Gypsy Moon

Chapter Sixty-eight: Bryce

. . . . . . (early June)

/:We need to talk, privately.:/

Aiden's grip on my hand was almost painful, but I pasted the same fake smile he was wearing onto my face and followed him to his office. He barely waited for the door to close before picking up a vase and hurling it against the wall.

/:What happened out there?:/ I wasn't about to be overheard. He responded in kind.

/:The f*****g s**t stain that tortured Gyam survived.:/

/:But you-:/

/:Tore his throat out, yeah.:/ I watched him pace furiously around the room, his face contorted with anger. /:I SWORE to Gyam that douche was dead.:/

/:Because he was. You nearly tore his whole damn head off.:/

/:Well CLEARLY that wasn't enough. And he somehow allied his impossibly not dead ass with a huge f*****g group of Hunters.:/

/:Which also makes no sense. I've never heard of more than two, maybe three Hunters working together.:/

/:Exactly.:/

/:How did-:/

/:no.:/ Aiden refused to look at me, but he did stop pacing. I considered him quietly for a moment.

/:I will contact Dei and Inage, see if they or his Kin know of any lore that might be relevant.:

/:I SWORE to him, Bryce.:/

/:I cannot imagine he thinks you had lied to him.:/

/:I didn't lie to him, I failed him.:/

/:No you didn't. That wolf was dead. We will figure out why he didn't stay that way.:/

/:You didn't see him, Bryce.:/ I tilted my head at his distant expression curiously. /:I was afraid.:/

/:Zombies tend to be scary.:/

/:Not the wolf.:/ He lifted sad eyes to mine. /:Gyam.:/ I blinked.

/:What do you mean? Gyam scared you?:/ He shook his head slowly.

/:No... or, yeah? I-:/ He cut himself off. /:If I never see that look on his face again, it'll be too soon. I want Gyam to come home, not who I saw.:/ He shook his head again.

"Go be with Sinah, I think you need to be around her for a while." I pointed him toward the elevator. He nodded gratefully and practically punched the button. I waited for the doors to slide closed before turning on my heel and opening the office door. As I expected, a pair of young wolves were patiently waiting to clean up the shattered vase.

"It practically vaporized, be very careful." I shook my head. "Next time he'll clean it up himself, I know he knows better than to act like that, I don't care if he is Alpha." The pair giggled and began cleaning and I passed through the door to my adjoining office, passing through the darkness to the Delta's office. Lilian was sitting behind the desk, talking over a headset and typing so swiftly it was hard to follow her fingers.

"Hang on, he just walked in. Bryce, details." I chuckled and saluted her.

"The dead walk once more, Hunters work in large groups, and Aiden hates vases."

"That is not details, that is the opposite of details, and yeah, I heard that last one." She turned her attention back to the screen. "Yes, Hunters. A large group? Mm-hmm. Not specific numbers. Let me know what you find." She clicked a button to disconnect the call and glanced up from the screen. "What about dead people walking?"

"Apparently the wolf behind the attack was the one Aiden killed the night we found Gyam." She stopped typing and blinked at me, pursing her lips.

"A nearly year old corpse... attacked them." I nodded grimly.

"According to Aiden, yes. With a gang of Hunters." She groaned.

"So are we thinking about dark magic or voodoo or what?" I shook my head.

"No clue. Aiden is in mild shock I think." She nodded and began punching buttons on the phone.

"Elder Richards? It's Lilian Roth. Mm-hmm. Research. Mm-hmm. About that..." I chuckled and backed back out of the room. I winked at the pair back in the Alpha office.

"I feel sorry for Elder Richards." They giggled again and peeked through my office to Lilian in the room beyond.

"She has three chat windows open."

"I think she has a video call going, too." They pulled back and looked up at me as I closed the doors.

"Is that much work normal for a Delta?"

"Goddess, no, just Lilian I think." I looked the pair over, they looked about old enough to get their wolves soon. I shook my head at the boy and grinned at him. "Don't worry, even if either of you get an Alpha mate, you can't possibly be as busy as Lilian unless you're mated to the freaking King. And then you'd have your own Deltas." The boy gasped at the thought of being mated to the king and the girl giggled.

"The King already has a mate, Beta Bryce." I nodded and tugged the pair into a conspiratorial huddle.

"True, but you know, this pack has a reputation for being extraordinary..." The boy blushed furiously and the girl giggled at him. "Run along, you two, I'm sure someone will be looking for you by now. Let me know if either of you feel a strong pull towards Europe." I grinned as they closed the door behind them.

/:Goddess knows we'll want a vacation after this.:/

. . . . . .