Page 29 of The Wolfing Hour

“This isn’t something you have to deal with alone.” He reached for my hand and gave it a quick squeeze.

“Thanks.” I wasn’t sure that was true, but the sentiment meant a lot. “So, did you sleep okay?”

Ronan popped a chip into his mouth. “Is this the official subject change?”

“Yep.”

“Understood.” He chewed, swallowed. “I slept okay. Better when you were beside me.”

When he said things like that, I felt all shiny inside. “Really?”

He smiled, popped another chip into his mouth.

“Heard anything from the wolves?”

At the mention of the pack, the creases around Ronan’s mouth and eyes deepened. He’d slept all morning, but suddenly he didn’t look rested at all. “Couple texts. A call.”

“Who called?”

“Trey Jefferson,” he said.

“Who?”

“The young wolf who accosted us in the park the day we visited Calvin. Loyal to Hartman. You cursed the kid, remember?”

I did remember, but not for that reason. It was the day Ronan had trusted me with the story of his life, including how his stepfather, Abel Williams, had been brutally murdered by wolf shifters and how it had changed him forever.

“I told you back then that I didn’t really curse him. I made him believe I did to ensure he kept his mouth shut.” I frowned. “Wait. If Trey’s one of Mason’s wolves, doesn’t his loyalty include Floyd by default? Why would you trust the spying little punk?”

“When our fearless leader kicked me to the curb, Trey had a change of heart. He's a good kid, and he's beginning to realize that being loyal to Floyd isn’t the same as being devoted to the pack.”

“Does this mean Mason is finally turning on Floyd? I’ve been waiting impatiently for this moment.”

Ronan shrugged. “I think we both know Hartman is a wildcard.”

The wildest of cards. “Well, I don’t trust the kid. He’s shifty.”

“You don’t have to trust him.” Ronan smiled to soften his words. “You just have to trust me.”

“And I do. So, did Trey have anything useful to say?”

“Couple things. Not much. He noted odd things happening within the pack. Some of Floyd’s closest allies have been congregating around Pallás?Place, at Floyd’s house, and on the pack-running trails outside town—things like that.”

“Floyd’s alphas have always been squirrelly weirdos. Present company excluded, of course.”

Ronan’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and peered at the screen. Sighed.

“More trouble?” I asked.

“Nothing specific. Everyone’s been on edge since my father went underground.” The phone vibrated again. Ronan scowled at it. “Go ahead and eat. We’ll talk more after you’ve got some food in your stomach.”

I considered telling him about the black SUV I’d seen at Wicked and decided against it. He’d worry, and it might not have even been Mason or Floyd anyway.

We finished lunch. Ronan washed the dishes while I ducked into the bathroom to stare at my reflection. I pretended to fix my lipstick, but I knew what I was looking for, and it had nothing to do with cosmetics.

“You don’t have anything stuck in your teeth, if that’s what you’re worried about. Anymore. You washed down the piece of lettuce with a drink of tea.”

I yelped and jumped away from the sink. “Jeez Louise,don’t sneak up on me like that.”