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Asil sighed "Woain, theatrically "Peace, child I do understand You are O their ri bitter Anna knew that he didn’t always get along with Charles, but dominant wolves often had that problem with one another "You just have to have a little faith in hi oes When he caic to send his wolf to sleep, and as soon as the as quiet he left without a word"

"You expected living with a olf to be easy?" Asil frowned at her "You can’t fix everyone I told you that Being O-dead ht Anna all that she knew about it, which he seeave him some sort of in loco parentis status Or a doesn’t mean poithout end Charles is a stone-cold killer - ask him yourself And you knehen youabout hi to deal with accepting the situation you got yourself into"

Anna stared at him She knew that he and Charles weren’t boso She hadn’t realized that he didn’t know Charles at all, that Asil saw only the front he put on for everyone else

Asil had been her last, forlorn hope Anna levered herself off the table She turned her back on Asil and strode to the door, feeling the heavy weight of despair She didn’t kno to s were Bran was the one who counted Only he could keep Charles home She had failed to persuade her father-in-law She’d been hoping that Asil ht out and would be for a few ht of the waxing moon She held the door open and turned back to Asil "You are all wrong about hi, but no one is that strong He hasn’t picked up an instru a note for months"

Asil’s head ca that he knew so about her husband after all

"Perhaps," he said sloith a frown, rising to his feet "Perhaps you are right His father and I should speak"

ASIL LET HIMSELF into the Marrok’s house without knocking Bran had never objected, and another wolf ht think he just never noticed Asil knew that Bran noticed everything and had chosen to allow Asil’s subtle defiance for his own reasons And that was alh to make Asil knock on the door and wait for an invitation to enter Al on the big TV She looked up as he passed by and didn’t bother s, while a woman screamed shrilly from the surround-sound speakers When Asil had come to Montana, Leah’d flirted with him - his Alpha’s mate, who should know better He’d allowed her the first one, but the second tialanced up at him and then away, as if he bored her But they both knew that he scared her Asil was slightly ashamed of that, only because he knew his mate, dead but still beloved, would be disappointed in hi Leah to be afraid of hi her know that her flirtations were unwelcoain her whatever it was that she wished

Had he not expected the Marrok to execute him in short order - which was the reason he’d coh job of it But he was not unhappy that Leah ignored him as much as possible - and less unhappy that the Marrok would not kill him than he had expected to be Asil found that life still had the power to surprise hier

He followed the sound of quiet voices to the Marrok’s study, pausing in the hallway to hen he realized theto the Marrok was Charles Had it been anyone else, he’d have intruded, expecting the lesser wolf - and they were all lesser wolves - to give way

Asil frowned, trying to decide if what he had to say would play better with Charles in the rooy would be important A dominant wolf, such as him or Bran, could not be compelled, only persuaded

In the end he decided on a private talk and continued on to the library, where he found a copy of Ivanhoe and reread the first few chapters

"Romantic claptrap," said Bran from the doorway Doubtless he’d scented Asil as soon as Asil had walked by the study earlier "As well as historically full of holes"

"Is there soood for the soul Heroic deeds, sacrifice, and hope" He paused "The need for two dissi for historical accuracy"

"Good thing," grunted Bran, sitting down on the chair opposite the love seat Asil had claie it"

Asil went back to reading his book It was an interrogation technique he’d seen Bran use a lot and he figured the old ould recognize it

Bran snorted in a the conversation "So what brings you out here this afternoon? I trust it wasn’t a sudden desire to read Sir Walter’s dashing roave his Alpha a look under his lashes "No But it is about roroaned "You’ve been talking to Anna If I’d knohat a pain in the ass it would be to have an Oa who doesn’t back down in my pack, I’d have - "

"Beaten her into submission?" Asil murmured slyly "Starved and abused her and treated her like dirt so she would never understand what she was?"

The silence becaave Bran a malicious smile "I know better than that You’d have asked her to coood for you to have so joy of having an Oa around I remember it well" He sht he’d never s as hell, but good for you She’s good for Charles, too"

Bran’s face hardened

"Anna ca Bran carefully "I told her she needed to grow up She signed on for the hard tiood She needs to realize that Charles’s job is tough and that so to need time to deal with it" That was not exactly what he’d said, but he’d have bet it hat Bran had told her His Alpha’s blank face told hiet