lick Rule’s muzzle : wolf-speak for You’re in charge. Let’s be friends. Rule allowed that for a moment, then licked him back once. The black wolf wriggled like a puppy.
Deborah was still breathing too fast. Still on the edge of panic. “I don’t know what’s going on. What happened to Ruben? What did you do? He’ll be himself again, won’t he?”
“Eventually. I think. I, ah . . .” Lily struggled for words to explain the inexplicable. “The CliffsNotes version is that I’ve been babysitting a mantle—that’s a magical construct that Rhos use to unite their clans, and you need to not tell anyone, anyone at all, about mantles, okay?”
“That will be easy. I don’t know anything to tell.”
“Details later. I had to babysit this mantle for a while because the Rho of that clan died without an heir. For some God-only-knows-what reason, today the Lady decided to put the mantle into Ruben. Somehow that triggered him into going into First Change. I don’t know how. It sure didn’t do that to me, and he’s not lupus either, so—”
Rule yipped.
“You mean he is? He smells lupus?”
He nodded.
Deborah looked more baffled than ever. “Is he—is Ruben okay now?”
Lily looked at Rule. “Is Ruben going to obey you? Because you need to clear out. I need to clear out. I came here because they’re going to arrest him. Did you get my message?”
Rule yipped again, glanced at Scott, and made a little circle in the air with his muzzle.
Lily frowned. “Why do you want Scott to Change instead of you doing it?”
Scott wasn’t as blindingly quick as Rule, but fast enough. In a few seconds he stood there, entirely naked, cradling his broken arm. “Where’s the chicken?”
“What?”
“The chicken. Rule needs to feed him.”
“The refrigerator,” Deborah said quickly and hurried to it. The black wolf shivered as if her movement excited or frightened him, but a glance from Rule kept him still. Deborah took out a package of chicken breasts. “Do I—”
“No, I do.” Scott snatched the package, ripped off the plastic, and advanced a couple steps before going to his knees and scrunching down, his head bent low, to set the foam tray on the floor. He shoved it toward the wolves.
He was underscoring Rule’s dominance, Lily realized. Baring his nape, submitting to Rule, showing the black wolf that all the other wolves in the room let Rule boss them around, too.
Rule stepped away from the black wolf, who started to rise—until Rule’s head swung around, teeth bared. He went flat again. Rule then inspected the offering in a leisurely way, sniffing it thoroughly. The black wolf quivered but didn’t move.
Rule-wolf selected one breast, crunched a couple times, then gulped it down. Then he used his nose to push the tray toward the other wolf—who looked at him as if asking permission. Rule stepped back. It’s all yours.
The black wolf was on his feet and devouring the chicken like he was on fast-forward.
Rule made a single, low noise, sort of a grunt. He looked at Scott. Scott frowned, then his eyes widened. “A car. I hear it now. It’s out front.”
Drummond? Maybe. Probably. “Quick,” Lily said, turning to Deborah. “Go see who it is. Don’t let them in. See who it is and let me know.”
For once the woman didn’t argue. She ran. Lily spun back to Rule. “You have to get Ruben out of here. They’re going to arrest him. If they find him here like that”—she waved at the black wolf, who’d polished off the chicken and was licking the wrappings—“he won’t be able to control himself at all. He won’t understand what’s happening. God. You’ll need clothes.” She flung the next words at Scott as she hurried to the back door. “Can you go with them? With your arm?”
He was already bending, scooping up piles of fallen clothing with his good arm. “Of course.”
Rule nudged Ruben with his nose. The black wolf snarled but stopped hunting for another scrap of chicken.
Lily fumbled with the lock, then flung the door open. “Make sure you’ve got Rule’s wallet and phone. Hurry.”
Rule gave Lily a single glance, then shoved at Ruben with his whole body before loping out the door. The black wolf followed as if he’d been told to. Scott was a few seconds behind with one arm circling their bundled clothing, the other one propped uncertainly on top of it. He hadn’t taken time for clothes, but he’d slipped on his shoes.
Lily shut the door, grabbed the tray the chicken had