Page 16 of Wild Wolf

Desmond’s brows furrowed, and he took his coffee and sipped at it. “And they’ve managed to dodge the Inquisition’s awareness of them the whole time, too. You would think someone would have spread word about it, especially as they brand their Fenerec.”

“They have different names. Wolves like me are called vucari. If a vucari doesn’t shift, they become some hound of heaven. I haven’t learned the name for them yet, but I have the feeling they think I’m that. I’ve been avoiding shifting during the full moon, but they’ve seen me a few times around the new moon.”

“And they’re superstitious, and you glow.”

“Right.”

“Your glow is blue-white, which would likely be viewed as a heavenly light to the particularly superstitious.” Desmond sighed and shook his head. “What are the other types?”

“It’s complicated, but the wawkalak are the favored wolves, and their brands are on the center of their forehead. Bodark and sumasshedshiy volk have their brands on their cheeks. Bodark have theirs on the left, and the sumasshedshiy volk have theirs on the right. The sumasshedshiy volk are the mad wolves, and the locals claim one of them is killing people. I’ve been avoiding the city since the wawkalak started haunting the woods and keeping a closer eye on me. Petra used to hunt in the woods nearby, but she stays close to my cabin now to avoid them.”

“We’d call the sumasshedshiy volk wild wolves in America. We don’t have distinctions like that otherwise beyond the roles within a pack. Do you know if they have the same roles?”

“I have no idea. I’d only met my first wolf here not long before I called Dante. I figured he’d be a good person to call about this.”

“You’re right. He talked to his brother first, and then he contacted me, and we started making plans. It’ll be tricky to bring your wolf back to America, but I heard my daughter promise you she could come, so it’ll happen. How have you gotten away with having her here?”

“I called her a Siberian husky, and the locals absolutely love Siberians, so I guess they believed what they expected rather than see there’s nothing really Siberian husky about her.”

“She’s a beautiful wolf, but she’s a wolf from her nose to the tip of her tail. What are you feeding her?”

“I take her on a hunt once a month usually, and I freeze the leftover meat, I hunt some, and I go to the butcher for the rest. She makes a good excuse to buy too much, as I take very good care of her. She needed some training, and she has a fairly classic husky personality. She seems smarter than the average dog, too. That’s why I was wondering if she’s a wild wolf.”

“I don’t think so. She looks like a wolf, smells like a wolf, and otherwise acts like a wolf, so she’s probably a wolf. I don’t smell any of the scent markers of a Fenerec. The Russians reek of it, so they’re definitely Fenerec, although they have a vastly different culture than we do.”

In a way, I was relieved, although I wondered why Bodwin and his wife had kept wolves as pets, though the animals had been fairly wild. I sipped at my coffee, wondering how I managed to find trouble no matter what I did. “You’re not angry?”

“According to my wife, I was somewhat surly, as I dislike when someone does something better than I do. It’s one of my few faults.” Desmond chuckled and shook his head. “No, I’m not angry with you. You had good reason to be skittish, and you did what you thought was best. Considering you had to take a shot I knew you didn’t want to have to make, I figured you needed space. As such, I took care of your programmer and your SEAL. I’ve settled both of them in Seattle, and Elliot has secured Lane from the military. We have him in a bodyguard role for the moment, but he’ll finish his time of service with the Inquisition, which will be more lucrative and safer for him.”

“How is he taking it?”

“He’s liking it, especially when the local Fenerec and Fenerec-born women realized he’s single and part of my pack. He’s conservative enough to drive the women crazy, and Anthony is having a good time playing the game, too. I suggested if they played hard to get, they would be able to find a good partner. And with Fenerec, it’s absolutely true. The faster a potential mate runs, the more focused the Fenerec or Fenerec-born becomes. That’s essentially how Nicolina got herself into trouble with Richard. Richard ran.”

“Richard ran?”

“He was convinced I’d beat him or worse if he showed any interest in my daughter. Of course, I locked him in my basement for a while for sneaking around rather than just asking. I wouldn’t have said no to them pairing. Essentially, Nicolina wasn’t handling the advances of the Fenerec and Fenerec-born boys her age well. Her sister loved it. So, Richard was my bet for giving Nicolina breathing space. It didn’t work out quite as I’d planned, but there’s no better man for my daughter than Richard, and Alex treats Nicolina’s sister equally well. Alex is Richard’s brother, and he’s keeping things handled in Yellowknife.”

“Think Amber will let me hide behind her?” I muttered.

Desmond chuckled. “As long as you don’t mind Amber circling. I’m hoping you two hit it off, or at the very least, you hit it off enough she’ll accept the ritual.”

“How bad is she really?”

“Bad enough I’m going to teach you how to perform the ritual if needed, and if you panic and perform the ritual, it won’t be the first or the last time, and the Inquisition accounts for that during life-and-death situations. While I’ve told my daughter a few years, the reality is closer to a few months.”

“What’s the diagnosis?”

“Her witchcraft is essentially failing due to her age. Her magic is still intact, but her body is too old and worn to handle the strain. Witchcraft can extend life, but it can do only so much. Fire witches tend to die younger than earth or water witches. Air witches are fairly rare and difficult to identify, so we don’t know as much about them. Fire witches are the most common type. Because she’s so old, her body is shutting down. She also has cancer, but I think the heart strain will kill her long before the cancer does.”

“And becoming one of us will stop this?”

“Correct. And she should remain a witch with full control over her powers once she adapts to being bonded with a wolf. She will light things on fire with disturbing frequency until then, but Elliot has become quite good at manipulating water, as my daughter is very talented at lighting things on fire. I’m not concerned about that. Within a month or two, her age will reverse to her early twenties, back to her prime. She’ll stay in her prime until the end of her lifespan as a Fenerec—and Fenerec can live to become very, very old. We tend to die of unnatural causes, or we’re put down because we’ve gone wild.”

I sighed. “And is she all right with this, really?”

“She believes it isn’t an option for her. She has no idea I’m teaching you how to perform the ritual, although my daughter has been dropping hints about Amber becoming one of us. Nicolina believes Amber is receptive.”

“Is that because Nicolina doesn’t want to lose her witch?”