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He swore under his breath. "Jeremy can have the worst timing..."
"No, he was being very careful about the timing. He told me the news just before I was supposed to meet you in Atlanta, thinking that would give us a chance to discuss it in private. Then our kids decided to play Superman out the window. Oh, and about that, Kate finally admitted--"
"Which you can tell me later," Clay said. "Right now, we should discuss this. You just found out Jeremy wants you to be Alpha. That's a big deal. We need to talk about it. You need to talk about it."
"Yes, but not now. It isn't something I want to discuss in the car. And it's not critical. I'm just..."
"Worried."
My hands death-gripped the wheel, breaths coming so fast my chest hurt.
"Elena..."
I didn't look at him. "I'm fine. We'll discuss it later."
"Pull over and--" My expression stopped him short. He rubbed his hand over his mouth. "Okay. We'll talk at the hotel. But I don't like thinking you've been this upset--"
"I'm not upset."
"Concerned, and waited a week to talk to me. No wonder you were so happy to see me."
I looked at him. "Yes, I want to talk, but I did miss you. A lot."
"Can I get that in writing?"
I managed a smile. "Not a chance."
GONE
COMING INTO ANCHORAGE now, I got my first daylight look at the city. Ignore the gorgeous backdrop of ocean and mountains, and it could pass for any medium-size city with strip malls and strip joints, Wal-Marts and Walgreens. What did stand out was the snow--or the lack of it. The streets were bare and a lot of yards were, too. According to the digital signs we passed, it was forty degrees, the same as we'd expect in upstate New York this time of year, and we definitely had more snow.
Dennis's apartment building was as normal and average as the city itself. Nothing sleazy or spectacular. Nothing historical or postmodern. Just an unassuming, well-kept building.
According to the tenant list, Dennis was using his real name. All Pack werewolves do. We have IDs with aliases, but part of the reason for joining the Pack is to settle into territory, and it's easiest to do that using your birth name.
I buzzed his apartment from the building vestibule. When no one answered after the second one, I was about to find another way in when a tenant held the door open for us. I thought she'd mistaken us for neighbors, but as we walked into the lobby she asked who we were there to visit. I said Dennis. She didn't know him, and seemed faintly embarrassed by that, as if she should.
Clay knocked on Dennis's door. At a second knock, a neighbor's door opened. An elderly woman with bushy white hair and huge glasses peered out, blinking like a wizen-faced snowy owl.
"Sorry," I said. "We didn't mean to disturb--"
"Are you looking for Dennis?"
"Yes, we're friends of--"
"He's not there, dear. Been gone awhile." She eased out the door, gripping her housecoat around her plump body. "Dennis isn't the sort to make his presence known, not like some people--" A glare at the door across the hall. "--but I usually see him every day. He brings up my mail and asks if I need anything when he goes out."
"And he hasn't been by lately." I spoke slowly, waiting to be interrupted again, but when I finished, she only blinked at me.
"He's been away a few days?" I prompted.
"Oh, no, dear. More than that. He's always going off for a day or two. This time it's been close on a week."
I felt Clay shift behind me. He didn't like that answer.
"So Dennis doesn't usually--" I began.
"You should speak to Charles. He's worried about him, too."
