Whispers of the Wolf

His Surprise

I followed her, and then sat in the chair that she pointed to.

"I'll make you some tea while Radley gets dressed." Claudia started to pile cups, sugar and tea onto the counter next to the electric kettle.

The same place where I saw Radley sitting last night. He had been talking to someone last night.

Was it the person he'd had sex with?

A sharp pain stabbed my chest at the thought and I shook my head. My wolf whined and he hung his head. Who would have been in this house that late at night? As far as I knew, Claudia and Radley didn't have many visitors. Everyone in the pack was told to keep their distance. To be nice but not overly so.

I still didn't know why.

And I had yet to ask my father. There just hadn't been a good time to bring that up in conversation. Too many things had been going on lately.

Maybe later?

Claudia was busying herself at the counter, and I watched her back, noticing how slim she was. I knew she was an older wolf, but she seemed so much ... older somehow. More frail than the last time I had seen her.

If that was even possible.

My eyes fell to the kettle again, and to the countertop it was sitting on, remembering a certain mate of mine that was sitting there last night.

"Claudia." My voice sounded raspy, so I cleared my throat. "This curfew ..."

"Hmmm?" She kept her back to me, pouring hot water in the cups.

"You know it's to keep you all safe, right?"

"Of course." Her voice was clipped, almost as if she was already tired of this conversation.

"So, you would tell me or my father if anyone visited you after dark?"

She spun around, a frown etched on her face. "What are you getting at, Alaric?"

Sighing, I ran a hand down my face. "I just wanted to know if you had any visitors last night."

"No," she snapped. "We don't have visitors. You're the first person to come to the house since you and your father were here the other day."

Oh.

"So, no one was in your house last night?"

Claudia crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at me. "Why would anyone come here? Your father made sure that everyone stayed away from us."

Well ... I stared at her, realising what she was saying.

She was right.

A cold shiver ran along my arms and my wolf laid his ears down again, whimpering.

She started walking towards me, jabbing a finger at my chest. "You, your father, your mother, everyone in this pack ... you're all the same," she growled. "Never bothered with us. Just shoved us on the edge of the pack, hoping that we would just stay here and not get too close to anyone. None of you accepted Radley because of what he was -"

"That's not true!" I leapt to my feet, my wolf growling loudly in my mind. "I will accept Radley regardless. I don't care if he doesn't have a wolf. He's still a member of this pack!"

Claudia laughed, but it was a humourless one, a bitter one. "You think Radley has no wolf?" She chuckled and shook her head. "For a future Alpha, you sure are clueless," she snarled. "Just like your father."

She glared at me, clearly not bothered by the fact she was challenging her future Alpha. My wolf was pissed off at being challenged and he was growling loudly in my mind. I was taller, younger, stronger and one hell of a lot angrier than she was right now ... What she was saying about me, about my father ...

Wait.

I blinked, taking a breath.

What did she say about Radley? He ... had a wolf? But I thought ... didn't she tell my father that she was glad when it looked as though he didn't have a wolf?

Fuck. This didn't make any sense.

I opened my mouth to ask her, when my father's voice cut through the mindlink.

"Alaric," he boomed. "Where are you?"

Sighing, I ran a hand down my face, grimacing at my wolf who had flattened his ears against his head once more at the sound of his Alpha's demanding tone.

"I'm at Radley's house."

"Why?"

Why indeed.

Taking a breath, I closed my eyes, aware that Claudia was staring at me. "I promised him that I would take him out. Show him around. Maybe take him to the mansion. You know, treat him as part of the pack."

Silence.

I couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.

Fuck.

Better try again.

"I'm going to be Alpha of this pack one day. I thought I would get out and meet all the pack members. Make myself approachable. You always said ..."

"I know what I said," my dad snapped, and I could imagine him pinching the bridge of his nose, something he always did when he was frustrated.

And that was exactly how he sounded right now.

I heaved a sigh, waiting for him to speak.

"Okay," he muttered after a minute of silence. "Take Radley to the mansion. And let your mother look after him."

"Why?"

"We found a trespasser last night. I'm going down to the cell to see him now and I need your help getting some answers out of him."