FATE OF THE WOLF

Why had Kendra, her loving sister, ended up dead? — here, of all the godforsaken locations in the States? Maybe That was the reason—off the usual route, surrounded by woods, a place to flee from the harsh realities of the forced marriage, secure from Ursus’s retribution should he ever have located her. But she hadn’t been safe. And Suddenly, she was dead. Out of the corner of her eye, Mary Jane thought she saw her cousin, Ruby, slink into the woods in his wolf shape, but she had to be mistaken. He wouldn’t be angry enough with her to shapeshift, thus being close to Gantt Town and risk alerting the gray lupus garou pack that a couple of reds had crept into their domain. Ignoring her gut instinct, I told her this was a terrible foolish idea, she shoved open the Gantt Town Tavern’s heavy door, the screeching of the old hinges shocking her. taut nerves. Five bearded guys sitting at a table turned to stare at her, and at once she dreaded the worst—they saw straight pierced her disguise. She put the false eyeglasses back into place. disliking the way they kept slipping down the bridge of her nose. The weather-beaten cowboy hat she’d picked up at A resale shop half swallowed her head, making her look like a small kid wearing her dad’s Stetson. Amber glass lamps dangling from brass rods above softly illuminated dark oak tables and a long, polished bar. Slow-spinning wooden fan blades are circulating. the air, filled with the stench of gray lupus. garou. Her nerve endings prickled with fresh awareness. Dingy antique mirrors cover the rear wall behind the bar bore mute witness to the goings-on in the place, as She suspected they had for decades. If they had captured All the images of the bar’s existence—what a story those mirrors could tell. Another bearded man is crouching behind the lip of The bar immediately stood to his full six-foot-four height. The glass and dish towel he clutched nearly slid from his hold as his evaluating eye took in every inch of her. His lips turned up at the edges slightly. Deep laugh lines were imprinted on his tanned skin and shaggy black hair. stretched to his shoulders, giving him the impression of a savage mountain man, unused to civilization trappings. What worried her most was that he was gray, like the Men were drinking at the table. She’d imagined it would be a human-run business frequented by Lupus Garous, like the bar back home. “What’ll you have, miss?” He asked, his voice warm. and welcoming. Expecting a frosty greeting—their kind didn’t welcome strangers wandering into their midst, especially If she were human and this was an exclusively gray Lupus Garou Tavern—she paused. “Miss?” “Bottled water, please.” She’d meant to sound tough, to complement the look of the place. She’d intended to be someone else, with her red hair turned black and the high-heeled heels, creating the impression she stood taller, more like them. The blue contacts she wore her emerald eyes adequately, but she still felt like Mary, triplet to Kendra, with virtually any discernible difference in appearance, only her eyes were greener, and her hair more crimson and less golden than her sister’s had been. Had Her voice betrayed her. The tiny smile on the bartender’s face was more likely because she was a stranger who’d walked into a wolves’ den without protection than because she’d handed herself away. She scolded herself for not disguising her voice better, but the barkeep’s warm nature gave a false sense of security, which could be the death of her if she wasn’t careful. The bartender offered her a chilled bottle of water. and tall green glass. “New in town?” “Just passing through,” she said, paying for the water. “Sam’s the name, miss. If you need anything, just holler.” “Thanks.” Hollering for a drink was absolutely not her style. She chose a table in the farthest part of the chamber, half-hidden in shadows. Although any of them could see in the dark as well as she could, this location would keep her out of the main flow of traffic. She thought she’d seem unobtrusive, not worthy of anyone’s inspection, and most of all, humans. Mary glanced at the door. According to her information, Frank Gantt—Kendra’s widower mate — should be here soon. One of the men got up from his seat and gave Sam some cash. The man gave Mary Jane a hint of a smile, then returned to his chair. Small for gray, stocky hair plain brown, eyes amber, his garments bearing a coating of dust, he had a gentle, round baby face. It looked sweet. beta-wolf type. Smudges of dirt coated his cheeks, and He wiped them off with the back of his denim shirt. His eyes never wandering from her, he straightened out his raggedy hair and took another drink of his beer. Sam joined Mary Jane and handed her the cash. “ Joe Kelly paid for your drink, miss. He works at the gantt. mine, which explains his slightly rough appearance. But He cleans up well." Sam gave her a wink and returned. to the bar. Should she turn down Joe’s offer? On the other hand, If he was interested in her, maybe she could uncover the truth quickly. “Thank you,” she mouthed to Joe Kelly and his chest swelled. The other guys started teasing him with low whispers. The The tips of Joe’s ears went crimson. Her stomach was constricted by the notion that Kendra had had the audacity to mate with a gray, especially when she had a mate already. She’d stated that she wanted to find herself. and she did. Six feet under. Yet Mary Jane couldn't help. believing it was her own fault, that if she’d taken Kendra’s place back home, or perhaps run away with her, she might have kept her secure. But what about the parents? She couldn’t have left them behind—not with her dad, so incapacitated—but hell, she hadn’t been able to safeguard them either. They had been murdered regardless. She tamped down a shudder, regretting that she hadn’t prevented any of it. But once she discovered what had happened to Kendra and placed the murderer in his grave. Mary Janewas was going to locate her brother and their uncle. Damn both of them for leaving the family behind. The barkeep clinked some glasses, his gaze taking her in. in like a crafty old wolf’s. He was probably the younger side of middle age, yet due to the beard, he seemed older. The smirk still percolated on his lips. Trying to figure her out out? Or did he recognize what a fraud she was? Hunting in The woods were nothing new, but hunting like this... She twisted the cap off her bottled drink and glanced down at her watch again. Only four twenty-five. “Waiting for someone?” Sam asked, one dark brow cocked.