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Everyone, apart from Anton, was in the airy canteen by the time we arrived There was a brief lull in the conversation when I walked in, so approval whilst others showed distaste and even a tinge of fear Whether that was because of the danger er of me myself, I didn’t know and didn’t care to wonder I also didn’t dare look over at the Brethren’s table to see as in their eyes Ai for a nonchalant air, I tried tolike I was in pain It really wasn’t very easy at all and my head oozy by the time I made it Betsy pulled up a chair besidere on Bit by bit, everyone else returned to their lunch

Unfortunately I realised rather belatedly that the outside catering Johannes had called had set up a buffet Excellent More walking More standing More pain I reached down under the table and began pulling out one of the screws frogling to find enough inanities to blather about to coverthe screw, I nodded at her and we stood up I dug the screw sharply into the pal sharp pain was an antidote to the constant drug dulled ache froh toAs I walked I pushed it in further, breaking the skin and drawing blood When we passed the Brethren’s table I thought I saw the Lord Alpha inhale sharply, but there was no way on earth that he’d be able to sht now after all the y Toain properly and h However I ined it because he returned to his plate, with a brief flash of brilliant white teeth visible as he bit into a slice of crusty bread

I picked up a plate and lay it down on the side so I could o of the screw in my palm With one hand, I randomly selected bits of food to fill it up I desperately needed to eat butother than Johannes’ food had gone Now I just needed the calories Betsy was forking spoonfuls of what looked like a creairl frohter, then?" She inquired archly

I blushed, annoying myself "Ulance over her shoulder at To food on my plate, in an aard one-handed fashion

"You" She peered at ht not be such a clever idea to do that, you know Not shift I uy’s death and all that, but if you’re really sore…" her voice trailed off

She had absolutely no idea "It’s fine," Ichocolate cake on top of your shepherd’s pie"

I looked down at , wishing she would just go away

"Lucy," said a deep se’s arrival?"

She snapped to attention and at once bobbed her head, light brown hair bouncing off her shoulders as she did so The Lord Alpha As if things couldn’t get any worse Lucy rape off a nearby plate and looked at me in much the same way that a cat would like at a mouse before it pounces on it and kills it I squared htly to look back at hiister Betsy’s panic from over his shoulder but I kept rape into his ? His green eyes held mine steadily but he re to say then Weather?

"It’s fortunate the rain held off," I said God, I was an inane idiot so but I could swear there was a measure of a from his still body and wondered briefly at the apparent fact that he’d had to fight for the Brethren leadership position I tugged nervously at my ponytail "I mean, then you’ll be able to find the trail of whatever killed John without the scent being washed away"

He leaned closer into ht a sudden whiff of a deep, clean and very htened"Were you there?"

"Uh, where?" I barely resisted the urge to take a step back

"At the beach When his body was discovered"

I had no idea what to say Should I say yes or try and lie? "U her plate to the floor where it hty crash and splattered food in twenty different directions The Brethren Alpha turned around so quickly it led "Oh, I’ there I had no idea that the Brethren were so powerful in person, and you the Lord Alpha as well" I could swear she batted her eyelashes just then "Just what is your na htly I owed her more than one by now

After lunch was over, the Brethren rose smoothly as if they were one and headed outside Apparently this ti to the scene of John’s death to see it for theations, would begin on their return I was starting to feel more norht that a bit of an afternoon siesta was called for That way I could wake up in control, out of pain, and ready The other pack , whilst I o to the room that Tom and I ‘shared’, but I knew that my narrow bed in the dorm would makeslightly groggy The pain ineable I didn’t dare take any more painkillers just yet I pulled on an old sweatshirt and went in search of so black coffee

The keep itself was very quiet I passed a couple of packquietly about their own business, but it was clear that most were outside somewhere and that the Brethren hadn’t returned yet All the better forwhere I usually left it, so I tried to backtrack to where I’d last seen it I was definitely so of a hoarder and didn’t like to replace iteht hard before realising that I must have put it down in the office when I went to check the weather on the Othernet That had been before going out forof John’s death It seeo now

I letit propped precariously on top of a pile of papers Letting out a sh of satisfaction Ipast John’s study door as I did so I paused, as a thought suddenly struck me It was just possible that there would be sohts on it on his co his sanctuary like that - but he was dead now and could hardly be hurt bythat would help ht and walked deliberately back to the study door, wrenching it open with purpose Even though the office door itself was closed, I took an involuntary glance backward toand then stepped inside I left the door slightly ajar behind ns of the pack or the Brethren returning

It was neat and tidy, and al in its fa to the air I didn’t want to sit down in his old cracked red leather chair - that just seemed like too much of an intrusion - so I perched on his desk instead and booted up the cohtened to the login page Shit I had absolutely no idea what John would have used for his password I thought carefully and then tried typing in his birthday The error screen popped up almost immediately Then I tried pack, Cornwall, shapeshifter, even password, but none of theers drummed on the desk impatiently John wasn’t particularly tech savvy so I doubted he’d have picked so of random letters and nu around his desk I started to lift up papers but there was nothing that ju around his personal belongings, I began opening up the desk drawers The top one just contained an array of slightly chewed penstheir lids, and the odd paperclip, whilst the next one doas filled to the brim with printouts of the pack’s financial stateht buzz around it as if it arded

I carefully lifted out one of the chewed pens and touched the tip of it to the lock on the bottohtly and melt Okay, then, not that drawer just yet then I looked around the rest of the office for guidance There were shelves overfloith every conceivable shifter how-to guide Paperbacks on different otherworld species, hardbacks on weapons and fighting techniques, even a large edition of Cooking With Aunt May, ‘everyone’s favourite lupine chef’ My side was starting to hurt again and I put my hand out to steady myself on the desk Instead of the hard wood, however, ht John had always had it, for at least as long as I’d known hile" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">