Page 34 of Hellhounds Never Lie

“No. No problem.” Van shook his head, then he looked at the cat. “Quit trying to stir up trouble. We’ve got enough as it is.”

Paws lifted his head as if to say he was above such antics, but the grin on Ash’s face suggested the cat was often caught up in the middle of things.

“Speaking of trouble, did you find the other wolf?” I asked.

Van frowned, like he wasn’t sure he wanted to answer.

Ash leaned forward. “Did Rob send him away?”

“We followed his trail out of town to a point north of Willow Lake at that old, abandoned gas station.”

I didn’t know what he was talking about, but Ash nodded like he knew.

Van heaved out a deep breath. “We found him there. Dead.”

Ash jolted in surprise. “Dead?”

“I scented other wolves out there too. The scents were all fresh, but I couldn’t say for sure if they were there at the same time. The amulet is missing. And, except for the scents, the site didn’t offer any leads.”

Even if Van didn’t have the evidence, it was easy to guess that the wolf had met up with someone from his pack, probably to drop off the magical amulet, and was silenced, permanently. We all sat back and thought about that for a minute. I mean I was happy the threat the wolves posed had been eliminated, but that didn’t mean Ash was safe. I prayed that by losing two of his pack—one arrested and one dead— Rob had learned his lesson and wouldn’t send any other members of his pack to come after us.

Jake brought our drinks and the menus to the table. We ordered our lunches quickly, then waited for him to leave before resuming our conversation.

“What about the wolf you arrested?”

“He won’t talk. Honestly, he stinks of fear. It got worse when we told him about his buddy.” Van frowned. “What kind of pack is Robbie running out there?”

It was still weird to hear Van and the others refer to Rob as Robbie.

“He’s a shit alpha.” I thought back to my week there. “Doesn’t understand that loyalty isn’t fear-based. I don’t get why they all stay there with him, to be honest.”

Van clenched his hands, flames danced in his eyes, and his nostrils flared before he slowly relaxed. It looked like it took effort. “Do you know why they left Willow Lake?”

“I don’t,” I said, then I glanced at Ash.

“I mean I’ve heard rumors, but I don’t know the full story,” Ash said with a shrug.

“About twelve years ago or so, the previous alpha and his wife died in a car accident. I tried to investigate, but in the end my superiors ordered me to stop.” He clenched his fists again. “They had two sons, Hayden and Robbie. As the oldest heir to the alpha, Hayden was chosen as the successor. Robbie, being a self-important little shit, decided he’d make a better alpha, even though he was young and immature.”

I took a sip of my drink, loving the way it burned on the way down, and waited for Van to continue. Some of the other supes in the room were quiet too, as if they were listening in. I wondered if they caught the same subtle insinuation that I had… that Hayden’s parents had been murdered.

“Hayden’s father had been inviting other supes to move into town for years by that point. He loved the diversity and often held celebrations for all supes, rather than focusing on his pack. Said the Eternal Magic in Willow Lake was healthier and stronger because of it. Hayden wanted to do the same thing. But Robbie got talking in people’s ears, whispering about how these people were taking jobs away from the wolves, how they were undermining the pack’s authority, how they were corrupting the pack’s beliefs, and how all the other supes were just using the pack and looking for weaknesses to exploit so they could take over.”

Beside me, Ash shivered.

I whistled and shook my head. “What a bastard.”

“Exactly,” Van agreed. He took a long draw from his beer before wiping the back of his hand across his mouth.

Van’s story was interrupted by a couple of people coming to say hello and then delayed again when Jake delivered our meals to the table. I’d followed Van’s suggestion and ordered a spicy burger. One sniff, which burned my nose, told me it was going to be good. My burger was covered in spicy peppers and hot sauce and was so tall it almost toppled when the plate was set in front of me. Perfect. Ash’s “blazing inferno” flavored hot wings smelled almost as good as my burger. I’d definitely have to try those next time. We’d taken a few bites when I gestured to Van to continue.

“So… what happened then with Rob?”

“The bastard was cleverer than anyone had given him credit for, that’s for sure,” Van said after he’d swallowed a bite of his lunch. “Because sure enough, the wolves started believing it. Sure, not all of them, but enough that it was causing problems. Then one of the pack, a young wolf who Robbie’s friend had been trying to court, fell for someone else, a raven shifter. Everything came to a head. Robbie spewed a lot of hate to anyone who’d listen. Talked about how the other supes were stealing their mates now and all that.” He sucked in a deep breath and eyed the half-eaten burger in his hand, like it held all the answers. “Hayden was never going to kick all the other supes out of town. That just isn’t his way, even if a lot of the pack sided with Robbie. In the end, I think Robbie just decided it was easier to leave with his followers instead of challenging Hayden to become alpha. He never would have won a challenge and he knew it. Honestly, if we hadn’t been watching so closely, I sometimes wonder if…” Van’s words trailed off, but it was easy to figure out what he was going to say.

…if Robbie would have murdered Hayden to take over the pack and Willow Lake.

“Another couple of wolves were found guilty of Carl and Judy’s deaths, but… Something about that never sat right with me. Anyway, a bunch of wolves followed Robbie into the woods and have been a thorn in our side ever since. They never do anything that’ll draw the SC’s attention, but they tend to skirt the law too often for my comfort.”