An angry shout made me jump. Before I could register the movement, Clive and Vlad stood between me and the angry man. László, the Buda pack Alpha, was standing at the tree line, a look of horror and outrage on his face.
Clive said something, but then László threw his head back and howled.
From the forest, wolves stalked toward us. At least forty of them surrounded us.
Shit.
Twenty-One
Werewolves Aren’t Known for Their Trusting Natures
The Alpha snarled something at us and the wolves moved in.
“Stop,” I shouted.
Clive translated. He says we have no right to be on pack lands.
“And we have no desire to trespass in your territory. We’re only trying to return a child to her mother.” I didn’t know how common the name László was, but given his reaction to our touching this grave, I wondered if I was holding the remains of his sister or daughter.
Clive translated. You have Viktoria’s contact. You dumped the bloodsuckers’ victims on us. Made us clean up their mess. Made us cover for those demons! Now you defile my family’s resting place?
Growls filled graveyard.
Vlad turned and moved behind me, facing the pack. I was being caged in a vampy sandwich.
“Not defiled. We were trying to reunite your family, to return her to her mother.” More growls and some snapping jaws. Knowing they hated the vampires, I switched from we to I. “I found the remains of a werewolf child. She was in an old, condemned building?—”
The Alpha interrupted with a word. Clive translated for me. Where?
I turned to Clive. Am I allowed to say?
No.
“I can’t tell you that.”
Deeper, more angry snarls answered that.
“But there was a paper with her name on it. We—I looked up where the Csonkas were buried so I could return her to her people.”
Clive translated. There was silence and then the Alpha stalked toward us. If you are lying, I will kill you myself. He stopped, his eyes on the bag in my hand. What’s her name?
At this point, I was looking over Clive’s shoulder at the Alpha because there was no way Clive was letting any of the wolves touch me.
“Her name is Aliz.”
At my words, the Alpha howled and demanded something, his arms outstretched.
He wants you to give her to him.
I lifted the bag. Clive took it from me and held it out to the Alpha, who tore it from Clive’s grip. He unzipped it and looked inside, dropping to his knees.
They did that thing again, moving faster than I could track. I was on Clive’s back. He and Vlad leapt over the ring of werewolves and raced back toward the Danube.
Sorry, love. I had to get you out. There was no more logic or reason at that point. He was mourning and we were the ones who’d brought him his sister’s bones.
Are we sure Aliz is his sister?
Vlad was right, Clive told me. I’d found this graveyard as soon as I started searching. While he told you about his wife, I texted the San Francisco Historian for any information about this girl, the name, the Alpha, whatever he had. He responded while you were in the bathroom, washing your face. László, the Alpha, was attacked by a rogue werewolf when he was thirteen and his sister was ten.
