“Do you think that’s likely?” Carter asked. Witches were expensive, and if the Texas pack were going to use one to attack, this was not the logical way to go about it.
Owen looked like he agreed.
“No. It would be extremely impolite to take a job to undo someone else’s work, and as a rule we witches don’t trespass against each other that way.”
Carter gave Owen a droll stare and said, “I thought witchesateeach other. That seems a bit more than impolite.”
“That’s different,” Owen said, a bitter expression crossing his face. “Fucked up as it is, unbonded witches are fair game. Once you find your familiar, however, you’re safe. Even from sabotage.”
Carter found that hard to believe. In his experience, people who were willing to kill for power didn’t have much time for politeness. Then again, what did he know? Maybe professional discourtesy was a bigger sin among witches than murder. It wouldn’t be the weirdest thing Carter had come across in the supernatural world.
“Have you talked to Grayson yet?” he asked. If Grayson had sabotaged the meeting, he must have had a plan for how to explain the failure of the wards.
“He called me the morning after,” Owen said, rolling his eyes. “He’s convinced that the Texas pack hired a witch.”
Carter frowned, wondering how he was going to deal with this. The Texas pack had cut off all communications, and disproving that they had used a witch would be next to impossible. They didn’t even know if the Texas alpha lived through his injuries, though the lack of a declaration of war pointed toward his continued survival.
“I asked my grandmother if she would be willing to check the wards, but she said no. As long as I’m not targeted she’s not going to get involved.” Owen tilted his head to the side. “I think she might have put out a general warning to stay away from the pack, though. She knows that if there were a conflict that I’d be involved, and she can be a bit overprotective.”
Carter blinked. A statement like that would be taken to mean that the Forest Hill pack was under Owen’s grandmother’s protection, and from what Carter had gleaned the woman was significantly scarier than her grandson.
That threw all of Carter’s calculations out of whack. No one in their right mind would attack a pack that had two witches at its back.
“I’m sorry, you wanted coffee,” Owen said, jumping out of the couch. Before Carter could protest that it really wasn’t necessary, Owen had left the room. Carter folded his hands over his lap and looked around.
It was a nice living room. A mix of modern art and family photos hung on the walls, giving it a lived in feel, and the view of the garden and woods edging the property was beautiful.
“Here we go. Milk or sugar?” Owen asked, carrying a tray into the living room.
“Neither,” Carter said, taking the cup Owen offered and bringing it to his lips. The coffee was brewed just right, and Carter closed his eyes in pleasure.
“So do you think Grayson set you up?” Owen asked, making Carter choke on the coffee he’d been enjoying so much just a second ago.
“What?” he said, hating how poorly he was concealing his emotions but unable to do anything about it.
“Luke thinks you’re gearing up to take over as alpha, and that this was Grayson’s way of stopping you. He thinks we should stay out of it and let it play out.”
Carter was honestly surprised. He’d never suspected that Luke understood pack politics. His disastrous decision to sleep with Grayson’s son had certainly seemed to indicate that he didn’t have a clue.
“I’m not going to challenge Grayson,” Carter said. It hurt to actually say the words out loud—hearing himself admit that it wasn’t possible—but it needed to be said.
“Why not? You’d make a better alpha, and you can take him.” Owen sounded perplexed, and Carter wondered how he would be feeling right now if he really had been planning on taking over.
“I just can’t. I could take Grayson, sure, but I wouldn’t be able to lead effectively after I’d become alpha.”
“Then why are you here?” Owen asked.
“What?” Carter was confused by the question.
“I figured you’d come by to make sure I wasn’t siding with Grayson and that the wards were your roundabout way of finding out where I stood. If that’s not the case, why are you here?”
“I want to find out what happened,” Carter said. That wasn’t so hard to understand, was it?
“Oh… Are you sure you’re not taking over? I just spent the whole night convincing Luke that it would be for the best, and I’d hate to have wasted all that effort for nothing.”
That made Carter frown. “Luke wouldn’t have supported me? After everything Grayson did to him?”
Owen shook his head, looking fond at the thought of his mate and familiar. “He just thinks you’re intimidating. I mean, I get it, just look at you, but it’s not like you could ever hurt him. And you’d be good for the pack in the long run. Grayson is a terrible alpha.”
