Great Bear Wilderness The sentinels

She chewed on her tongue as they walked, bobbing her head when he explained that this was something he excelled at. Of course, she knew that soon, the wolves of the pack would settle into their chosen roles, and more than just she and Lecter would bear trades. Mordecai was shaping up to be an excellent Outrider, and in fact, she would have been surprised if he didn't already have the qualifications.

When he asked about Erika and Majesty, she frowned heavily, but directed her gaze ahead of her rather than at her subordinate. It wasn't his fault, although it took Jinx a moment to remind herself of that. “They were long-standing members,” she mumbled. “Majesty was a fool—getting our pack into trouble with my former pack, disrespecting a superior's right to question him, and the like—but he did a lot for the pack, and I had strongly considered him for Beta. He chose to defend a lone trespasser over the pack, and even attempted to interfere with me when I tried to drive the intruder out. Erika was less social, but I never expected her to align herself with a dog like that.”

Her sheer hatred of the chocolate brown male was palpable, but she forced herself to take a long breath and vent her anger by exhaling. “I don't expect them to last long,” she admitted, glancing back at Mordecai now for his own thoughts. Majesty was the furthest thing from a wolf she had ever met, and probably should have been dead by now. Any who put their faith in a wolf that she considered inept was bound to regret it—Akhlut had proven that quickly in Horizon Ridge's infancy.