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She shook her head. “You can’t promise that. It’s not that I don’t have faith,” she hurriedly added when his scowl deepened. “But you’re one wolf against entire packs. Maybe we should go with the idea of finding one wolf at a time.”
He shook his head, his white hair brushing his shoulders. “Time is running out.”
She’d felt it, too, but figured it was nothing more than nerves making her imagination run wild. “Why do you say that?”
He placed one hand over his chest. “I’m not sure how to explain it, but I alwaysknowwhen a rogue is on the loose and where to find them, often before the alphas contact me. There’s an inner voice that guides me. That same guidance is warning things are going to come to a head soon.”
Her throat was so tight it hurt to swallow. “Is it your wolf? Is he separate from you?” It was all so foreign yet fascinating.
“The wolf is part of me. There’s an understanding between us. We work together, in tandem. Whether the voice I hear belongs to it or comes from somewhere else, I can’t say.”
“And you’ve never been at odds?”
“I’ve fought it at times, tired of hunting, of blood, of death. The more I ignore it, the louder it gets. The harder the call is to disregard. My entire purpose is to keep the balance, to protect the packs.”
“That’s not fair. When do you get to just be Devlin?”
He brushed a lock of hair off her cheek. “No one ever promised life would be fair. It is what it is.”
“It still sucks.” She couldn’t imagine having to live like that. Having some voice in her head dictating where she went and what she did. Maybe it was different for him because his wolf was a part of him. It seemed to her as if some outside source ordered him around and gave nothing in return. Some might believe immortality to be the ultimate power, but was it? Or was it no more than a prison? If everyone you loved died, if you couldn’t get close to anyone, what was the point?
He straightened and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Time to contact Kade and Dagen.”
She rubbed her palms against her jeans, nervous, even though the other wolves had no way of knowing exactly where they were. There was no telling what they might do, but something told her they’d need all the help they could get before this was over. “Let’s do this.”
The phone rang once before it was answered. “I’ve got nothing since the last time you called.” Kade sounded slightly out of breath, like he was running and talking at the same time. “This isn’t a great time to chat.”
Zoe shivered when a howl echoed over the line.
“You’re on a hunt. I’ll keep this short.” Unlike her, Devlin was completely calm. “I’m about to visit the New York alphas. Figured if I shook things up, it might make some people nervous.”
Kade laughed and then grunted. “You do like to live dangerously.”
“I’m done with letting them dictate the playing field. If they contact you, tell them we’re working together.”
A long whistle. “They won’t like that.”
“Tough shit. The three of us are alive right now for a reason. It’s time we found out why.”
“Hang on.”
There was rustling in the background. She leaned forward and winced when she heard a grunt and a loud cracking sound. It was followed by silence.
“Sorry about that.” Kade picked up the conversation exactly where he’d left off. She was sweating, but both men were totally unruffled. “If they call, I’ll back you. It’s time to make it reality. I’m coming to New York.”
“No.” Devlin’s shoulders tensed and a muscle in his jaw flexed.
“Afraid you don’t get a choice. My inner guidance is insisting, and you know how that goes. I had to take care of this last bit of business first. Depending on flights, I should be there tomorrow night or the day after. See you soon.” The line went dead.
Devlin tipped his head back and took a deep breath.
“Do you think he was telling the truth?” she asked. “About his inner voice?”
“I don’t know.” And that was the biggest problem. “If he’s being guided here, it’s for a purpose. Whether that’s to help or try to kill me remains to be seen. And if he’s coming, I wouldn’t be surprised to eventually see Dagen.”
That would make the story they were going to tell the alphas a reality. “Do you want to try him? Dagen?”
“Might as well.” Like Devlin had predicted, the call went to an automated voicemail.
