“I said, at once,” Sweet reminded the little dog darkly, and he shot off across the clearing.

Sweet didn’t bother to introduce Lucky to any of the other dogs, but beckoned him forward with a haughty motion of her head. “Come. I shall present you to Alpha.”

She paced forward, confident but respectful. Lucky followed with rather more reluctance, still taking in his new surroundings. The Pack was larger than Bella’s, at least eight dogs strong not counting Moon and her pups. This unnerved him. Not only that—the dogs seemed very comfortably placed in this sheltered camp—the clean lake was close by and, from the scents drifting out of the trees, he could tell these woods were teeming with prey.

Even at full strength Bella’s Pack would be no match for this one, so well fed, well disciplined, and strong. If the Alpha couldn’t be persuaded to share, Lucky would have to convince Bella that the Leashed Dogs must move on.

“Wait here.” Sweet’s newly commanding voice broke into his thoughts. “Don’t come forward until Alpha summons you.”

Lucky stared at the dog-wolf, sprawled on his rock, nothing twitching but the very tip of his tail. Perhaps he was dreaming, or perhaps he was not quite so fast asleep as he wanted to appear. Sure enough, as Sweet approached him, one cold, yellow eye blinked open.

Lucky could hear nothing the two dogs said to each other, but Sweet did not seem meek in her leader’s presence. She showed respect, but she did not act submissive. She spoke quietly, and Alpha cocked his gray ears to listen closely. At last he turned his head and stared piercingly at Lucky.

Sweet turned too. “Come here, Lucky.”

Under the dog-wolf’s chilly gaze, Lucky felt anger swirl in his belly as he walked slowly forward. This was the monstrous brute who had killed Alfie, and Lucky wanted to snarl at him, insult him, even to lunge and bite and let him know how it felt. But that would be suicide. He remembered Alfie’s life force seeping away, the little body going still and cold as the Earth-Dog claimed him.

I am here to help the rest of Alfie’s Pack, to save them from the same fate. I must not forget it.

Close up, Alpha looked even bigger and wilder, and his yellow eyes were extraordinarily frightening. His huge paws, with their vicious nails, were webbed like Martha’s, but his savage face was nothing like hers. This, thought Lucky, was a true Wild Pack leader.

“So,” the dog-wolf growled. “You want to join my Pack.”

There was scorn in his voice, but Lucky kept his gaze level and brave.

“Yes,” he said. “I’d be a valuable Pack member. Sweet can vouch for me.”

“Yes. Beta already has.”

That title again. And the way everyone deferred to Sweet: Did it mean she was this huge dog-wolf’s second in command?

Alpha sounded bored. “I have no need of another dog in my Pack.”

Lucky sensed that pleading would not have any effect on this creature. He would not respect weakness or submissiveness, yet there was no sense challenging him on his own terms.