The abandoned house in which Venus had kept me, was, as I had surmised, not far from Heir’s House, and I was able to run there to pick up my car before setting off into the night.

As I sped along, I caught occasional glimpses, in the shadows or across the rooftops, of my mates running to save their father. Even at this remove, I could see the effort in their lupine faces, the strain of their muscles as they taxed every sinew, racing for all they were worth. In the distance, drifting on the wind through the night, I heard the sound of the howl. On the night of the full moon, that howl could have come from any of the packs, but my gut told me that was the Kenai. On the bright side, we could use that sound to track them down now they were on the move, but it also meant that the hunt was underway, and that meant that King was already in danger. The brothers heard it, too, and I saw them speed up, pushing themselves even harder.

I tried to keep track of where we were, but at this speed, and with my mind in turmoil, even I was struggling to figure where we might be going. I took a few wrong turns and plowed down a few streets I shouldn't, to the accompaniment of angry horns from other drivers - who had every right to be pissed at me. Thankfully, the streets were relatively clear as most humans preferred to have a night in on the full moon - you saw some nasty stuff.

The howl sounded again, louder now - we were closing in. If only we could get there in time. Then, up ahead, I saw the churning mass of werewolf bodies, closing in for the kill. This was the point when King had been attacked before.

I jumped on the brakes, making the tires scream, then leaped out, yelling but struggling to be heard above the growls of the pack. Before I could reach them, I saw Tanner spring down from the darkness, snarling angrily and tackling his father to the ground. He was trying to keep King safe, of course, but his actions were misinterpreted by the rest of the pack.

"He's trying to help!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as the Kenai Pack Court turned on King's immediate heir, but even if they could hear me, they weren't about to listen to a part-wolf.

But suddenly, Tanner was not alone, Hudson and Gray leaped to his aid, fighting back any who came near, and aiding Tanner in keeping their father safe. They were outnumbered three to one, but odds did not matter to them, they held their ground, snapping and slashing at any who dared come close. At this point, they had no idea who could be trusted - they were not letting anyone get near King. A series of snarls, barks and growls went back and forth as the brothers tried to explain what they were doing. Werewolves do have a language of their own, but it is very simplistic, communicating basic ideas like 'enemy', 'food', 'hump', it was certainly not enough to communicate a complex conspiracy, but hopefully it was enough to say 'he's in danger, you jackasses, back the fuck off!'. I assumed it was, as the other wolves now backed off a little, though still suspicious and growling.

As I watched, I saw one wolf at the edge of the group, backing off further, allowing himself to be swallowed into the darkness of an alley.

"Hey." I hurried forward to get a better look down the alley and saw the wolf was now running at high speed away from the scene. "HEY!"

If the Pack Court had not noticed my presence, then my mates immediately picked up on the sound of my voice, and their heads instantly turned to look at me.

"He's getting away."

"Who's getting away?" The voice was that of Kenai King, the only wolf with the self-control to go against his natural instincts and change in the heat of the hunt.

"The assassin. It was Arctic Venus. She hired Hendry Lennox to put us on the wrong scent and got someone else to try and kill you tonight."

That was all King needed to hear. His icy eyes turned to the alley as he roared a command at his pack. "The hunt continues!"

The end of the word was lost in snarl as he shifted back to wolf and the pack took off down the alley, led by Tanner, Gray and Hudson, and with me trailing along at the end. I couldn't follow by car, and I sure as shit wasn't letting this play out without me there, so I ran with the wolves. I felt the blood of my werewolf ancestors coursing through my veins as I struggled to keep up. My heart pounded with exhilaration, connecting with some primal urge to hunt that I had kept suppressed all these years. Damn, but it felt good. I watched a pair of humans, out on an ill-advised full moon date, jumping out of the way as we thundered past, hot on the trail of our prey.

But even as we ran, a thread of uncertainty found its way into me that would not be troubling the wolves. I could see where we were heading - for Arctic territory.

Which made sense, of course; the assassin was heading for home. But what happened when the Pack Court of the Kenai reached the boundary of Arctic territory? Were they going to stop? It didn't look like it to me.

We entered No Man’s Land without even slowing, and hit Arctic territory soon after, with our quarry not far ahead. Cries went up from around us, from Arctic wolves assuming this was an invasion. It would only be a matter of time before Venus showed up with her own Pack Court, and then... War.

With a snarl of triumph, I saw Tanner leap and bring down the would-be assassin. He was joined by his father, while Gray and Hudson led the pack in a howl of victory. I just stood there, hands on my hips, trying to catch my breath, feeling light-headed after the run. I didn't know what was going to happen next, but I knew it was going to happen soon and it was going to be bad.

Another howl ripped through the night, but this one was aggressive and fierce, and it wasn't the Kenai. Seconds later, another pack tore out of the shadows. The Arctic did not pause or ask for explanations, they simply attacked, leaping for the jugulars of the intruders. The Kenai fought back with equal violence. In the thick of the fight, I saw my mates - Tanner, Gray and Hudson - all fighting ferociously.

I had seen them fight before, of course, but that had been different, that had been for their lives or for mine. This was, too, in its way, but it seemed to me that this was, at best, a misunderstanding, and, at worst, an act of conquest, by both packs. King had made his enemies and so Venus had turned on him, and when King fought back it started a war. What the hell way was that to run a world? I didn't want my mates to be any part of it and I knew that in their hearts they didn't want to be part of it - they had more brains than that. More heart. But could they go against their instinct, their tradition, everything they were.

To my shock, it turned out that they could. As I watched, I saw Tanner trying to push Kenai wolves back, then rounding on the Arctic attackers and, rather than fighting, barking at them, trying to calm the situation. He was quickly joined by Gray and Hudson, trying to glean some space between the two fighting packs, as both the Arctic and their own werewolves, snarled at them. My heart swelled to see them trying, but sank again to see it was not just a losing battle, but a dangerous one. When Tanner tried to urge his own pack to retreat, he turned his back on the Arctic and a wolf slashed its claws across his broad back. When Hudson tried to help, a pair of Kenai wolves ran at him, treating him like a traitor. Gray, meanwhile, was caught in a pincer between Kenai and Arctic, his nose bloodied, limping on one leg.

They were going to die trying to stop a war that seemed doomed to happen one way or the other. I couldn't let this happen, but what the hell did a part-wolf private detective do to stop a werewolf war?

"STOP THE FUCK FIGHTING AND SIT THE FUCK DOWN!"

I surprised myself with how loud I could yell if I wanted. The werewolves of both sides stopped what they were doing and stared up at me in dismay. I think it was more disbelief that a part-wolf was telling them what to do that had stopped them than anything else, but it would do.

"Arctic Venus." My eyes sought out the silver wolf in the middle. "It's over."

No response.

"The attempted assassination on Kenai King was orchestrated by Arctic Venus," I addressed the Arctic Pack, "contrary to werewolf lore. Whether she has the courage to admit it or not. And the proof is... well, that bloody smear on the street there, I think can still be identified as one of your own."

"He is." They were starting to change back to human now. It was a good sign, it meant they wanted to think. Say what you liked about wolves, they were generally honest. That was one of the things Venus despised about them. I saw Tanner, Gray and Hudson looking up at me - they were all hurt, but I could still see the pride in their eyes, and it gave me strength.

"He tried to kill Kenai King tonight, on Venus's orders. We followed him, caught him, maybe got a bit carried away, but that's no reason this has to end in more bloodshed." I heard a few dissenting growls from those who clearly thought bloodshed was the way to go. "What we do here tonight - what you choose to do here tonight - will determine the history of werewolves for generations to come. Your children and grandchildren, as yet unborn, stand in judgment on you. Don't let the ambitions of an evil woman," I looked at Venus, "and the territorial lust of a vain old man," I saw King grit his teeth, "lead these two packs into war. It's not worth it."