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However, the news reports weren’t entirely accurate, as they pinned the crime squarely on Lars. They had footage of him as a human from the other night at the Wolfsbane concert.
“Lars.” Hannah rose from the table in a panic. “His face is all over that video. They’re accusing him of murder! He would never hurt anyone. That’s slander.”
“The network has legal teams that are dedicated to this very issue.” I’d thought about taking the show independent in the beginning, but I was so glad I had all those people on my side. As long as they didn’t consider us too much of a burden and dropped us. I always believed we could create bigger things with the help of a team.
“It’s not just the hunters we have to worry about. His brother is dangerous.”
Hannah wasn’t wrong. “He’s an independent creature, and we do have to respect that to a point. But now…we need to intervene. Hannah, I want you to get in touch with Zoe and Destiny.”
“I hope they actually answer me. It’s not automatic anymore.” She sighed. “What should I say?”
“Get them talking about their wolves. It doesn’t have to be specific, because I have a feeling the real gold will be in what we don’t expect.”
“What can we do?” Wendy asked.
“Gather any research on spells and rituals that involve blood. That might change slightly after Hannah gets in touch with the ladies, but we know the blood is what they’re after.” My mind was spinning. “I think Leif is making them do his dirty work.”
Hannah’s face darkened. “Do you think he’ll try to resurrect Tanyth?”
“If I were the type to spend time in Vegas, I’d place big money on the chance of her being the first one on his list.”
“You do still owe a certain wolf a weekend in Vegas.” Hannah waggled her brows.
“I do, and after this episode, we’re both gonna need it.” My phone was buzzing with notifications. Didn’t have to read them to know what they were. “Excuse me.”
I stepped outside the library and went behind the building. Not only was it the only shady spot on this blazing summer day, but there were a lot of watchers in The Village. They weren’t all just interested in my fashion choices. Mostly, they were excited that we were filming a show in their neighborhood, but some of them had expressed concern about Lars even before the episode started. I assured them they had nothing to worry about.
I stood by the fact that I was right about Lars. It might have been stubborn to want to go forward with this episode simply to show the world how they were wrong about this gentle giant.
Part of me was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to hold onto that title for much longer, and it made me so sad for him.
There had to be some way to save Lars. To keep him the sweet, genuine, vulnerable beast who’d trusted me with his heart. I’d made a promise to him.
And some wolves would say you broke promises. I shook my head to make that voice go away.
I was doing this for Calista, too. To make sure I never received another blood-stained plea for help because she was safe and home with her pack.
For the next moment, I had to hope that they still considered me a part of their pack. And that my next move wouldn’t totally piss off the local shifters that I’d come to think of as my family.
But I was in between a mountain and a hard place. Bloodthirsty beasts and the creatures I loved with all my heart.
I hit send. The Montana pack had picked so many fights and lost so many battles that they stopped naming new alphas. The title had become little more than a death sentence. There were prominent wolves in the pack who fought for dominance. Not all of them lived to tell the tale.
“Declan Spear,” a deep voice rumbled on the other end of the line.
I didn’t say anything right away. This was a mistake.
“Hello?” he said. “Is everything alright?”
“No, it’s not,” I finally said.
“Bronson.”
“It’s Bibi now,” I corrected. My pack had never been able to accept my sparkle, but I chose Declan because I believed he was the wolf who’d be willing to put that aside.
“It’s, uh, good to hear from you.” He cleared his throat, like he was unsure of what he should say next. Same, wolf, same. “I hate to say this, but what do you want?”
He didn’t hang up on me, and that was progress. But there was no time to soothe the sting. “I want to talk to you about Calista.”
