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So he walked with deliberate slowness down the hall instead of chasing, instead of rending and tearing sweet, metallic, blood-drenched meat between his teeth, just as he’d taken the elevator instead of running up the narrow stairs where soht bump into him and spill the drinks

Da had been crazy to send hi it that even a clueless hu with hi up when he’d arrived for lunch as requested and it had been only his father aited hi house’s kitchen

Da had eaten his own lunch and waited until Charles had finished his before leading the way to the study His father shut the door, sat behind his desk, and pursed his lips, giving Charles his "I have a job for you and you aren’t going to be happy with me" look Father-son meals often included that expression on his father’s face When Da wanted to talk to him alone, it was seldo, to hear what his father had to say His as agitated, unhappy - and that meant he could not sit on the chair provided and hinder his ability toat me about you," Da said

"Asil?" Asil didn’t particularly like him - and Charles hadn’t so much as seen Asil for a couple of weeks Which, come to think on it, was a little odd in a town so sht sneeze twice and never notice they’d driven all the way through it

"Anna, of course, goes without saying," Da continued

Charles braced himself She knehy someone had to keep order; she knehy it had to be hi, but it warht so If her opinion had h, it was so that had to be dealt with Charles, as the Marrok’s son and longti the violence down to unnoticeable-by-the-public standards His reputation - and who his father was - kept the packs fro to war to protect their ohen someone needed to die

"I knohat she had to say But Anna is wrong Brother Wolf is not ready to break loose"

"No," agreed his father softly "But your grandfather would tell you that you need to cleanse yourself of all those ghosts you carry with you"

Charles flinched He should have known that his da would understand as happening to him Da wasn’t a spiritual man, not that Charles could tell, anyway He was pretty sure that his father couldn’t see the ghosts the way that his grandfather would have But his da had a way of seeing right to the heart of things when he wanted to

"I have tried," Charles said, feeling about thirteen "Fasting and sweat lodge haven’t worked Running Swi"

"You hold on to them because you do not feel that their deaths were just"

Charles turned his head away slightly and angled his eyes down but not so far that he couldn’t see Da’s face "It is not for me to determine the law, only to carry it out"

Da frowned at hihtful "I had a talk with Adam Hauptman"

Charles raised his eyebrows and found a dry voice to say, "Adam is worried about me, too?"