Wolf Charmer (Team Greywolf 2)

eps, he reached Steele and squeezed him with a bear hug.

He and his brother shared conservative lycan values and had always been close. Until Steele left his royal duties to join Rylee’s pack. Only then had their relationship suffered. Mention of Gaby would certainly harm a fragile family reunion. They broke their embrace. “Nice to see you too, brother.” How soon before he said I told you so?

“I never believed you were dead.” He snorted. “Despite my council’s advice, I refused to hold a funeral. I credit Rylee and Lunara for finding you.”

“I’ll spare you the details of what happened, except that I forgot my identity.”

“Your head injury must have been grave.”

“I’m completely healed.” He smiled. “Lev and Lunara were successful in returning my memories.” No way he’d tell him he took the mind wipe drug, which failed, to stay wolf long enough to escape from captors. Because of him, their kind was exposed. Humans outside the Keep now knew werewolves existed. Humans who worked for Project Sabertooth. The facility was destroyed, but Dr. Tomlin survived. Would he continue on his own or work in the Keep’s underground chimera labs? Knowing Rylee, she must be gathering intelligence on their new base of operations. He should lead the mission not live the life of an entitled prince who flaked on his responsibilities.

Conan gestured for him to sit and Steele sat across from him. He sighed. “Needless to say, Rylee has been less than forthcoming about your mission.”

“I’m sorry, even the king is not privy to lycan intelligence.” The lycan council had long ago agreed the LIA would keep the king and members of the council on a need to know basis. However, before Steele left, he recalled three conservative council members had taken over vacated seats. The council of thirty alpha lycans could keep the LIA for surveillance purposes, but disband Team Greywolf.

“It became my business when I almost lost my brother.”

“I understand.”

Conan leaned back and rubbed his brow as if to ward off a headache. “Was the mission a success?”

They stopped a terrorist cell from delivering a nuke and killing millions. “Yes.” No point mentioning his capture by a nefarious group with a connection to the Keep. Or Gaby.

Conan forced a smile. A façade he learned his brother held when faking his approval. “Job well done. You can leave Team Greywolf in good conscience.”

“I believe my skills are better served in the LIA rather than as a bored viceroy.”

“Which is why I’ll appoint you captain of the royal wolf guards with occasional duties as standing royal viceroy.”

The royal wolf guards served as the security team around the king and other royals. An excellent army of lycan soldiers, but they rarely saw battle. Not that he fed on the adrenaline rush, but he had a strong need to protect all packs and humans from harm. Within the royal grounds, he’d only see the occasional human. None were allowed to live on the castle grounds. Conan barely tolerated humans with the exception of Stallo women who could bare lycan hybrids. These offspring were born human without the pain of undergoing the change. Each year, fewer werewolves survived the change. “I need time to think about it.”

Conan narrowed his eyes. “I met with the council concerning Team Greywolf yesterday.”

Before or after the king met with Rylee? Steele stiffened. “Care to enlighten me?”

“Fair enough. We agreed the purpose of the LIA was to keep us informed of human issues that affect us. Though it sounds cold hearted, this means not being a human rescue team. They have their own military and authorities to handle their stupid wars and disasters without us nosing in.”

“Unfortunately, we share the same planet. What happens to them affects us.”

“If you mean global warming and pollution, humans have enough champions to carry on noble environmental causes.”

If only he could tell him how they stopped a nuke. Lycans suffered the same damaging effects from nuclear fallout. Lev being the exception, despite the fact the Chernobyl meltdown killed his pack. Yet, he was right about their humanitarian or rather lycanian efforts. Rylee sent them on missions to save humans after earthquakes and other disasters. Why not protect humans? “I don’t see anything wrong with saving innocent humans.”

“I see Rylee brainwashed you.”

“No. I realized my past prejudices about humans were unfounded. After all our ancestor was a human was he not?”

“Point taken, but Stallo transcended into a superior being.”

“I didn’t come here to argue politics, but I must admit I’m leaning toward staying with Team Greywolf.”

“This is not what we agreed on before you left for your near fatal mission.”

“I know, but after almost losing my life, I realized if it had been another agent, he or she might have been killed.”

“Good news for Rylee. The council will permit Rylee to continue Team Greywolf, however, a special liaison has been appointed to oversee her pack.”

“Your spy?”