understand what’s going on, I have to see it firsthand.”
    Unfortunately, August hadn’t ordered Shauna to stay away as Danyon had hoped. And so far, every form of persuasion he’d tried to keep her from coming had failed.
    Danyon had traveled to August’s office on foot, and he’d planned to return to Simon and Nicole the same way, especially after he heard August’s accounting of the rogue were’s execution so many years ago. Danyon hadn’t been able to shake the mental images that had formed, images of how Simon and Nicole must have suffered before they died. He needed to run to clear his head. As a human, running was therapeutic for him. As a were, it was his one saving grace when he was on emotional overload. The last thing he needed to deal with right now was a fainting female.
    Regardless of how attractive she was.
    Even if they took shortcuts through alleyways and cemeteries, it was still three miles from August’s to River Road. Walking that distance would take too long, but Danyon refused to give the stubborn strawberry blonde the satisfaction of riding in a cab. Besides, he didn’t want any cab driver, human or otherwise, even close to the sites. He had to make sure word about the deaths didn’t get out until it was absolutely necessary.
    Frustrated, but having no other option except to tolerate her tagging along, Danyon had started their journey off with a brisk walk, then quickly cranked it up to a jog. Finally, he warned Shauna that he had to move faster, and if she planned to follow, she had to either keep up or be left behind. With that, he’d sped off in a full run.
    They were already two miles into the run, and Shauna had kept pace with him every step of the way. Danyon couldn’t help but be impressed by her stamina. She wasn’t even breathing hard. Her reflexes remained sharp. If hecut hard to the right, she was immediately at his side. If he veered left without notice, she matched the move instantly and without effort.
    Three quarters of a mile from the levees, Shauna suddenly pulled up short. “I hear a motor. Sounds like a car engine idling.”
    As though her words sharpened his own hearing, Danyon’s ears suddenly perked to the sound. He glanced over at her, curious as to how she’d heard anything. They were still a decent distance from River Road. Close enough to hear a revving engine, maybe, but an idling one? No way.
    “I’m sure it’s Saville,” Danyon said. “I sent Andrea to find him and have him bring back supplies and his SUV, so we can move the bodies.”
    Under normal circumstances, Danyon would have contacted the coroner about the deaths, then the