Series: Werewolves of Wall Street Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Catherine notices me studying the guard. “Security is tight. It has to be. Brick wouldn’t leave you undefended.”
“He shouldn’t have left at all.”
“What’s going on?” An ocean of kindness warms Catherine’s voice.
I swallow down a lump in my throat. I don’t know how much I should tell her. Even though I believe she’s in my corner, Brick doesn’t trust her, and she is still from the enemy pack. I keep it vague. “I need to understand everything about the history and rivalry of the two packs as well as everything there is to know about what it means to be alpha.”
“Oh, is that all?” Catherine lets out a chuckle. “No, of course, I’m happy to help get you up to speed. I know you’re very bright. I’m sure you feel out of your depth with your sudden indoctrination into our world.”
A sense of relief moves through me. I was right to bring her out here. “Yes.”
“Where do I begin? The Adalwulfs and the Blackthroats have been rival packs since New York City was called New Amsterdam. My family came over from the royal bloodlines of Germany. The Blackthroats were British pack royals. Nickel and Brick are distant relations.”
I absorb that. British royal wolves. It gives new meaning to the song “Werewolves in London.”
“As with the human immigrants to the new world, the goal was to seize ownership of land, resources and wealth to establish new, powerful packs in America. Both packs were part of the original Wall Street trading.
“The rivalry ran deep. Challenges and killings were ordinary occurrences in the old days. Then over the years, things grew more civilized. An uneasy truce developed after World War II. Instead of outright grabs for power, the focus became on undercutting each other in business. Stealing clients, buying up land for hunting, and a continuous attempt to lure the other pack’s members into defecting.”
A gorgeous young woman with long black hair and thick lash extensions comes to our table. “Good morning. Can I bring you something to eat?”
“Hi Ariadne. I would love a little fruit and yogurt,” Catherine says. I marvel that she already learned our waitress’s name. Catherine is classy. She embodies a very different leadership style from her son.
“I’ll have the same,” I say.
After Ariadne walks away, I whisper, “Is she a wolf?”
Catherine nods. “Yes. The Blackthroats bought this island to preserve it from development and then granted permanent hunting rights to the local pack. In exchange, they serve the Blackthroat pack alpha. And they are well-compensated, of course.”
Whoa. How feudalistic.
“Is there a way to tell if someone is a shifter? Signs to look for apart from the changing eye color?”
“For you? No. We go by smell.”
I nod. “Sorry, please continue about the pack rivalry.”
“Well, Brick’s in a difficult position now. His pack members will perceive mating a human as a weakness to the royal bloodline and to the pack as a whole. My brother and nephew will surely exploit it to the fullest when news gets out.” She lowers her sunglasses and arches her brows. “I haven’t heard that news is out yet, though?”
I hide my pain with a sip of coffee.
“I’m sure it’s the reason he waited until it was almost too late to claim you. Or perhaps that was more about my family’s treachery in throwing you two apart with the breach in Moon Co’s security.” Catherine sips her tea. “Although I can’t understand why Odin or Aiden would want to throw you apart. It seems it’s more in the Adalwulf’s interest to exploit the relationship as a weakness.”
“So they don’t tell you their machinations?”
“I haven’t been privy to any decisions regarding the Blackthroats since the day my father allowed Bruce Blackthroat to claim me on an altar before the entire pack.”
I draw back in shock.
“Oh yes. It was quite disgusting. He claimed me, left a pup in my belly, and was forced to leave. That was the arrangement made between our packs. He paid massive amounts of money to my pack in exchange for stolen moments with me. The rules were that he could keep the pups—but my pack would keep me.” Catherine’s eyes fill with tears.
“What? That’s horrible!”
“The Blackthroat pack would never accept me into their own, and mine wouldn’t let me go. After the pups were weaned, I only got to see them one day a week.”
“I can’t imagine how awful that was for everyone involved.”
“I don’t want my son and his mate to suffer a similar fate.”
“Well, for what it’s worth I don’t think it was your family who drove the wedge between us with the security breach. It was Billy who believed me responsible.”
“Ah, yes. Well, the Whites are notorious human-haters. He probably wanted you away from Brick. But don’t take it personally. He’s Brick’s second–perhaps not the biggest or strongest in the Blackthroat pack but certainly the most vicious. His urge and duty is to defend his alpha and the pack at all costs.”