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.Wehave three dead bodies, two of which are werewolves. Crowe s eyes grew wide with surprise, which was quickly replaced with angerthat burned deep gold.Finally he conceded with a nod, rubbing a thick hand thatwas accented by a diamond pinkie ring along the polished dome of his head anddown his face, as if he could wipe away the stress. Christ.I thought so, but I didn t want to believe it.Yeah, two of our peoplehaven t come to our most recent meeting. Who? I asked.Carlos pulled out his damn notepad beside me. Jeff Moore and Terri Fine. Crowe confirmed our suspicions.He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaledslowly, his broad shoulders visibly stiffening. What can you tell us about them? Carlos asked, looking up at Crowe.The air seemed to grow thicker as the tension rose.There was anunderstanding that passed between Carlos and Crowe, a knowledge only shared byalphas.Someone had come in and started picking off the members of Crowe s packlike they were flies to be swatted at.It was not only a threat to his power, but to hisfamily. Jeff is a good man.Cares a lot about the pack, though he isn t that strong.Doesn t have a family.He s been divorced for a few years.Never had any kids withhis ex-wife, Crowe said. Who s his ex-wife? I asked. I don t know.He was divorced before he joined the pack.He mentioned oncethat they broke up because of him being a werewolf, but he rarely talked about it. And Terri? Carlos asked, his pen tapping against the top of the notepad. Bright, vibrant.She had a lot of potential to move up in the pack& Hetrailed off and turned his chair to face the line of windows that looked out overColumbus. Darius? Carlos asked after a minute.Crowe turned back to us, his eyes flickering back and forth between volcanicrock and crystal topaz.He closed them, collected his thoughts, and then said, Though as of lately, she d seemed distant, more reserved.I tried talking to her onceabout it, but she brushed it off as nothing.It s them, right? They re dead. Crowe said it with such finality.It wasn t a question, but a statement.Theywere dead.He had failed in his job to protect his pack.Abruptly he slammed hishands down, his entire desk shaking violently from the force. 56 Evelyn Shepherd Damn it! Darius! Carlos snapped, reaching out to place his hand over Crowe s.Saffronbled in both their eyes, and a clash of stifling aura swallowed me up again.Angerrose up the back of my throat like acid.I could taste the rage that was flowingthrough the office.It was bitter and tart, like a mouthful of lemons. Who did it, Carlos? Don t bullshit me! You know who is behind this, Crowesaid, his voice low and rumbling.It held a gravelly texture to it, the ferocious growlof a wolf.Carlos shook his head. I don t, Darius.I m trying.But we need your help.Have you noticed anything different recently? Any new members in the pack?Anyone not a member of the pack show up in the area? Or any changes in the pack,members acting different? Crowe shook his head, his eyes slowly turning back to their dark, murky color.His voice still held a wolfish edge to it, despite the ease in the air. No.No new packmembers or even anyone new in the area.I d know if someone showed up. He said it firmly, like he was trying to convince himself.He sucked in a breath,recollected himself. Anything? Come on, Darius! Give me something.We have two werewolvesand a human dead by a lycanthrope attack.A werewolf! Carlos shouted, leaningforward on the desk.Crowe looked up at Carlos, searching his face as if hunting for any sort ofreasoning to this madness.He rubbed his head again, gave it a little scratch, beforesaying, The only thing that s changed recently is my beta. Carlos fell back into his seat and poised the tip of his pen against the notepad. Okay.Who s your beta? Victor Bradford. I glanced over at Carlos; he was already waiting to meet my gaze.Carlos wrotesomething down and then placed the notepad and pen back into the inner pocket ofhis suit jacket.He rose to his feet, and I followed his example. I think that s all we need.Thanks, Darius. Carlos held out his hand. Goodseeing you. Crowe shook Carlos s hand, holding on to it before Carlos could pull away. You find whoever did this, Carlos. I will, Carlos assured him, then pulled his hand away. Good day, Mr.Crowe. I shook his hand before turning and heading out thedoor.I sucked in a gulp of air as soon as I exited his office.The energy that hadfilled the room was still crawling over my skin like silken fur.I had to resist theurge to rub my arms.We didn t say anything until we were back in the car.As soon as we werebuckled up, I said, So Victor Bradford is Crowe s second in command? Funny howthat never came up when we were talking to him. The Hunting Moon 57Carlos stroked his chin, glaring up at the sun.I started the engine and backedout of our spot, heading toward the garage exit.We had parked all the way at thetop, so that gave us five spiraling levels to go through.When I finally slipped backinto the line of traffic, Carlos spoke. I think me and you deserve a night out
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