I tossed the bottle into the garbage, lifted my middle finger back at him, and just kept walking. He was right. We both knew that was where I was going, but the bastard didn't have to be so amused about it.
CHAPTER 14
Two days later, and I still had no idea who'd been running behind Elena's house the other night, calling for the moon. Lane had been sniffing around her place and said he was sure it hadn't been a wild pack. But in the year and a half since Wolf's Run had been open, too many of us had used those trails, and the scents were almost impossible to isolate now. He thought the most recent belonged to some juveniles.
My problem wasn't that kids wanted to check out the humans. That was normal. Mostly, I was worried that someone wanted to scare Gabby - or worse, her mother - and I wouldn't have that. Then there was the whole issue of my rules being ignored. So, I decided to go find the one person who knew Gabby best and could actually talk about this.
It was five o'clock on Wednesday when I knocked on the Whelans' door. Roman's parents should be home from work by now, and they deserved to know I had questions. It took a while before I finally heard the lock click, proving someone had come to let me in.
The door opened to reveal Kim, Roman's mother. It took her a second before she recognized me, but the moment she did, her eyes dropped to the ground. "Welcome, Alpha."
"Would you mind if I come in?"
"Never," she promised, stepping back to open the door wider. "I hope there's not a problem?"
"Me too," I agreed, reaching out to clasp her shoulder. "Kim, I just wanted to know if I could talk to your son for a moment."
"Roman?" she sounded worried. "Is everything ok?" Then she raised her voice. "David? The alpha's here."
Unlike his wife, David entered the hall with a smile on his face and a hand offered in greeting. "Ian! To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"I need to pick Roman's brain. He's been doing a favor for me, and I'm hoping he can help me again." I looked at Kim. "And I'm pretty sure it's nothing bad. Just kids being kids. I'm just trying to figure out which ones."
She nodded quickly. "I'll go get him. David, would you make our alpha comfortable?"
Her husband gestured toward the living room. "I think you still make her nervous, since she's already been thrown out of one pack for being too dominant. Beer? Soda?"
"No, thank you," I said, claiming a space on their couch. "Was it really that bad in Montana?"
He dropped into the chair closest to me. "The Stoney Bluff pack was pretty intense. Traditionalists, you understand. Natural wolves and converts were not considered the same class, and Kim is a real bitch when it comes to her family. Just figured you should know that."
I nodded, hearing exactly what he didn't say. I was here to talk to Roman, and she wasn't sure if I was a threat to him. Lucky for her, I wasn't. I also respected her right to be worried - and to protect her own.
"Wolf's Run is supposed to be something new," I told David, hoping to reassure him. "A lot less fighting to the death and a little more civility. If we want to survive this changing world, we need to adapt to match, because we will be discovered. As many cameras as are out there now?"
"Yeah, gets easier to prove our existence every day. Is that why you have the human in the front office?"
I scratched at the side of my beard. "No, that was my sister. Elena Castillo is her best friend, almost a blood sister. She hopes that with time, revealing what we are to her will help us learn how to handle others, and she's adamant Elena wouldn't betray us either way. I'm not so convinced, but the woman needs protection, so I've given her mine."
David just smiled. "Doesn't hurt that she's a very nice-looking lady, either, does it?"
"Not at all," I mouthed, making sure not even a breath of sound came out. Then I said, "This is more about family honor."
"Gotcha."
Before the silence between us could become uncomfortable, Kim returned, herding her son before her. The moment Roman saw me, he grinned, lifting his fist