Page 16 of Found Objects

“I warned you, you chose to ignore me, so what is it you expect me to say?” I tried not to sound frustrated. I was tired, which I never used to be, but I’d found, over time, that I’d fallen into the same circadian rhythms that governed everything else. I wasn’t nocturnal anymore, nor was I constantly vigilant, as it was no longer warranted.

“There were six altogether, Merritt, that crossed your land, but only five wound up unconscious. Cole’s little brother, Evan, wasn’t affected.”

“Who’s Cole?”

“He’s Justin’s cousin, our alpha’s nephew.”

“So both he and Evan are the alpha’s nephews,” I stated for clarity. I liked to know things.

“Yeah.”

“But Evan was fine and the other five were out cold.”

“Yep. And as soon as they passed out, they shifted back into humans—naked humans, I might add, on the edge of your property.”

“Why’d you say it like that?”

“What?”

“You said ‘naked humans’ like that’s weird.”

“Did I?”

“Yeah, ya did.” Fletcher backed me up. “You always emphasize weird shit.”

“Can you two just—why didn’t Evan pass out?” Reggie asked irritably.

“I suspect he wasn’t hunting,” I stated flatly.

“But he was with them.”

“It doesn’t matter. The barrier reads hearts and minds, not what actions appear to be.”

“That’s some barrier.”

“Again, I warned you.”

“Yes, you did,” Reggie agreed.

“Well, all six boys, not one of them older than sixteen, were hunting a buck, planning to rip it apart when they caught it, which was stupid. I mean, we’re wolves, but we don’t eat raw meat. The kill would have had to be carried back to the main house and… I don’t know. We’re from Manhattan; we have no idea what to do with a dead deer.” Fletcher sighed.

Kids out in the forest pretending to be apex predators. What could go wrong?

“But Evan was going to stop the others. That’s why he was following.”

“Which, again, is why he didn’t pass out,” I said.

“Poor Evan. When the others hit the dirt, he thought they were dead. He came tearing back to where we all were, camping out after running, shifted, and told us the others had all been killed by something he couldn’t see.”

“You’re telling me that you have wolves in your pack who can’t tell if something is dead or alive even when they’re shifted to their animal form?”

No answer.

“Seriously?” I was astounded. “Did someone at least teach them basic skills so they don’t get themselves lost in the forest?”

Still nothing from either of them.

“Are you kidding?”