“So you just keep family apart, then? That’s your solution?”
I immediately hated his entitled tone. The guy hadtwerpwritten all over him, though I tried hard not to judge by first impressions. Maybe he just missed his sister. If I had a true sister, I wouldn’t want to be separated from her either.
“No, not at all. If you’ve joined a new pack, your sister is welcome to leave the Hungarian pack and join you wherever you both are comfortable. But we won’t force her to be a loner with you, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Alajos glared at Jerica. “A good sister wouldn’t have to be forced.”
“Stuff it, Alajos. It’s not my fault you can’t get accepted into a half-decent pack! Maybe if you held down a job and didn’t constantly stir up shit, we’d already be in a new pack. But no! You care more about getting wasted than you do about your own family.”
Okay, so my first impression had been spot-on.
“There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun, Jerica.” His sister’s name dripped with venom. “Besides, I don’t want to leave the Hungarian pack. Our family was one of the founding members.”
Lucien’s tone was one of long-suffering patience. “I don’t think you understand. You’ve already left this pack. We only granted you an audience today because you said you had information.”
Alajos crossed his arms over his chest, jutting out his chin in defiance. “I’m not giving you a damn thing if you won’t even consider letting me back in the pack or sending my sister out.”
“You fucking bastard,” Jerica seethed, shooting to her feet and rearing back a hand to slap him. Galyna stepped forward and caught the hand easily before she could take the swing, carefully marching her back a few steps before she could start a physical altercation.
“I’m not dealing with you if you’re going to act like a brat.” Alajos rolled his eyes.
“I’m the brat? That’s fucking rich. You expect me to be homeless, andI’mthe brat?”
“Okay, I think it’s time you took a walk. Back to that home of yours.” Galyna escorted Jerica out, giving me a nod on the way past.
“Back to the information you have,” Lucien said smoothly, glossing right over the embarrassing scene between the siblings. “You’re going to have to tell me something if you expect me to negotiate with you. You’re asking a lot and offering nothing in good faith.”
Alajos rubbed his chin, considering. “Petró was working with a gnome. Had an outstanding order for something important. But nobody outside his circle knew.”
Lucien snorted. “I already know about Sandrine. If that’s all you’ve got, you don’t have nearly as much leverage as you seem to think.”
Alajos swore. “Okay, well, do you knowwhyhe was working with the gnome?”
I ground my back teeth at the fact that Alajos couldn’t be bothered to use Sandrine’s name, even after being given his name. We were more than just our species. It was the same stupidity the lynxes pulled in lumping all wolves together.
As a supernatural community, we could do better.
“Magical protection devices, yes, I’m aware.” Lucien waved a hand and turned away from Alajos and toward Olivia as if bored with the conversation. But I knew an interrogation technique when I saw one.
Tricky, tricky, Luce.
“Yeah, because those pixie sons of bitches are making devices of their own! They went against their agreement with Petró!”
All eyes landed on Alajos with renewed interest. Punk he might have been, but that evidently didn’t preclude him from being in the know.
“Go on,” Lucien drawled, still in that same bored tone.
“No. I’m not saying another word unless you promise me something in return.”
“Fine. Fair is fair, and this is a negotiation. I’ll offer you a solid place in a pack, for both youandyour sister, if she’s willing to live with you again. But you’d better make it worth the trouble. I can’t go around making deals with exiled wolves for lackluster information.”
Alajos snorted. “Yeah, put all the five-dollar words on it you want. I’ve got the hookup. I was there with Petró when he met with the SOB who threatened us.Us, after we put the suspicion on the new high alpha, just like their weakling king wanted!”
“Threats are nothing to take lightly,” Galyna mused, wandering back in without his sister in tow.
“That’s what I said. The pixies were supposed to split things. We get Europe, and control overallwolf packs in the world after they helped us take out the new high alpha. They got the rest of the globe for all species except wolves.”
Olivia’s face paled, and she clasped her hands tightly together in front of her as Alajos continued his disgruntled ramble. I resisted the urge to walk over to her side and draw attention to her distress, though it went against my nature.
