The pack house doesn't look at all like how I expected it to. I thought it would be a huge, sprawling manor, large enough and grand enough to accommodate a pack this size but it isn't. Instead, as we pull up to the address Clyde provided, we find a generic townhouse in the middle of a row of other, identical townhouses. It's old but well maintained with a small grassy lawn surrounded by a white picket fence in the front. It's positioned on the edge of the city and backs onto protected woodlands which must be why they chose this location. Still, it seems a too small and the only explanation I can think of is that this isn't actually the pack house but rather another of their safe houses.
As I'm distracted, staring at the building, Eko comes around the car and opens the door for me. I step out and together we make our way towards the front door.
"Listen," I say, nervously. "Maybe I should take some of your magic before we go in. You know, so I can protect us in case it really is a trap."
"No," Eko says firmly. "For the same reason we did not bring Kravimik. They will sense the magic coming from you and find you to be a threat."
"But not you?"
"You know the control I have of my magic," he says simply.
Sighing heavily, I knock. The sound doesn't even have a chance to reverberate inside the house before the door is yanked open. A girl stands on the other side, smiling brightly at us.
"Welcome," she says, stepping back to allow us entry. "Please come in."
She's young, maybe twenty or so, with short blonde hair and big, doll-like blue eyes. I can tell right away she's human, not just because there's no magic coming from her but also just because of how she looks. There's no cunning in her eyes, no readiness in her stance that would speak to having a wolf.
"Emily!" a familiar voice calls.
It's Clyde. He rushes down a flight of stairs to greet us. For a second, I think he's talking to the girl. Then I remember that Emily is the fake name I gave him at the club.
"Hey Clyde," I grin back at him.
He pulls me into a hug which might have been weird for any other one night stand but Clyde is a wolf which buys him some leeway when it comes to physical affection. He buries his face in my hair, scenting me. I let the hug continue for several heartbeats before pulling away, still smiling at him.
"And this must be the friend you mentioned that needs Alpha Perez's help," he says, finally noticing Eko.
Eko steps forward and extends his hand. "You may call me Eric."
Clyde ignores the hand and pulls Eko into a hug. Eko stands stiffly in the embrace, unsure what to do. He looks relieved when Clyde finally breaks it and steps back.
"Is that an accent I hear?" he asks. "Where are you from, Eric?"
"I believe the english word for it is Greece although we have another name for it in my language," Eko says and I look at him in surprise.
I hadn't really thought about where Eko might have come from. Looking at him though, I suppose he does look Greek with his curly hair and olive skin.
"That's so cool, man. Well, welcome to the pack house," he says, then he turns to the girl. "I've got it from here, Maggie."
"But Alpha told me to-" she begins but Clyde cuts her off.
"You're dismissed."
His tone is finite but not unkind and Maggie obeys, letting him lead us off. He takes us up the stairs and through a door which leads to a long hallway. I can see immediately that my assessment from the outside was inaccurate. This isn't just one townhouse, it's the whole row. They've removed all the walls that separated the units and created one massive house.
YOU ARE READING
Veiled Shadows
Fantasy150 years ago a seal was broken and magic flooded the world. Bloodlines that had lain dormant for centuries were reawakened and chaos reigned. Now, The Arc has taken over and order has been restored but it's a tenuous kind of peace. Anything and an...
