I growled in frustration. “Fine. Don’t take this seriously.”
His jaw ticked. “Have you called Liam?”
“I tried. He didn’t answer.”
For a long minute, Lucas stared at me as though trying to decide whether to trust me.
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 was different.
“Look, I came to you because I thought you could help me figure out if I should be worried about Aidan-”
“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 right now.”
My extremities turned bone-chilling cold.
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 from HQ.”
I frowned. What did the Boulders keep in Headquarters that- “The selection stick?”
Lucas snorted. “You wish.”
I did wish.
“The pack’s entire supply of Sillin is missing.”
“Sillin? You mean the anti-shifting pills?”
He nodded.
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 the drug.
“Why would someone steal them?” I asked.
“According to Greg”-it took my brain a second to remember he was the pack doctor-“they don’t make them anymore.”
“So?”
“So there’s a market for them.”
I couldn’t believe I was having an actual conversation with Lucas without wanting to throttle him. “Who do you think stole them?”
“We don’t think; we know. Cole checked the surveillance feed as soon as Liam called him.”
“Who took them?”
“Who do you think?”
I gritted my molars. “Seriously, Lucas? You’re going to make me guess?”
“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 fucking duel.”
I bristled. “Are you insinuating it was my fault?”
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’s all.”
“Are they worth money?”
“You think Everest stole them for monetary gain?”
“You said they were rare. Maybe he took them to buy himself alliances with other packs.”
Lucas perked up at that theory.
“Or maybe he’s planning on using it on us?” Like I’d used it on Heath, which had been Everest’s idea.
Lucas’s pupils became pin-sized.
“You hadn’t considered that?” I asked.
He slapped his hands against his knees, and the loud clap startled me. “Fuck me.”
“Never.” The word popped out before I even realized I’d uttered it.
Lucas smirked, but then the effect of my humor was lost as we both mulled over my suggestion.
“We have to call Liam,” Lucas finally said.
And so we did, and this time our Alpha answered.
Liam stormed into Lucas’s bedroom about fifteen minutes after our phone call, arrowing straight for me. Once he reached my side, he cupped my cheeks and swept his gaze over every inch of my face as though to ascertain I was unscathed. I wasn’t sure why he imagined I was hurt, but who was I to complain someone cared enough to worry about me? One of his hands drifted down my arm to my fingers, while the other drifted over the faint white scars he’d inadvertently clawed into my cheek during the last trial.
Lucas updated him on our theories and told him about the bike. In the grand scheme of things, the bike seemed futile.
“He doesn’t know about the meeting today, does he?” I asked.
“He didn’t pledge himself to me, so no, he didn’t hear.” Liam stabbed his hand through his tousled hair as he paced the small room. “If the bastard plans on poisoning us with Sillin, he has another think coming.”
“At least Sillin can’t kill us,” I ventured, but regretted my words when both Liam and Lucas slanted looks at me. Sure, I’d given some to Heath, but it was the silver cord Everest had wound around the Alpha’s neck that had snipped his life.
“Sillin might not kill us,” Liam said gently, stopping his mad prowl, “but it’ll steal our edge.”
I swallowed back the overwhelming guilt. Even though Liam hadn’t been a fan of his father, Heath had been his only remaining parent, and I’d had a hand in his demise.
Liam ran his thumb over my furrowed brow. “Stop blaming yourself.”