LUCAS


    "Everything''s ready for the pack rites, but are you sure our Luna won''t be there?"


    Delta Ryder looks as exhausted as I feel. Aside from the moments I stole to be with Ava at the expense of my pack duties, I''ve had no sleep or rest.


    My wolf has been silent in my head since she left. We don''t have the connection that Ava seems to have with Selene—our conversations aren''t as in depth, and he doesn''t feel like a completely separate entity as their bond is—but he still feels the loss of his pack children keenly.


    He doesn''t even have a name, and I can''t believe I''ve never asked him about it.


    I''ve always called him my wolf.


    "No. She''s intending to visit with her mother again and see if she can glean any more information." Not that I''m sure why. I want to tell Kellan to drag her back to Westwood at all costs, but that''s a terrible way to keep her trust.


    Despite having a magnet for trouble, I need to let her make decisions for herself.


    Rubbing between my eyebrows, I shuffle through more reports. Another dead scout, though we can''t find his body.


    Ryder has a few humans he trusts in the Unregistered city, but we have no word from them and no way to check on them. They don''t have a mind link like we do as shifters.


    It is limited by distance, but still helpful.


    While the city of vampires is as modern as they come and do business with the outside world, they are almost completely closed to any of the large wolf packs. Even the rogue shifters allowed within their city limits have no interest in working with an official pack. Bloodshed is more likely than words exchanged.


    Ryder''s tension in front of my desk tells me everything I need to know about the contents of the reports.


    Another sigh escapes me. "I''ll talk to them." Though I already know what a disaster that will be. Humans have no idea about the supernatural world. They''re not equipped to handle this kind of threat.


    Even if the Granite City police—who are well aware of their jurisdiction and would only send someone sensitive to the supernatural issues at play—were to join the investigation, it would be as nothing more than a gesture.


    No human can investigate a supernatural crime.


    It''s only asking for more bodies to add to the death toll, and the Unregistered don''t play nicely with any government entity at their door.


    "Any human joining the investigation is likely to have a hard time," Ryder points out, echoing my thoughts.


    "I know," I snap, my frayed nerves getting the better of me. Taking a deep breath, I force myself to relax. "I''m sorry, Ryder. I shouldn''t take this out on you."


    He nods in understanding, but I can see the strain on his face. We''re all pushed to our limits, desperate for a break in the case, for some way to strike back at the monsters who did this.


    I stand abruptly, needing to move, to do something. "I''m going to check on the preparations for the rites. Keep me updated if anything changes."


    "Yes, Alpha." Ryder bows his head respectfully as I stride past him, my mind already racing ahead.


    The hallways of the pack house are eerily quiet as I make my way outside. Even the usual bustle of activity is subdued, everyone lost in their own grief and anger. I pause at the sight of the funeral pyres being built in the courtyard, the scent of fresh-cut wood and incense heavy in the air.


    So many pyres. Too many.


    My wolf howls mournfully inside me, echoing the ache in my chest. As Alpha, it''s my duty to lead the rites, to honor our fallen and offer comfort to those left behind. But how can I comfort them when I have no answers? No justice on the horizon?


    There''s only one idea that tries to rear its ugly little head, and I quash it beneath my heel without a second thought.


    There has to be another way.