. . . if they don’t call me first."
"Good, then you don’t need to do it tonight," I said. "I’m here, and I want to hunt."
When he started to complain, I skewered him with a look. He closed his mouth.
"Hunt," I said to Joey. Then I glanced over at Nick. "And if we have time, we’ll go to a bar afterwards for a drink or two. Without girls."
Nick rolled his eyes. "Something is seriously wrong with you, buddy."
"What’s wrong with who?" Malcolm said. He strolled into the sun-room, the Santoses in tow. "You better not be talking about my boy." He clapped me on the back. "Nothing wrong with him. Nothing at all."
"Nothing a lobotomy couldn’t fix," Daniel muttered.
"Hey, you guys hear that?" I said to Nick and Joey. "Sounds like a pup yipping."
"Danny-boy," Nick said. "When you going to grow up into a wolf? Still waiting for that first Change, aren’t you?"
"Nah, he had that last year," I said. "Not that anyone’s noticed. Still couldn’t take on a mutt with two broken legs. I hear that’s what happens. Guy doesn’t Change until he’s twenty, he never quite catches up."
Joey shot us both looks, trying to hush us. He was always telling us we should be nicer to Daniel, that if we tried, we could win him over. I didn’t see the point. I tossed Joey the "you worry too much" look I’d perfected from Antonio.
"Don’t listen to him," Raymond murmured to his son. "You’re just fine."
"Sure he is," I said. "And any day he wants to prove it, I’m ready. I can always use a few seconds of diversion."
Nick laughed. When Malcolm chimed in, Daniel reddened.
"At least I’m not some psycho who chops up—" Daniel began.
Raymond caught his son’s arm to shush him, but Malcolm advanced on Daniel, looming over him.
"No, you’re not, are you?" Malcolm said. "You’ve never even fought a mutt. Never needed to. You know why that is? Why a pup like you can run in peace, without worrying about some mutt tearing you to shreds?"
Daniel muttered something.
"Speak up!" Malcolm barked.
Raymond laid a hand on Malcolm's arm. "He knows, Mal. We’re all . . . grateful." He choked on the word, but pressed on. "Clayton did us a favor and we realize it."
"Yeah," Stephen said. "Big favor. Now we have to go find the mutts. Even then, some of them just run the other way—"
"But it’s a small price to pay for being safe on our property," Raymond said. "Come on, boys. Malcolm wanted to talk to Clayton. Let’s leave him alone."
"Hold on," Malcolm said. "I was going to ask Clay if he wanted to hunt tonight. A full Pack hunt."
"Sure," I said. "Did Dominic say—"
"No, he did not," growled a voice from the doorway. Dominic strode in, followed by Antonio and Jeremy. "Since when are you allowed to set up Pack hunts, Malcolm? Getting a bit ahead of yourself, aren’t you?"
Malcolm shrugged. "Sorry, Dom. I just thought since you weren’t feeling well—"
"I feel fine," Dominic said, then winced, belying his words. He spun on Jeremy. "What did you tell them?"
"The truth," Jeremy said calmly. "That you have a headache, which you do."
"I don’t have a headache. I never get headaches."
"Which is why, as I suggested, you should let me call Doctor Patterson and—"
"You’ll call no one," Dominic snarled. "And there will be no Pack hunts tonight. In fact, you won’t be here tonight. None of you. This Meet is adjourned. Go home."
He stalked out the door.
No one went home. We were accustomed to Dominic’s moods, and knew that if we did take off, he’d summon us back the next day and blast us for leaving the Meet early. After his outburst, he retreated to his room, and the Meet progressed as usual. There wasn’t a Pack hunt that night. Even Malcolm knew better than to press his luck that far. Jeremy advised that Nick, Joey and I should skip our mini-hunt. With the mood Dominic was in, he might even see that as a breach of authority. So we went out drinking instead.
When we returned to the Sorrentino estate a little louder
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