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“We can’t choose our family, that doesn’t mean we have to tolerate them.”
This exchange is more snappy and salty than I imagined it would be, though the threat of violence is still very much present in the air.
“You’ll leave Tessie alone,” Order says. “Forever. You’ll stop using her as a pawn in your war games. You’ll let her, and me, live our lives in peace.”
“There’s no peace with your kind,” Connor bites back. “You’re not heroes. You’re cowards. You let your brother slaughter dozens in the city without taking him out.”
“Both our kind have done harm to the other from time to time, usually the worst among us acting out in unpredictable and unhelpful ways. The best thing to do would be to refuse to follow their lead.”
“You fired a rocket at me.”
“I assure you, I did not.”
“Then another one of your psychotic number did.”
“Yes. You should have known better than to approach our den.”
“Maybe. I was looking for my people. You abducted two of my officers. Did you expect me to let that simply happen?”
“Seems to me it was exactly what you wanted to happen. You sent two innocent detectives to us, without any warning or understanding of what they would encounter, and while we were distracted with them, your pack attacked and destroyed our home. History is forever gone because of the reckless actions of your people.”
“It’s no different than putting petrol on an ant hill,” Connor says. “Some things need to be burned off the face of this world forever.”
To say that I’m disappointed to hear Connor speaking this way is a massive understatement. He was always grumpy and grouchy, but he was a good and fair boss — or at least I thought he was. I’m no longer so sure.
“Chief, were you behind the attack on their home?”
“Not me,” he says. “But I can’t say I’m sorry to hear it happened. It’s about time mutants were rooted out. There’s too much that happens in the darkness. Too many captives. Too many murders. Too many…”
“I quit,” I announce.
Connor laughs at me, a harsh barking sound. “It’s not that easy. You can quit the force, but you can’t quit being a wolf. You belong to my pack now, whether you like it or not.”
“Get fucked.”
My responses are much less elegant than Order’s reasoned replies, but I am mad as hell. The worst thing in the world is suddenly realizing that you might have to actually hate someone you really like.
“She’s going to be a handful,” Connor says to Order. “Hope you’re ready for it. These early days are easy compared to what’s coming down the line for the two of you.”
“We’re leaving,” Order says. “And I’ll thank you not to stalk us again.”
He puts his arms around my back and shoulders and leads me away through the forest, back toward the edge where I can see the headlights of my car shining through the woodland trees even from a distance.
“This isn’t over!” Connor shouts after us.
But it kind of is.
13
“Fucking asshole,” I curse as we drive back home. “The way he talks about killing your family like ants in a hill.”
Order brought Obigor with him, and it was a real relief to scoop my little guy up into my lap. Everything changes, but not Obigor. His cuddles are transcendent, the only thing to settle and soothe me when the world insists on driving me absolutely mad.
“It’s easy to dehumanize people who don’t look human.” Order’s response is strangely calm.
“But he’s a fucking werewolf!”
“It’s even easier to dehumanize others when you’re not completely human yourself,” Order says. “I have no interest in this war. Both sides are committing unnecessary cruelties. I think it’s time we got away.”
