“Yep. Rachel and Lev invited us not long ago.”
“Who else knows about this place?”
“Just us and the new warden, Hallie Lovell. Her uncle, Ben Lovell just retired as the Portland territory warden.” Cricket looked out the window. “She’s apparently proven an excellent warden. Not bad for a beta.”
“What exactly is a warden’s job?”
“A warden supervises lone wolves and humans who know about us. Occasionally, they check on their charges, and report missing werewolves or people associated with us.”
“I suppose, one way or another, I’ll always be tied to your society.”
“I won’t lie to you. Your ability to out us means the local warden will keep a keen eye on you.”
“How often will she check on me?”
“Actually, she’ll move into the other guest room until Project Sabertooth is eliminated.”
Was Cricket aware she planned to help take down the nefarious group? It appeared the need to know worked both ways. Not sure how, but Gaby’s objective was to bury Tomlin’s project. “I hope we get along.”
“Hallie is a tree-hugging vegetarian werewolf.”
Weren’t they wired to eat flesh and didn’t they need meat to stay healthy? “How can a werewolf be a vegetarian?”
“As a human she doesn’t eat meat, but in wolf form, she hunts deer or other prey that won’t last long due to an injury or old age. She calls it eco-friendly culling.”
“A green werewolf, now I’ve heard everything.”
“Trust me, if Hallie finds out one of our humans or another werewolf is endangering our secret society, she won’t be shy about culling them.”
Great, my new roommate might be my executioner. Couldn’t she go where she wasn’t under the watchful eye of a warden? Maybe a far off exotic island where werewolves didn’t exist. If there was such a place. Would the king learn, instead of being banished, she remained right under his nose? Fortunately, Kiara agreed to step down as overseer in order to mate Steele. Rylee also persuaded the council not to send any more overseers to the LIA, since she convinced them that their presence violated the agency’s top secret status. “I hope the king thinks Oregon is far enough to be considered banishment.”
“As long as you’re not living with a pack, it’s cool,” said Cricket.
“I need a job.”
“No need. Rylee is keeping you on her payroll, secretly.”
“How? I don’t have a bank account or anything.”
Cricket took a wallet from her satchel and handed it to her. “Driver’s license, credit card and some cash.”
She looked through the contents. “Thanks.” She stared at her legitimate-looking license. “Who took my picture?”
“Manny our tech guy probably took it from one of our surveillance cameras and enhanced it.”
“I’ve never taken the driver’s test.”
“The state of Oregon thinks you have.” Cricket tilted her head. “You do know how to drive?”
“Sort of, but only around my former compound. My last boyfriend taught me.”
Cricket frowned. “Oh, the dark project allowed dating?”
“He was a fellow trainer. Trust me, it didn’t end well.”
“I can only imagine,” said Cricket.
Gaby scanned her secluded surroundings. “I need to keep busy or I’ll go nuts, though.”