“Survival is one thing,” Alpha snarled. “Outright savagery is another. Perhaps all dogs have an inner fighter, even feeble ones.” He cast a disdainful look at Whine, who cowered and looked away. “Fierce Dogs are different—they enjoy destroying their enemies.” The dog-wolf licked the scar on his forepaw, then raised his eyes to stare hard at Lucky. “I have to find out if these angry little pups will be loyal and obedient to their new Pack. We have a right to know the truth about them while they’re still small enough to be dealt with.”

A shiver ran along Lucky’s spine. He was about to protest, but Martha spoke first.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘dealt with’?” she snarled.

The half wolf’s hackles rose and his pale eyes bore into her until she looked away, lowering her head. When he spoke again there was a note of finality in his voice. “First the pups must be tested. Then I will decide what’s to be done.” He sank onto his bed of moss and leaves and turned his face away. The dogs took their cue to disperse.

Martha padded away, grumbling about the decision as Mickey sought to console her. Lucky walked behind Sweet. Once they were out of Alpha’s earshot, he murmured to her: “Do you support this?”

She didn’t turn to look at him. “Alpha gets to make the decisions. That’s why he’s Alpha.”

Lucky thought about this. How did Alpha get to his position? he wondered. Does it have to be the fiercest dog who gets to be leader of a Pack? Could a quieter, gentler dog rise to be Alpha?

Sweet licked her paw impatiently. Lucky was reminded that nothing had changed—she still had not forgiven him. He growled in frustration. “It’s not right to treat the pups like this. Their Mother-Dog died, then their Pack abandoned them—they have suffered enough! Isn’t it any wonder that, after all that, they would be a bit more aggressive than is in their nature? They can change.”

“They’re dishonorable little runts,” Sweet growled with a dismissive toss of her sleek head. Then she looked right at Lucky. “They can’t be trusted.”

The swift-dog started to walk away. Lucky felt the blood drain from his body.

“Please, Sweet,” he yelped. “Testing the pups will be unfair. And you know that the dogs can change—you’ve done it yourself! You are now a tough dog, with status in this large Pack. But you were not always tough—remember?”

Sweet stopped in her tracks, her head snapping around to look at him. Her lip curled defensively. “What do you mean by that, Omega?”