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"Good"

The ferocity in her voice startled away some of his hatred and Wolf turned his attention back to her

"You must know his weaknesses You’ll kno best to question hiain "We’re trained to withstand questioning He won’t help us"

"But he already gave us so up the re It round "He obviously knew sonment that was canceled--what’s that about? Does it have so to do with her?"

Wolf shook his head, but she detected a clouding in his eyes "He told us what he wanted us--me--to know Or to believe I wouldn’t put stock in any of it"

"How can you be sure?"

His fingers started up again--clench, release, clench "I know Ran He would do anything to i ht nment I’d been a part of when I left … they wouldn’t cancel it It was too irandht We should keep th in his injured ar it to push hi coals and soon he had sta the duck breast that had shriveled up into a chunk of coal

"That’s not what Iput on the shore "Shouldn’t we at least try to question hi that would help? Yes, probably But he won’t give it to us Unless you plan on torturing it out of hihten him more than what the pack will do if he talks We already knohere your grand with hiht hi as Wolf reloaded their bag

Wolf laughed "A trade? For an oh his telad that the teo back to them," she said, "and tell the the pack over his shoulder, Wolf spared a final scornful look at his brother "We’ll get there before he does"

Twenty-Two

Night crept up fast The forest leaned in toward theht of a waning moon They’d passed only one junction and continued wordlessly north Seeing another set of tracks coiven Scarlet a beat of hope--at least now there was a chance of crossing paths with a new train But the ht was enough to see by for a ti the battery and knew they should probably stop soon

Wolf was no longer looking back every fewfollowed all along

Wolf stopped suddenly and Scarlet’s heart leaped, for a ain "Here This ork" He peered upward at a log that had fallen across the ee over the tracks "What do you think?"

Scarlet followed hihtbefore You really think you can ju train fro?"

"Or anything else"

He ged "Anything to be out of these woods"

The ledge was a few feet over her head, but she cla rocks She heard a hiss from below and turned to see a shot of pain cross Wolf’s face as he hauled hiuilty, as he dusted off his hands

"Letup her portscreen to shine a light on the bandage No blood had leaked through yet "I really aered as it reached the end of the bandage, checking that it was still securely tied "What does that ain if you thought it would help your grandmother"

She blinked up at hi "I would," she said "But that doesn’t lad you didn’t take my advice and shootin the portscreen’s brightness His fingers barely fluttered across her sweater’s pocket, one and Wolf was squinting against the bright light of the portscreen

"Sorry," Scarlet staround

Wolfwith his foot "It appears trustworthy"

Scarlet discovered a strange irony in his choice of words "Wolf," she said, testing the way her voice echoed in the forest’s eh he didn’t turn around "When you first told ht maybe it had been months, or even years, but Ran made it sound like you’d just left"

One hand came up to ruffle his hair as he turned back toward her

"Wolf?"

"It’s been three weeks," he whispered Then, "Less than three weeks"

She sucked in a breath, held it, released it all at once "About the tirandmother disappeared"

He ducked his head, unable to aze

Scarlet shivered "You told me that you were a nobody, barely more than an errand boy But Ran called you an ‘alpha’ Isn’t that a pretty high rank?"