Page 34 of The Tracker's Revenge

God, why did I come?!

Slowly, Marcus took a step away from me, nearly pressing his back to the wall. His gaze fell to the floor, and he also seemed ready to claw the doors open. This made me do a double-take.

“I take it you know my father,” he said nervously.

I blinked in confusion. Marcus was acting scared of me, the same way the guard had. Why?! What kind of vibe were they picking up from me to get so—

A thought occurred to me.

Surreptitiously, I sniffed myself, trying to pinpoint a difference in my scent. It was hard—everyone is used to their own scent—but as I made an effort, I picked up a bitter hint that made me realize I was giving off angry alpha vibes, the same kind I would sometimes pick up from Jake, though not since he’d left to go to New Orleans.

Witchlights!Eric had warned me about this. He’d said he’d never detected the scent from me and thought that I had an innate ability to control it, but obviously, I didn’t. It seemed it was yet another new attribute of my developingwerewolfness,and it had decided to make an appearance at the wrong moment.

Eric had explained that it could affect others, and it was affecting Marcus.

Does this mean I outrank him?

I struggled to get my emotions under control. I had no business walking in here, giving off the wrong vibes. Yes, I was an alpha, but that didn’t mean I had real power—not when it came to packs with proper leadership, which was exactly what this place was all about.

The elevator doors dinged and slid open. Marcus stood in one corner, waiting for me to exit. I stepped out, and he followed promptly, looking glad to be out of the cramped space.

“I do know your father,” I said. “But I just met him recently, and he invited me here. I’m... new to the werewolf scene here in St. Louis.” I had no idea how else to explain my situation. I honestly didn’t want everyone knowing that, in terms of being a werewolf, I was in diapers. “I’m a bit nervous,” I added, hoping that would explain my dominant vibes.

“I see.” He seemed to relax, to see that I had no intention of exerting myalphanesson him. “I would like to say you have no reason to be nervous, but I would be lying. It’s the nature of what we are, I suppose. But I’ll introduce you. C’mon, follow me.”

He guided me past the elevators and down a narrow hall. Grunts, soles squeaking against the floor, thuds, frustrated growls, and even curses came through a set of double doors, letting us know that everyone was already hard at work.

As we prepared to walk in, I took a deep breath and hoped I wasn’t making a mistake.

Chapter 12

We stepped into a largeopen area as wide as the building itself. It had slick hardwood floors like a high school gym and was illuminated by harsh fluorescent lights. The windows on the far end were covered by hanging blinds that swung from side to side under the blasting current of the air conditioner. Despite that, the temperature here was a few degrees warmer than in the corridor.

At first, everyone continued doing what they were doing, which amounted to one-on-one combat. About fifty people were arranged in couples. They circled each other in a crouch, displaying claws and sharp teeth as they searched for an opening to attack. My eyes snapped to one of the couples as a wiry man dressed in nothing but basketball shorts propelled himself toward his opponent, intent on murder.

Said opponent, a man twice his size, attempted to get out of the way, but was too slow and, somehow, ended up on the floor with the smaller man’s legs wrapped around his neck and a pointed claw aimed at one of his eyes.