Frank rose from the couch and grabbed a wooden box from the coffee table, then walked over to Liam and Lucas. “An Alpha should be cunning.” He waved the box in the air. “You might be wondering why we decided to hold the meeting here. There is a reason for our choice of location. When Heath was sworn in, he was ordained to protect a very valuable pack artifact, which rested within these six little walls.” He slowly pivoted the box. “I use the past tense because it was stolen.”
“Maybe Heath got rid of what was inside,” I suggested.
Frank raised a single bushy eyebrow. “Why would he have broken the lock?”
“Because he misplaced the key?”
Eric grunted. “We’ve known about the theft for some time but haven’t acted upon recovering it until now. First we needed to locate the artifact, and we have. Julian Matz has it.”
Goose bumps the size of mosquito bites coated my arms. “So someone from the Pines stole it?”
“We don’t know who took it; we just know they have it.” Frank turned to Lucas. “So you see, Ness’s sociability with the Pines might serve her in this second trial.”
Lucas huffed.
“What exactly is it that we’re looking for?” Liam asked.
Although Frank looked at Liam, I didn’t. If I could, I would never, ever set my gaze on his face…ever again
“A piece of petrified wood.”
“Seriously? We’re hunting down a piece of wood?” Lucas crossed his beefy forearms.
The barstool creaked as Liam shifted on it. “What’s so special about it?”
“Its properties only concern the Alpha, and us.” Frank pointed to himself and the four other older wolves.
That raised my curiosity a couple dozen notches. “And if we find it, can we know what it is?”
“If you become Alpha, Ness”-he side-eyed the graying wolves-“you’ll be privy to the information.”
From the way he’d glanced at the others, I could swear that he’d sooner believe in leprechauns prancing around Boulder with pots of gold than in me, Ness Clark, a girl, becoming his Alpha.
Little did he know I had Julian’s support.
Julian’s support…
Whoa.
Julian had said he’d help me become Alpha. Like the rocks that had trampled my body during the first trial, understanding knocked hard into me. Frank was right. Julianmust’vestolen it. He must’veknown they’d come searching for it.
A new scenario played out in my head: Heath finds out Julian stole from him, gets angry, threatens Julian, who comes over or sends over a thug-like Justin-and has Heath quieted forever.
The possibility that Ihadn’t killed Heath thickened my blood, making it slide sluggishly through my organs.
“Do you think”-I moistened my lips with the tip of my tongue-“Julian had something to do with Heath’s death?”
“No.” It was Liam who answered. There was no hesitation in his voice.
I set my eyes on the black leather boot he’d crooked on his opposite knee. “How can you be sure?”
He hesitated a second before saying, “Because he knows the consequences of killing orbacking the killing of another Alpha.”
“Which are?” The laces on both his boots were untied. I supposed it was on purpose. One boot would’ve been a coincidence, but not two.
“He and his entire pack can be razed.”
“Razed? You mean killed?”
“Yes.”
Well, there went my shred of hope. The vein in my neck palpitated with disappointment. I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my white denim shorts so that no one would spot how terribly my fingers trembled.
“What if they destroyed the piece of wood?” Lucas asked, which I hated to admit, was a relevant question.
Frank rubbed the day-old white growth on his chin. “Let’s hope they didn’t.”
“How long do we have to find it?” Liam asked next.
“Well”-Frank glanced behind him at Eric-“Robbie’s wedding is next weekend, and they’ve invited our pack to attend.”
“Hell, no. You can’t be serious.” Lucas flipped the baseball cap on his head from side to back. “It’s a trap.”
“We’ve considered this, Lucas, and although we don’t believe it’s a trap, we’ve decided that only me, Eric, and the three of you will be attending. It’ll give you the opportunity to locate the artifact without breaking and entering.” Frank opened the box and held it out toward me.
I frowned as I peered at the bare interior. Did he want me to confirm it was empty?
“Smell it, Ness.”
Oh. I dipped my nose and sniffed, and my eyes watered from the rancid odor. It was the way I imagined rotting bones smelled-dry chalk and tangy decay.
Frank moved to Lucas next, who took a deep whiff. “That’s foul.”
He held the box out to Liam. I didn’t look at him but imagined he wrinkled his nose, too.
James, the thick-waisted elder, rose from the couch and hooked his thumbs underneath the suspenders holding up his khakis. While the elders still turned into wolves on full moons, the rest of the time, they were humans with normal, slower metabolisms.
“The wedding’s taking place on Julian’s estate,” he said. “We believe our artifact’s stored on the premises, thus our reasoning for sending you all to the wedding. You boys will need tuxes and you, Ness, will need a gown. You all got some?”
“Yeah. Sure.” Lucas snorted. “Got a whole closet full of tuxes.”
“Rent one, Lucas,” Eric said. “Liam?”
“I have one, but I don’t know if it still fits. I’ll try it on tonight.”
“Ness?”
“No ball gowns in my closet. Is there a place I can rent one?”