Chapter 120

Theo was waiting right outside the door of the photography department, involved in something on his phone but not interrupting my day in any way. When Wendy and I left, Theo followed behind us at a respectful distance.

Wendy flashed a glance over her shoulder and crooked a finger at him. “Why don’t you come up here, sweetheart? You can walk with us.”

She purred the words, and I rolled my eyes. This was a married woman with children. Why was she drooling over him like I had candies in my purse or something?

He got a hangdog look on his face and hurried up to walk with us, but he kept me between himself and Wendy. She kept her gaze locked on him so that I had to watch where we were going and kind of directed her with my shoulder to stop her from stepping on my feet.

This continued all the way out the doors of the main building and onto the street. Something about the fresh air seemed to startle her out of her lust, and she looked around.

“There’s a great little cafe just up the street where all of the reporters go,” she said. “Would you like to eat there?”

I shook my head. “I was thinking someplace a little more private. What I want to ask you about isn’t necessarily something I want to discuss with all of the reporters around. We’re too good at listening and observing.”

“Ooo…” she said, linking her elbow through mine. “Is it dirty or personal? Either way, dish, girlfriend! Because I love gossip.”

“Oh, that definitely makes me want to share,” I said, rolling my eyes.

Wendy giggled. “No, no. I won’t tell anybody else. I just want to listen. Besides, I’m a reporter. Sources are always secret.”

I rolled my eyes again. “Just take us somewhere we can have a real conversation without people overhearing us.”

“If that’s what you want,” she said. “There is a place that serves human-style fish-and-chips. It’s just up this way. I know the werewolf who opened the diner, and they spent a semester abroad studying in a human college. So they picked up a taste for fish and chips in London itself. I have to admit it’s pretty good. Obviously, it’s not Packhaven’s regional cuisine, but nice if you like important foods.”

I smiled. “We have fish and chips back home in Lustrum, where I came from.”

Wendy wrinkled her nose and made a face. “Well, Lustrum is a city of the world. Packhaven prides itself on being werewolf-centric,” she said as if that somehow made up for their lack of anything that might have been commonplace elsewhere in the country.

When they offered us a table, I shot Theo an apologetic look. “I’m really sorry. This is kind of girl talk,” I said. “Would you mind giving us a little space?”

Theo nodded and headed for the other side of the room, looking relieved. Wendy had been pretty much drooling on him all the way to the diner as if, at any moment, she might change the menu and eat him for lunch.

On the other hand, Wendy looked delighted to be separated from Theo. Before I could figure out why, she plopped down in the seat offered to her by the waiter and gestured across the table for me.

“This just keeps getting better and better,” she gushed. “I can’t wait to hear what you’re trusting me with. I’m so glad I’m your girlfriend here in Packhaven.”

I sat and put my hands on the table. But that didn’t feel right, so I stuck them under my legs. And that still didn’t feel right, so I took them between my knees. Man, when had I gotten so nervous?

I must have opened my mouth about four times before I finally got out the words, “What is the purpose of reporting in Packhaven?”

She wrinkled her nose and cocked her head, looking at me. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, aren’t we supposed to tell the truth?” I demanded.

She made a face. “Well, obviously.”

I sighed and switched the position of my hands again. “It’s just, after you told me about Southhaven and made it sound like the man that I interviewed was just passing on rumors, I looked into it. And things just don’t add up. It’s like it’s like Packhaven doesn’t even want to acknowledge the existence of Southhaven.”

I chewed the inside of my lip. “Hiding Southhaven seems weird. The government and the Alpha King really seem to be all over broadcasting their municipal achievements. You’d think they’d be shouting the success of Southhaven from the rooftops. At least they would if they’ve really done such a good thing for all of those less fortunate people.”

“Oh, Honey,” Wendy said, reaching across the table and grabbing my hands. “You’ve totally misinterpreted everything. Of course, we’re meant to report the truth.”

She sighed and let go, and looked at me with sympathy etched all over her face. “I can understand why you might be paranoid. I heard they treated you horribly in Lupinton. But don’t worry. Give it some time here at the Palace Press, and all of this won’t seem so oppressive. You’re just feeling sensitive because of everything you’ve gone through.”

I internalized an eye roll. Great. Now she was gaslighting me. But clearly, she meant to be reassuring. I could see that on her face.

She paused while the waiter set bottles of water in front of us and then left to go get our lunch order. When he was out of earshot, she spoke again.

“Look, why don’t you give settling in here a real chance? Just wait until after we’ve finished our three articles and after you published one of your own. By then, you’ll have a feel for the whole system and how it works. And I’m sure you’ll be feeling less like we’re lying to the public and more like we’re balancing public service and morale. At least as far as the palace and the workings of the Alpha King are concerned.”

The man came back and set our lunches in front of us. Silent stayed between us for a few bites. And then Wendy spoke again.

“I know I might not be the first person you want to confide in. But I want you to know that I’m here for you. And I’m really glad that you wanted to talk to me. While I can’t say that I’ve experienced anything like you have, I would imagine that moving all the way across the country and being hunted down just for trying to expose corruption must be absolutely horrible.”

“And I’d imagine you’re not even out of danger yet.” She shuddered. “I think you’re doing marvelously, given everything that’s happened to you. And if you need anything, then all you need to do is ask me, and I’m there for you.”

Wendy leaned across the table, eyeing me sincerely. “It would take a cruel person to leave you to do all this on your own and an absolute monster to squash you while you’re trying to move forward from everything. But like I’ve said before, and I will promise it again, as long as you take the time to understand and learn the way that we do things here, you will have an outlet for the truth.”

She pressed her lips together. “I suppose it might help to understand that the Palace Press’ truth and the Alpha King’s truth are one and the same. But it’s not like the Alpha King wants corruption in Orlune. So I’m sure that whatever investigations are being done into this corruption on a nationwide scale will be yours to report when they’re found.”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “You make it sound like I’m not going to be doing any of the investigating at all.”

Wendy shook her head at me. “That’s not what I mean it. Even a journalist can word things poorly sometimes. It’s just you’re new to the Palace Press, and I can’t imagine the editors giving you lots of money to go digging around in something that’s already been uncovered.”

She held up placating hands. “But I guarantee that as soon as they catch a whiff of anything relating to the story, they’ll send you out to report on it. This is your story, after all.”

I poked at my food with my fork. My appetite diminished the longer this conversation went on. I was so confused. Trying to pull fact from fiction at this point was like trying to piece together a completely white puzzle. I had no idea which way was up and which way it was down, and every time I thought the pieces went together, I was wrong.

Urg. Why did life have to be so frustrating?

Wendy made a sympathetic noise in the back of her throat. “Why don’t we talk about something entirely different? You’re way too focused on issues that aren’t really issues. Tell me about your apartment.”

She sighed. “I know sometimes I make it hard for conversation because I have a tendency to go on and on without letting people get a word in edgewise, but I’m all ears. I promise.”

She folded her hands and rested her chin on them, staring straight at me and waiting for my response.