#Chapter 211: The Gift

Elijah Hotel rooms always felt the same to me: sterile, impersonal, and far too quiet. This one was nicer than most—the pack I was visiting had surprisingly put me up in their territory’s best accommodations despite our trade disagreement—but it still felt wrong. The bed was too soft, the air conditioning was too cold and I couldn’t figure out how to fucking turn it off for the life of me, and most importantly, Agnes wasn’t here. Goddess, when did I become so addicted to her presence? I’d spent the entire day in tense negotiations with the new Alpha, a twenty-something hothead who thought bearing his teeth and raising his voice would somehow intimidate me. All it did was give me a headache and make me miss Agnes more. She would have laughed at his posturing, probably would have made some cutting remark that would have put him in his place. But she wasn’t here, and I was stuck playing diplomatic games with a child who’d inherited his father’s position without ear