“I tried. He didn’tanswer.”
For a long minute, Lucas stared at me as though trying to decide whether to trustme.
I rubbed my clammy palms against my jeans, then looked around the room that was almost identical to mine: same beige drapes, flannel-covered armchair, copper light fixtures, white sheeting. Only the landscape painting on the wall wasdifferent.
“Look, I came to you because I thought you could help me figure out if I should be worried aboutAidan—”
“You should always worry about people who have too much money and influence, but we’ve got a bigger problem than that bed-ridden asshole rightnow.”
My extremities turned bone-chillingcold.
Lucas dropped into the armchair, then leaned forward, elbows planted on knees, fingers slotted together. He watched me as though contemplating whether to tell me. Finally, he said, “This morning Liam found out something was stolen fromHQ.”
I frowned. What did the Boulders keep in Headquarters that— “The selectionstick?”
Lucas snorted. “Youwish.”
I didwish.
“The pack’s entire supply of Sillin ismissing.”
“Sillin? You mean the anti-shiftingpills?”
Henodded.
My mother had made me ingest Sillin for three weeks when I’d moved to LA to prevent my body from shifting and to dim my scent in case other werewolves were in the area. She didn’t want anyone sniffing me out. Lone wolves were deemed loose cannons and, thus, were hunted down by packs. Eventually, distance from the Boulders caused my body’s werewolf gene to become dormant, and I no longer needed thedrug.
“Why would someone steal them?” Iasked.
“According to Greg”—it took my brain a second to remember he was the pack doctor—“they don’t make themanymore.”
“So?”
“So there’s a market forthem.”
I couldn’t believe I was having an actual conversation with Lucas without wanting to throttle him. “Who do you think stolethem?”
“We don’t think; we know. Cole checked the surveillance feed as soon as Liam calledhim.”
“Who tookthem?”
“Who do youthink?”
I gritted my molars. “Seriously, Lucas? You’re going to make meguess?”
“Everest. Everest fucking took them. And guess when? At the exact time you showed up at the Watts’ warehouse to duel Liam. And the only reason we didn’t catch him earlier is because when there’s a duel, the whole fucking pack has to be present, which meant the person in charge of watching the surveillance feed of the inn and of HQ was at the fuckingduel.”
I bristled. “Are you insinuating it was myfault?”
He let out a ragged breath, running his palms the length of his face. “You didn’t know what he was up to,right?”
“How could you even ask me that,Lucas?”
“I’m sorry. We’re just trying to figure out what his endgame is, that’sall.”
“Are they worthmoney?”
“You think Everest stole them for monetarygain?”
