Free A Matter of Pride by Marie Harte Page A

“I’ll talk to our raptor friends for some intel. Far as I know, there are a few campers in the woods nearby, but not many. All human, no Ac-taw.”
    “There’s that at least.”
    “But you said Quince has cats in the woods. We haven’t spotted them. And our wolves in the area haven’t smelled them either.”
    “ Our wolves?”
    At Dean’s confusion, Monty explained, “I have a few friends I asked to lend a hand—not just any wolves from the order. We have you covered for a mile in every direction. No way are there Ac-taw nearby, not unless they’re using something to mask their scent.”
    “Could be Hunter’s mist. That stuff can knock out scent.”
    “Yeah. But where would the cats pick that shit up? Only Hunters carry the stuff.” Monty frowned. Dean knew the wolf had experiences with Hunters he’d never shared. Like the others in the pride, he was dying to know where Monty had been during his years away from Cougar Falls. “Either Quince has connections with Hunters, or he lied and he’s not out here protecting Stacey like he said he would.”
    “But we met Jeremy. I tagged him and I scented him. He’s real and not a cat I recognize. He’s got to be from Miami.”
    “Could he have belonged to Lex?”
    “Who knows? He said he was with Quince. Why lie?”
    “Well then, I don’t get it. But I don’t like it either. We need more help on this. Fucking Hunters,” Monty growled.
    Stacey pushed her head out the door. Her ears were back, her eyes narrowed. She opened her mouth and licked at the air.
    “Get back inside,” Dean snapped, worried, confused and angry, because he had a feeling Stacey had lied to him. And that hurt more than anything.
    “I would hope you’d be smart enough to realize you can’t boss me around. You’re not my pride leader. And you’re not my brother.”
    She put his back up, no two ways about it. That bitchy tone did its job. He wanted to snap back at her, right after he kissed the condescension off her snotty face.
    “Nope,” Monty answered for him. “Not your brother, kitty. Even in a hickville like Cougar Falls, we frown on incest.”
    She blinked at him in confusion, and then her ears twitched and her cheeks scrunched, as if they had turned a delightful shade of pink. “Up yours, wolf.”
    Monty chuckled again. “Oh yeah, this is gonna be fun. After we deal with this mess, you two are fair game.”
    Stacey glared at him. “ Now I can see why everyone considers you a pain in the ass. ”
    “A badge I wear with pride.”
    Dean was surprised to sense Stacey’s amusement. The more time he spent really seeing her, the more he realized she wasn’t as stuck up as she appeared. Or as much as she wanted people to think she was.
    “Yeah, well. Just be careful. You never know what else is out here in the woods.”
    The somberness of her words struck Dean. It struck Monty too, because his eyes narrowed. “Something else you’d like to tell us, Stacey?”
    “I just— Hell. Quince told me the reason he really wanted to oust Lex from the pride was because Lex had dealings with Hunters. But he never told me they’d be out here.”
    Monty and Dean froze. “Hunters?” Dean asked.
    “ I don’t know .” She sounded miserable. “ Something Jeremy almost said in the cave made me think there might be Hunters nearby. Quince told me I’d be the bait to lure Lex out here. But it’s Saturday afternoon and no sign of Lex or any cats, period. Supposedly Lex’s thugs are south of us, but Quince’s guys should be all over the place. How are we not smelling them? ”
    “There are a few humans in the area,” Monty said slowly. “Maybe Lex’s real team isn’t Ac-taw at all. His cats south of us could be a distraction.”
    “The Hunters could be working for him, close enough to grab her and we’d never know it until it was too late,” Dean murmured.
    Monty nodded, his expression grim. “If he’s using Hunters, I need to get us backup right away.”
    “But you