Page 10 of Wishes in the Moonlight (Rocky Mountain Wolves #4)

~Troy~

One of my eyelids had begun to itch but I fought down the urge to scratch at it, afraid to move and miss a single word being spoken at the end of the room.

Although I stood roughly twenty metres away from them, I could hear every word thanks to the device worn in my ear, a piece of tech the border guards used to amplify their werewolf hearing.

Amanda didn’t seem to know about them but that didn’t surprise me.

Alphas looked at the big picture, not the details of how each team in the pack performed their job.

She thought she and Kalo were speaking in private, but I had no intention of missing any crumb of information the stranger might drop.

So far, he hadn’t said much that I considered useful, but when he agreed to explain how he knew about our pack, I found myself holding my breath.

“Last night, I was in a bar in Canmore when three men came in, looking like they’d been in some kind of fight. One had a blood stain covering half his grey t-shirt but he didn’t seem to care. I offered to buy them a drink if they told me what they’d been up to.”

Canmore was a human town about fifty kilometres away from us as the crow flew. Several mountains stood in the way.

“Why did you care?”

Amanda’s voice sounded clipped and controlled, and although I couldn’t see her from my current position, my imagination quickly filled in the blanks, picturing the way she did her best to appear casual when she didn’t want anyone to know how uncertain she actually felt.

Kalo shrugged, an easy gesture that conveyed casual confidence. “I like a good story. Besides, I was bored and had nothing better to do.”

That sounded like bullshit to me but I kept my mouth shut as he continued.

“One drink turned into a few and their tongues loosened. I found out they belong to a werewolf pack located on a large ranch south of Calgary and they were testing out the border security of another pack, one which had just been taken over by a new Alpha. It didn’t take long to realize they meant this one. ”

My eyes darted to Devon at the other end of the hall who also wore one of the enhancing earpieces. You hearing this? I asked him in my head.

The guys from the border last night , he confirmed. It has to be.

“Another drink or two and they told me they’re making preparations to move against you since they’ve heard not all of the pack members are happy about a woman being their new Alpha.

They believe enough of your own pack can be swayed to switch sides or at least not to put up a fight if it means removing you . ”

The emphasis he put on the last word made it sound far too close to a threat for my comfort.

Hunter growled inside my head. Why haven’t we locked this asshole up yet?

I didn’t know, so I gave him the only answer I could. It’s not our call to make.

Amanda, for her part, took the revelation calmly. “Did they say where they learned any of this information?”

“They didn’t, but considering the distance over which news seems to have travelled, I would hazard a guess that it’s not by word of mouth.”

Online, then. If people within our pack were planning a mutiny, cutting off their internet access would be an easy first step.

We were too far into the wilderness to get a reliable signal without the pack’s central service.

That went for phone calls too. With a flip of a switch, Amanda could disrupt all communication with the outside world.

It didn’t solve the problem of the external people who were already conspiring against us, though. That would be where my team came in.

Apparently, it was also where Kalo’s thoughts were headed.

“I have some useful tricks to secure your borders more forcefully in the short term if necessary, along with helping you to determine where the internal threat might be coming from. You can see why I thought you might appreciate my services at this particular moment.”

“It’s very convenient,” Amanda agreed, but despite the calm words, I could hear the undertone of suspicion in them. Too convenient, she meant, and on that point, we were in complete agreement. “I suppose you’ll need access to our defense systems to make your preparations.”

Kalo’s smile felt entirely too intimate. “You really don’t trust me. I can see I’ll have to prove myself, but that’s okay. I enjoy a challenge.”

If he kept flirting with my mate, he’d have to face the challenge of my wolf ripping his throat out. Somehow, I suspected he wouldn’t enjoy that very much.

“You won’t have to let me in on any secrets. As long as I can speak to the appropriate members of your team, I can work with them to implement changes at no risk to you.”

“This all sounds a little too good to be true,” Amanda told him frankly.

“Especially since I don’t know what I’m expected to give you in return.

You say that people you’ve worked with previously haven’t kept up their end of the bargain, so what happens then?

What if I can’t give you what you’re asking for? ”

Kalo inclined his head in a show of submission that rang false. “I promise you will be able to meet my requirements, as long as you’re willing. As for those who chose not to… well, they discovered that the work done for them wasn’t as permanent as they wanted to believe.”

What the fuck did that mean?

“I wouldn’t wait too long to make your decision,” Kalo warned, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. Though I couldn’t see Amanda, I could tell his gaze was locked on her. “The wolves I spoke to last night intend to move soon. A delay of even a day could be dangerous.”

“Of course you’d say that,” I muttered out loud, unable to stop myself, and a second later, Amanda’s voice echoed in my head.

Did you hear all of that?

Shit. I hadn’t meant to give myself away, but facing a direct question from my Alpha and my mate, I couldn’t lie. Yes.

What do you think?

Surprise flickered in my chest that she wanted my opinion, followed quickly by pride. I’d expected a scolding but this felt like an olive branch.

He’s trying to create a sense of urgency to make you give in. It’s a classic sales technique. Give nothing away until you speak to the Beta and see if she’s learned anything. I can offer to give him a tour of the territory to give you more time.

Spending time with Kalo appealed to me about as much as taking a bath with piranhas but I’d rather have him where I could keep an eye on him and as far away from Amanda as possible.

Thank you , was all she said in reply before responding to Kalo out loud.

“I have an important matter that needs my attention now, but one of our border guard captains will show you around. I understand you won’t begin any work until we come to an agreement, if we come to an agreement, but at least in the meantime you can get a better understanding of our territory so no time is wasted.

If we can’t work out a deal, at the very least you’ll get a pleasant walk. ”

Kalo smiled again as he sat back in his chair once more. “As you wish.”

Amanda’s face appeared from around the high back of her armchair. “Troy, could you please join us?”

Ensuring I wore as neutral an expression as possible, I strode over to the sitting area and bowed my head to her. “Alpha.”

“I’m leaving our visitor in your hands for the next few hours. Please ensure he’s given something to eat and drink and give him an overview of our land.”

“Of course.” I bowed to her once more before turning my attention to Kalo, my back stiffening as our eyes met. “Come with me.”

Please , Amanda’s voice said in my head.

“Please,” I added through gritted teeth.

As the stranger stood and followed me from the room, I realized that for the first time, Amanda and I had spoken by mind-link and I hadn’t even been able to truly enjoy it. As important as our mate bond was to me, her safety took priority.

The sooner we figured out the truth about Kalo, the better.