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"And you didn’t have any siblings? Or … adopted siblings? Wards?"

"Wards?" Scarlet swiped her sleeve across her nose and squinted at him "No, it was just me" She added a branch to the fire "How about you? Any siblings?"

Wolf curled his fingers into the rocks "One A younger brother"

Scarlet barely heard hiht of those three words A younger brother Wolf’s expression showed neither affection nor coldness He struck her as so, but his face seeainst that instinct

"Where’s he now?" she asked "Does he still live with your parents?"

Leaning forward, Wolf adjusted the nearest duck leg "No Neither of us have spoken to our parents in a very long ti along with your parents I guess that’s sorip locked around the drumstick, and only when a spark lanced out at him from the fire did he retract his arm "I lovedwhen he’d mentioned his brother

"Oh," she said dumbly "Are they dead?"

She flinched at her crudeness, wishing just once she knehen to hold her tongue But Wolf seeh the rocks beside hi a member of the pack One is that you’ll cut all ties with people fro your family Especially your faood home life, why did you even join theiven a choice" He scratched behind his ear "My brother wasn’t given one either when they came for him, a few years after they took me, but that never seemed to bother hi a stone into the water "It’s complicated And it doesn’t matter anymore"

She frowned It was unfathomable to her that you wouldn’t have a choice to live that lifestyle, to leave your ho--but before she could press him further, Wolf’s attention swiveled back toward the train tracks and he leaped to his feet

Scarlet turned, her heart landing in her throat

Thecar crept out of the shadows, quiet as a cat He was still srin she’d seen on him before

It took her a slow, blankhis head back, Ran sniffed longingly at the air

"Lovely," he said "It seems I’m just in time for supper"

Twenty-One

"I’ beneath the forest canopy "The scent was si to pass up" His eyes were on Wolf as he said this and the twinkle behind the the handle of her pistol, she dragged it in toward her hip

"Of course," Wolf said after a long silence, his voice dark arning "We have plenty"

"Thank you, friend"

Theby so close to Scarlet that she had to shrink away to keep her elbow fro The hairs stood up on her forear as if the shore were his own private beach After a

"Wolf, this is Ran," said Scarlet, flushing fro she could restructure her e the duck pieces Wolf inched closer to her, keeping hih his face was tinged red fro so close to the fla car," said Ran "About … as it? ‘Righteous lupine wannabes?’"

Scarlet glared at him "A topic that never ceases to fascinate s out of the pit "These are done"

She took a drumstick for herself and handed the other to Wolf Ran didn’t cori loudly at the joints

"Bon appétit," said Ran, picking at thedown his arms

Scarlet nibbled at the meat, while her two co a wary eye on the other She leaned forward "So, Ran How did you get away fro into the lake "I ht ask you the sa erratically "We jumped"

"Risky," said Ran with a sraced his features before was gone, replaced by the siht The tapping fingers, the jostling foot

"We’re still a long way fro Scarlet’s question "How unfortunate this turn of events has been For the plague victim, of course"

Scarlet adjusted the breast rateful that Wolf ith me or I’d probably still be stuck there"

"Wolf," said Ran, enunciating it very carefully "What an unusual naive it to you?"