CHAPTER SEVEN

"I have a strong suspicion little brother is doing something he shouldn't be," Colin said grumpily as he tossed another file across the desk.

"Will you at least make some attempt at focusing?" Noah countered, annoyed with his brother's constant interruptions.

“Someone’s grumpy,” Colin whispered under his breath.

His brother heard him of course, as he'd intended, but Colin only received a glare in response.

The two brothers were currently ensconced in Noah’s office in the Pack House—the man had a lot of offices—pouring over reports for the past fortnight. This was the method that the Alpha had employed for settling disputes in the pack now. Since challenges were all but forbidden now, wolves often duked it out without the official strings attached.

Unfortunately, those fights could get just as bloody—and deadly, as official challenges. Not only had that added to the issue of their dwindling numbers, but they’d also had to start worrying about human involvement. And the humans so loved to be involved.

Since Shifters had come into the light, it had been a bloody struggle to coexist with humans. It was like taking a lion cub home and trying to raise them as domesticated cats. Not smart. Eventually, chafing under the restrictions of human rules and laws, more shifters developed their own communities, and even towns. Some, like the Bridgeway Pack, had already been in existence long before humans had become aware. Most of the town had been occupied by Shifters, and the humans that had lived there had chosen to remain when they'd learned their neighbors were a little more beastly than they'd thought.

The humans now tended to mind their business unless they believed Shifters were infringing on their rights. And Shifters mostly played nice, since it paid not to be perceived as wild animals. The Council was in place to ensure that Shifter numbers didn't dwindle, and they often played mediator to make sure that human feathers were unruffled. And their feathers often got ruffled when Shifter fights broke out.

The Bridgeway Pack had to find new, less bloody ways to solve pack disputes. They had first attempted to do so during pack meetings. Those hadn’t been any less bloody, with the Alpha and his Betas often having to get involved.

They’d consequently had to move to their current system. Any disputes had to be submitted through a formal, written report. The Alpha and his Betas would settle the more mundane ones, while those of more gravity would undergo a formal trial in the presence of a Council member.

No one had particularly liked the new method, including the Alpha himself, who had implemented it—werewolves were inherently physical creatures after all—but, it had been an effective solution to the problem they had faced.

They could also be petty, Colin thought, glaring over at the stack of reports he’d yet to touch.

There were over a dozen complaints regarding neighbors and land encroachment.

Colin was already annoyed that he wouldn't be seeing Leah until later that night.

It was insane that he could miss someone he'd seen only a few hours ago. The shift that had occurred in their relationship might not have been formally discussed, but it didn't make it any less intense. Besides, in Colin's opinion, having his face covered in the evidence of her pleasure was as official as he needed. And Christophe had agreed.

Unfortunately, their older brother was very fond of verbal communication. It was also true that their older brother had yet to get his hands on the most delectable little package that was Leah Perry. Surely, If Noah had felt how snugly her little pussy had gripped his tongue, he wouldn't be able to sit so calmly reading reports about grumpy wolves.

Noah slammed the file he'd been reading on his desk, and glared over at Colin.

"If you're not going to be any help, at the very least, don't be a hindrance!" Noah groused.

Colin's grin was unregenerate when he asked, "Was I thinking too loud?"

Noah's responding glare had no effect on Colin whatsoever. The younger man sprung from his perch on his side of the room and approached his brother's desk. He was in dire need of a break.

Noah rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, momentarily giving up on trying to get Colin to focus.

"Admit it. Christophe always pretends to agree with whatever we say and then he just goes on ahead and does what he wants anyway."

Noah raised a sardonic brow, "That sounds more like you than it does Christophe."

Colin smirked. "That's probably true. But our little brother is a lot more like me than he is like you, in case you haven't noticed."

"It makes one wonder why I put up with such insubordination from my Betas."

"Nepotism probably," Colin quipped.

"For a split second, I just imagined ripping your tongue from your throat," Noah responded quietly.

Colin's grin became positively wicked, "Leah wouldn't like that very much. Of the three of us, I'm confident my tongue is the most talented."

"Please leave."

Colin perked up at that, "Can I really?"

"Yes," Noah reached for a file he'd already gone through and tossed it at his brother's chest.

"The Cannes brothers found another carcass at the north end of their property. Handle it."

The Cannes we're one of the original families of the Bridgeway pack. They owned most of the farmland on the northeast end of the town and contributed largely to the town's economy.

Colin frowned down at the file he'd caught instinctively, "That's the second one this month."

"They're convinced it's deliberate, but not so convinced it's a personal message."

"You think it's for the Pack?"

"That's what you're going to find out."

"This better not take long. I have a date tonight."

"How long it takes is up to you. Let's hope your nose is half as talented as your tongue."

"Oh my," Colin praised, sniffing the air experimentally, "is that wit, I smell?"

Colin narrowly escaped being bludgeoned by a desk lamp before he escaped the office.