Lucky couldn’t blame him. “You didn’t get much.”

“No. That little dung-scraping Whine didn’t want to leave me any.”

“It didn’t seem fair. When there was so much today.”

“No. It wasn’t fair,” grunted Mulch. His nose was stretching toward the food, however reluctant he seemed. “You’re not trying to trick me, are you, City Dog?”

“Of course not,” protested Lucky. Not now, anyway.

In the end Mulch couldn’t help himself. He licked a few times at the meat, then dragged it closer and began to tear into it with his teeth. Lucky could barely watch. He’d eaten a good half of it before he glanced up again.

“Thank you,” he growled, a little sadly. “Though I don’t know why you’d help an Omega dog. Especially when I didn’t exactly welcome you to the Pack.”

And that’s one of the reasons I picked you as my victim. Lucky swallowed. “I just . . . felt bad about it. I’m not used to Pack rules. Especially rules about Omegas.”

“Well,” said Mulch gruffly, “thank you anyway.” He gulped down more mouthfuls of flesh.

Leaving Mulch alone to eat the scraps of his own dinner, Lucky squeezed through the branches again and padded back to the hunters’ den.

Forest-Dog, he thought unhappily, please don’t let Mulch get any smarter. Don’t let him figure it out.

Don’t ever let him realize that all the trouble started when I arrived.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

It was too hot and close in the hunters’ den, and after much squirming and circle-treading, Lucky gave up his attempts to sleep. He crept into the clearing to slump down on the cool grass. Above him, in the circle of the star-silhouetted pine tops, the Moon-Dog glowed fierce and full, spilling silver light that was bright enough to cast shadows. Thank the Sky-Dogs that I’m not sneaking out to see Bella tonight, thought Lucky. I’d be seen straight away.

Something moved at the other side of the clearing, catching his attention, and Lucky pricked his ears with curiosity. In the moonlight it was easy to see a huge shape emerge from the finest den of all, the one that was soft with long grass and sheltered by flat stone.

Alpha, thought Lucky in surprise, watching his leader pace restlessly across the clearing. The dog-wolf’s eyes glowed as he gazed up at the Moon-Dog. Lucky’s ears went forward in surprise as Alpha strode on and vanished between the trees.

Sweet’s slender form appeared from the bushes and she stretched languidly before padding across to Lucky.

“Can’t sleep?” She lay at his side, ears pricked, her eyes on the spot where Alpha had disappeared.

“No. I can’t. Where has Alpha gone?”

She gave a low, perplexed growl. “He always leaves when the Moon-Dog reveals her full face—he wants to be alone with her for a time.” Sweet shook her head as if she didn’t really understand. “It’s a habit he brought from his Wolf Pack days. They always sang to the Moon-Dog together, Alpha says. It was even more special than the Great Howl. Even more special,” she repeated in disbelief.