“How did you guess?” Alpha’s husky voice seemed to float out of the darkness and Lucky’s fur rose along his back. A moment later, he spotted the half wolf’s shaggy outline as he slunk closer, his yellow eyes glinting in the moonlight.

Daisy took a nervous step toward Lucky.

Lucky thought of the Fierce Dog pups sleeping peacefully with Martha. His chest tightened and his throat felt dry. “You’re not going to ‘test’ them now?” As soon as the words were out, he realized he sounded more hostile than he had intended.

“Not now,” snarled Alpha. “At dawn.” He turned to Sweet, greeting her with a tap of the nose. He turned back to Lucky. “I went exploring today with Beta and Fiery. Beyond the cave and the forest, there is a ridge of white rock. I want to know what comes after that. Are there other dogs out there? Is there decent prey? Does the river stay clean beyond the ridge?”

Lucky listened uneasily. Is he planning to send me there right now, in the middle of the night? And why has he called on Daisy?

As if reading his thoughts, Alpha looked down at Daisy, acknowledging her for the first time. “You will take the Fierce Dog pups.”

“Take them . . . ?” Daisy was wide-eyed.

“Through the forest. We need to know that the pups are loyal. That they will obey adult members of the Pack, regardless of how . . .” Alpha paused. He stared down at Daisy. She took a step back, unable to meet his eye.

Lucky’s stomach clenched and he swallowed a whine. “You can’t use Daisy like that—it isn’t fair to her or the pups. A journey through the forest will endanger all their lives.”

“It is necessary,” snapped Alpha. “Daisy will lead the pups to the white ridge, searching for possible new camps. She will find out what is beyond the ridge, and she will return with the pups and report to us what she has seen. Then we will know if those three little brutes can take orders.”

Lucky was horrified. By testing the pups, Alpha was putting Daisy in serious danger. Daisy was one of the dogs who the pups could overwhelm, if the urge took them.

“It is not safe in the deep forest without a Pack!” he protested, thinking of the sly coyotes prowling around at night. Catching Daisy’s terrified expression, he decided not to mention them. “We don’t know what’s out there.”

“You’re not the only dog who can survive alone,” snarled Alpha dismissively. “Daisy will have to take care of herself.”

Lucky thought about Lick, Grunt, and Wiggle fast asleep at Martha’s side. His body tensed protectively. “What about the pups?”

Daisy was trembling. Her eyes shot to the high trees beyond the camp that marked the reappearance of the forest. She looked up at Sweet. “Beta?” she said.