“A couple of wolf bites this time. I probably shouldn’t even be bothering you with it.”
“Wolf bites? While you were in the national park? A regular wolf? Couldn’t have been one of our pack. If you’re calling me at this hour, it needs to be seen. How long before you get here?”
“Half hour. Yes, I was at the park. No, it wasn’t one of our people, and before you ask, it was a lupus garou.”
“I’ll be ready.”
“You don’t need to tell Darien.” Eric knew he would anyway.
“When a wolf bites one of our people, Darien needs to know about it. I take it you didn’t provoke the wolf.”
“One of them is involved in the drug business. The other bite happened in a different location, and the wolf was just being protective of his pack.” Eric didn’t want Darien sending out a hunting party to take down the “dangerous” wolf.
“All right. I’ll let Darien know.”
Fifteen minutes into the drive, Eric got a call. Darien. Eric let out his breath and explained about the woman’s injury and the subsequent events.
“It’s a national park, not a place a lupus garou pack can claim for their own,” Darien said angrily after Eric had finished. “And you didn’t act aggressively to the wolf or threaten their pack in any way.”
“I know, but it’s okay.”
“I know you, Eric. It’s not okay. You’re going to try and locate the pack.”
“Yes, as a human and in my capacity as park ranger, I am checking on the status of the woman’s injury. I won’t be running as a wolf. They have to respect the uniform.”
Darien didn’t say anything. Eric knew Darien didn’t want him going alone, not after what had already happened between him and the wolf. He was concerned about the woman’s injury, but he was also bothered by the notion that some wolf was hassling Pepper. Not that she’d appreciate Eric stepping in and chasing off the other wolf if she thought she could handle it herself, but if it worked out well for her, he was certainly willing to help her out.
“I haven’t had a chance to check in with CJ. What happened when he and the others investigated the trouble I had up on the cliffs?”
“No bodies. No marijuana plants. But all the wolf prints and trace evidence of blood, including your own, were there. The wolf pack had to be close by to clean it up as fast as they did and move out. Eric, you’re not to investigate these people on your own any further. You’re not immortal.”
“I had to take a chance. This is the first time any of us have actually encountered the wolves responsible.” Not that it did a whole lot of good, since the wolves were now dead. What if he learned Pepper and her pack were involved up to their wolf ears in this shady business?
“Take Sarandon with you,” Darien said, breaking into Eric’s thoughts. “You said you both were giving talks to Boy Scout troops in the area. Take him with you when you investigate this visiting wolf pack.”
Darien was giving a pack leader order, and Eric didn’t like it. He knew Darien was concerned for him, but that’s what irked Eric the most. “Eric? I know you’re perfectly capable of handling this on your own, but for my peace of mind, will you take him along?”
Eric was surprised Darien would change his tune. He normally wouldn’t have altered his command to a request with any other pack member—except when it came to his pack leader mate, Lelandi, and no way did he order her about.
“They packed up and left already.”
“Okay, but I still want you to take Sarandon.”
“Yeah, all right.” What else could Eric do? He had gone against Darien’s rule on occasion, but not when it might involve another wolf pack and get his own into trouble.
“Let me know what you learn.”
“Will do.” Eric hadn’t wanted the whole pack in on this. Sarandon would keep Eric’s injury secret from their younger brothers, Brett and CJ. But Eric was afraid news would somehow get out that he was bitten by a wolf from a neighboring wolf pack and was trying to track down the pack.
Others in the Silver pack would want to help him. Including his brothers. He really didn’t want anyone’s help in this. The more who got involved, the more the she-wolf would feel he was being too pushy. He’d been accused of it before; well, of being too bossy when he wanted to help the three new she-wolves in the pack to renovate the Silver Town Hotel. He wasn’t one to stand by and not offer advice when he came up with some brilliant ideas of his own.
Eric was also worried that if the wolves were involved in the drug business, they could get spooked and run off to another park that he didn’t have jurisdiction over.
When Eric arrived at the clinic, Doc Weber let him in, glanced at the blood soaking his shirt, and shook his head.
“Did you call Darien about this?” Doc asked as Eric stripped off his shirt in the exam room. He then removed the bandages Eric had applied.
“I did.”
“So how did it happen?”