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"Adam is worried about his mate, who is injured, cranky, and obstreperous," replied his father "So he’s not available to take on a rather tricky situation"

Charles didn’t follohere this conversation was going, so he adopted silence as a strategy Da liked to hear hihed, stretched, and put his feet up on his desk - a sign that Charles was talking to his father and not just the Marrok "I’ve been racking my brain - not to mention Asil’s brain - with how to make your job easier"

He spoke as if Adah he couldn’t see how "You have"

His father frowned at hi I’ve done has helped you"

Bran didn’t say what it was for a few moments, just studied Charles’s face as if it were not the face he’d worn every day since he became an adult nearly two centuries before

"I cannot send anyone else to enforce the rules - but I aressions in the hope that it will allow the Alpha wolves to need lesshelp enforcing them" He held up a hand and Charles bit back his protests "You are the only one I can send out, yes But if you falter, there will be no one but me - and I do not trust myself So it is necessary that you not break Anyone who has been Changed less than five years gets one warning Asil is as frightening as you - and he also is not an Alpha right now He has volunteered to go out and scare the bejeebers out of young idiots who break the rules the first tihed and assessed the needs for the wolves’ survival and had es in the laws of the packs But it wasn’t shame, but rather relief, that made him drop his eyes

"I have failed you," he said

"No, son," said Da "I nearly failed you You are, as Asil has reminded " His tone turned wry

"Asil has appointed hiuardian?" asked Charles softly Asil was overstepping hiave Charles a set bored again"

Da rocked back in his chair and studied the ceiling as if it were interesting for ahis yellow eyes back to Charles "Asil scaring the britches off our young wolves won’t be enough IWe will still need you to kill However, Adahtdilute the effect Maybe if every trip you take isn’t to go kill some more old friends and acquaintances - " Charles hid a wince, or tried to "Maybe it will help So I have a call froovernment that they need to consult with one of us about a possible serial killer"

His father saw his face and smiled without humor "Not one of us One of the killers they’ve been tracking awhile seeed his victim of choice At least three of his kills in Boston have been olves"

"Three? And we didn’t know?"

"I knew three had died," said Da "From three different packs, but someone did not see fit to tell me that they were probably connected I’ll deal with that part"