“Yes, Alpha.”

Lucky blinked at his leader. It was just the briefest of glimpses into the world of wolves, but still Alpha’s words thrummed in his belly, sparking a hot curiosity. Why, he wondered, had Alpha left the wolves to run with dogs? Was it his choice? Or had he been thrown out, perhaps? He would not have been surprised if the wolves viewed a half dog as weaker, inferior.

But he did not dare ask the Pack leader. Instead he went down on his forelegs and flicked his ears forward. “I don’t know how you knew we were in trouble, but your howl gave us our chance to escape. I’m grateful to you.” Dart and Twitch bowed onto their forelegs as well, their eyes fixed on their leader.

Alpha did not reply for a moment, nor did he explain his insight. He gazed down coolly at Lucky, his tailtip still lightly drumming the ground.

Then he looked away disdainfully. “That? That was nothing. All I did was open my jaws. That’s why I’m Alpha of this Pack, City Dog.” Behind Lucky, Mulch snorted a scornful half laugh.

Feeling awkward and a little humiliated, Lucky rose and stretched, then shook himself. He would have liked to snap at Alpha, but that would have been foolish. What would it have cost the dog-wolf to simply accept his thanks? He had wanted to show his gratitude, because the longpaw attack and their close escape had shaken him to his core. He’d been polite—deferential, even. Yet all Alpha had shown in return was his arrogance.

Lucky felt like a fool. He couldn’t win. Alpha’s arrogance gnawed at his patience, making him feel constantly on edge. Great Howl or no Great Howl, he could not live like this.

Alpha had closed his eyes again, as if entirely uninterested, and his huge body sprawled languidly across the rock. Clearly their audience with him was at an end; Twitch and Dart were already drawing an excited circle of listeners with their tale of the terrifying longpaws and their savage loudcage.

“You would not have believed how big it was!”

“And the noise.” Dart shook her head violently. “Like nothing you’ve ever heard!”

As the dogs in the Pack discussed their new threat, their barks and yelps tumbled over one another like play-fighting puppies.

“What damage can loudcages do?”

“Is there any way we can hurt them?”

“Do they really have longpaws inside them?”

Lucky knew that, soon, the questions would come to him. He did not feel much like being the center of attention, so he slunk across the clearing to a warm patch of sunlight beneath a thin birch tree.

Remember this feeling, Lucky—you will not be with this Pack forever!

He would have to use his time wisely from now on. Patrolling was all very well, but he’d been in danger of relaxing too easily into his comfortable Pack role, and that was not why he was here. If he was going to find out everything he could about this Pack and its leader, he was going to have to get himself promoted to hunter.