She slows down just enough for Luna Marie to get a good jump on her. The luna slams into her side, knocking her over, and jumps on her. I look away just as she goes for Maya’s throat. I don’t need to see that. But I still hear the sound of ripping flesh. My entire body stiffens, and Rook pulls me into a tight hug just as Luna Marie releases a long howl, declaring herself the victor. His arms touch mine, and so I hear his foremost thoughts before I can pull myself from his grip. Poor woman. She’s only seeing the worst parts of our culture. I wanted her to love wolves, not think us savage.
I scramble out of his hug and force a smile. I want to tell him that I don’t consider their culture savage, but the words don’t come. Knowing what I do about the mate challenges, and now seeing the swift and harsh justice done tonight, I understand that’s how wolves are, and that they need a bit of strong discipline to be kept in line, but two women just fought to the death in front of me and no one tried to stop them. If that’s not savage, I don’t know what is. I don’t hate Rook and Wulf, and I don’t blame Alpha Toth, but I definitely have no desire to ever join the pack.
“If you don’t mind, Rook,” I say quietly into the solemn atmosphere, “I think I’d like to go home now.”
Rook nods his head in both answer to my request and understanding of my feelings. His small smile is sympathetic with a hint of disappointment. I hate to let him down, but I can’t help it. I feel like Daniel’s and Maya’s deaths are my fault.
“I’ll walk you to your car.”
He jumps down from the stage and once again offers to help me down. All eyes in the room are on me as I hop down. I wonder if I’m not the only one who holds me responsible for what happened. I’ve been getting glares from the single women all night, but now there are a few from mated women as well. And there are plenty from the men, too. Mostly the men I’d danced with.
“Hold on, Nora,” Jeffrey calls, approaching Rook and me with a smug grin on his face. “Just what was your part in all of this?”
I feign innocence. “I don’t know what you mean. I just danced with Daniel and Maya freaked out, that’s all.”
The room erupts into growls. Rook responds with a louder one and shoves me behind him, pressing my back against the stage. At the same time, that prickling sensation of impending danger crawls up my neck. My gift is telling me that someone close to me means me harm. Looking at the few dozen snarling werewolves, I want to laugh. Someone wants to harm me? Really? You think?
There’s only one way out of this, even though I really don’t want to do it. I’m going to have to come clean and give up my anonymity. I sigh and murmur into Rook’s back. “So…that bit about werewolves smelling lies is true, then?”
Again, wrong thing to say. The pissed off wolves not only hear my mumbled comment, they move closer. Rook’s body begins to shake as he resists the change. My intuition is screaming at me now. My body explodes into goose bumps, and I gasp at the rolling sensation in my stomach.
“Nora?” Rook asks over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving the threat in front of him.
“It’s nothing. I’m okay. It’s just my gift warning me that someone nearby means me harm.”
Rook snorts. “Multiple someones, and they mean to kill you, most likely. Don’t move. No matter what happens.” He raises his voice and says, “Nora has my protection. I will kill anyone who attacks.”
Alpha Toth steps in before there’s a bloodbath. “Now, hold on. Everyone calm down. There is no need for anyone to attack. It’s not what you think.” He looks at me again. I’m surprised to see he’s asking permission to tell the truth, and then I remember that I was the one who swore him to secrecy. I give him a small nod. Yes. Please tell them, and stop them from ripping me to shreds. “Nora is here at my request. I asked her to help me figure out who was stealing money from the pack.”
Gasps sweep through the crowd, but the feeling that I’m about to be psychic toast calms down from your-death-is-imminent mode to the less severe someone-means-you-harm setting. It’s a start.
Jeffrey glowers at Alpha Toth. “You involved an outsider in pack business?”
Several grumbles of agreement ring out in the crowd. Alpha Toth holds his hands up, trying to settle everyone down. “It was with great consideration and reluctance, but yes, I went to an outsider for help. Daniel and Maya have been stealing from the pack for over a year, that we know of. We’ve been trying to discover them for months and found nothing leading us to the thieves. Nora has unique gifts that help her in these specific situations and had already proven herself a friend to this pack.”
Most of the pack calms down at this and even looks on me with approval, though there are a few scowls still, and my intuition hasn’t quit warning me of danger yet.
“What gifts does she have?” one of the men I danced with calls out.
Jeffrey—who has gone from scowling to calculating—smiles at me. “Yes, Nora, what power do you have? You’re such a dominant female. What else are you capable of?”
His leer makes me feel dirty enough that if Rook weren’t standing in front of me, blocking my way, I might just march over and punch him in the face. “Sorry. I like to keep my gifts secret—safer for me that way.” I give him a saccharine smile, batting my eyelashes. “You understand.”
Jeffrey’s calculating expression doesn’t go away, and it gives me the creeps. I start to wonder if he’s the reason my gut is still telling me I’m in danger.
“Some friend!” one woman shouts, drawing the room’s attention. Her eyes are red rimmed from crying. “She got Maya killed! She pretended to like her and got her killed.”
My stomach sinks, and I shake my head. “I was Maya’s friend,” I say. It comes out too quietly, because I’m choking on guilt. “I didn’t know until tonight that Maya was helping Daniel. I didn’t know about their relationship. I never wanted to see her get hurt.”
“Maya challenged your luna! She got herself killed!” Alpha Toth snaps, glaring at the upset woman and then casting his frown toward the whole group. “Maya and Daniel were traitors to this pack. They were stealing from you. They were cheating you out of your hard-earned money. They were lying to you and breaking pack laws. They were criminals who could have severely weakened this family and put us at risk with our neighboring packs.”
That shut the crowd up.
“Nora not only agreed to help us at a great personal risk, she agreed to keep all of this secret for the safety of the pack, and she refused to take compensation for it. She helped us out of loyalty to Wulf and his family.”
All eyes shoot to me and then to Rook. I blush under the speculative gazes. Some wolves look curious and others excited, while some wear knowing smirks. I want to flip them all off and tell them, again, that there’s nothing going on between Rook and me, but it’s pointless. The wolves are going to speculate no matter what.
“We owe her our gratitude, not our accusations,” Alpha Toth continues. “Do not place your anger for this wrong on Nora’s shoulders. It was not her fault. I had hoped to take care of this problem discreetly and without bloodshed.” His eyes flick to the luna, who lifts her chin in defiance. Alpha Toth sighs. “But what’s done is done, and that is the end of it. Let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks they can defy pack law and get away with it. Now, that said, though they were traitors, they were still wolves, and we will give them a proper burial. Jeffrey, see that it’s done tonight.”
Jeffrey’s jaw clenches at the command, but he holds back a snarky reply and bows his head. He barks out several names, and wolves jump into action, removing the bodies. The motion breaks up the crowd, and people start to gather their families to leave. Guess the party’s over.
Rook stays where he is, blocking me from the pack until the majority of the crowd is gone. Several wolves—mostly some of the stronger men I danced with tonight—linger like they want to talk to me, but Rook growls at any of them who comes too close, and they eventually get the hint. I don’t comment on his possessive actions because I’d rather not deal with the curious wolves.