Blacktail Deer Plateau i'll see what tomorrow brings

Peregrine became as tense as a coiled steel spring when his brother's name came up. He listened to Blue Willow, then his attention riveted upon their guest. He had a feeling he wouldn't like this news. His stomach tied itself into knots, yet he maintained an expression of equanimity as the male, Ragnar, spoke.

A few beats of silence followed his speech, during which Peregrine heard only the pounding of blood in his ears. Finally, he said, "That explains a lot," in a rather brittle tone. "He bred with a mated female of another pack—against either leaders' knowledge, I'm sure, seeing as I'm one of them—and then ran off without a word." It wasn't a question but a statement. His teeth ground together audibly. Although he wondered how the she-wolf could be so stupid, all his vitriol was directed solely at Crete. My brother is a total piece of shit. Did I know him at all?

"Crete no longer lives here," Peregrine said coolly after a moment. "If he is the father, those pups have nothing to do with our family or the plateau anymore," he said. "And, well, it sounds like your problem now." Whether he was speaking because he was simply bitter or because he felt sorry for Ragnar, it wasn't clear. He frowned at the male, though it was probably evident to both him and Blue Willow for whom that frown was really meant.