“And my window?” Mother pressed.
He arched a brow at Simon. “Shared costs? They would not have come if the bears hadn’t been here.” He sneered as he said the word “bears,” as though he was referring to rats.
“Are you saying you can’t control your own? Because mine did nothing wrong.”
Wolf’s expression turned condescending. “You are a new alpha just arrived in Detroit. In this city, we share the burden.”
Simon didn’t say a thing. He simply turned to Alyssa who had been tapping on her tablet. “Not according to Nanook’s records. He’s detailed every dime he thinks is owed—”
“Nanook is dead,” Wolf snapped, his eyes flashing yellow as he referred to the old Griz alpha. The one Simon had killed two days ago. “There are no debts.”
“Agreed,” Simon said, his voice again excruciatingly calm. “New slate. No debt. But if I fix Mother’s window, her block and the ones north of her become mine.”
Every single wolf reacted to that. The ones who were wolves growled. One even howled. The humans bared their teeth and made sounds that had Hank’s skin crawling. But not a one moved forward, though Hank was braced for it. And Simon—coldhearted machine that he was—didn’t even blink. He kept his body relaxed and his attention square on Wolf.
And then one of Wolf’s men stepped forward. He was an older man with thick muscles and the slightest bit of gray around his temples. He didn’t speak, though. Simply waited for Wolf to acknowledge him, which took another excruciatingly long minute.
Eventually Wolf nodded. Then the man spoke.
“I will fix the window, Mother. In thanks.”
Hank had no idea what she’d done for the man, but it was enough to break the impasse. Especially when Mother smiled and added her two cents. “Your boys turned out to be fine men. I’d be grateful for the help.”
So it was done. The wolves picked up the dead Antwone with reverence. The wolflike hybrid, not so much. They had body bags with them, and whereas the wolf was settled with care, the hybrid was all but thrown inside. And given the smell, Hank really couldn’t blame them.
Cecilia opened her mouth to say something. Probably to ask to autopsy the bodies, but Hank squeezed her arm to silence her. She subsided with a mulish pout, and for that show of intelligence, he was profoundly grateful.
It took a surprisingly short amount of time. The werewolves were quick and efficient, as if they were used to picking up bodies and whisking them away. Meanwhile, Wolf turned his attention to Cecilia in a way that made Hank bristle from his bear’s protective instincts.
“What have you learned about the Detroit Flu?”
Cecilia shook her head. “Inconclusive so far, but I’m excited to take another look at our data. Now that I know more.”
“And who will you report your findings to?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but then abruptly frowned, her expression uncertain. She looked to Hank, but he couldn’t tell her what to say here. She was in on the shifter secret, but that only meant she was in the same vise of uncertainty that they all lived in. How to keep their existence a secret in a modern city?
“Who would listen?” she finally asked.
“You will send them to me,” Wolf said.
Simon interrupted. “Actually, she’ll send them to me, and I’ll pass them on to all the alphas. As part of my clan, she is my responsibility.”
Meanwhile, Cecilia had run out of patience. “Look, as fun as it is to visit feudal society, I’m here for the science. We all need a cure for the Detroit Flu, and I’ll happily email my results to anyone who will listen.”
Hank sighed. “No, Cecilia—”
“Agreed,” Wolf cut in. Then he pulled a crisp business card out of his pocket. “Here is my card.” He held it out to her but only by a few inches. It would require her to cross several feet to take it from him. She went without hesitation while Hank fought every instinct within him to let her go even that distance. He didn’t release her arm, though. And he was prepared to yank her backward if Wolf did anything suspicious.
He didn’t. But that didn’t mean Hank wasn’t ready to tear out his throat just for getting near Cecilia.
And then the bastard had the gall to smile at Hank. A slow, knowing smile that taunted while Hank fought his inner bear. Bears didn’t give way to wolves. Ever. But if a pack coordinated their attack, then an outnumbered bear would lose every time. And innocents could die in the process.
He wasn’t willing to risk Cecilia that way, so he kept a fierce hold on his instincts. And the moment she had Wolf’s card in hand, he jerked her back behind him. Meanwhile, the wolf alpha looked to her.
“I’ll have three wolves visit you tomorrow night, Dr. Lu, at your hotel. To answer your questions.”
“One,” Hank corrected.
