"Are you sure that he's alone?" Walden asked. "How do you know it's not a trap?"

Ted rolled his eyes, his good humour ebbing away with every word out of Walden's mouth. "If I answer, are you going to believe me, this time?" It had to be the tenth time he'd asked since they'd left the house. Ted was reconsidering the wisdom of speaking up while Walden was in the kitchen with Evey. After all, Scabior had only requested to see her.

Walden thought it over for a moment. "Probably not." Before Ted could make a sarcastic remark, something so unusual that it would clearly show just how annoyed he was, Walden continued. "I just don't think it's a good idea. We'll have to go through the wards to talk to him…"

"Wal, you already said that," Evey said. She sounded just as irritated as Ted felt. "We already agreed that it was a risk worth taking. Scabior may have information about Greyback."

Walden made no audible reply, but Ted heard him muttering in Gaelic under his breath. Something about the stubbornness of werewolves.

It was too late to argue, anyway. After walking for nearly twenty minutes in the woods, they'd reached the edge of the warded area.

The cub, Scabior, was where Ted had left him. He was scanning his surroundings like a frightened doe. Unlike Greyback, Scabior couldn't see or hear through the Fidelius Charm and the hundred other protective charms that Tony had carefully applied to the property. "See? He's alone." Ted said. "I checked the perimeter, Walden. There's no one else in a mile-radius. The dark wizard who is posted near the front gate is asleep." In the bloke's defence, it was almost two in the morning.

After the recent incident at the Weasley-Delacour wedding – to which Ted had rudely not been invited – after the so-called Death Eaters had finally realised that Walden wasn't quite as dead as they'd assumed, they had despatched someone to keep watch on the Macnair estate, even though they couldn't actually see or hear anything, as far as Ted knew. They must be hoping that someone would step out of the wards at some point and fall into their hands.

That hadn't stopped the fledgling from leaving the estate to visit his girlfriend, but to be fair, Tony could turn invisible. Evey, too, but… Well, Walden was even more reluctant to allow her to leave the house since that Voldemort fellow had taken over the Ministry of Magic.

"Fine," Walden said resignedly. He was glaring at Scabior. If Ted knew Walden, the man was wondering what sort of relationship his wife used to have with the cub while they both lived in Asgard, and why he'd insisted on seeing her. Also…Scabior was rather good-looking. That didn't help. "Let's hear what he has to say."

The three of them took a few steps forward, thus revealing their presence to the werewolf. Scabior flinched when they suddenly appeared in front of him. Ted truly didn't believe that the cub was leading them into a trap. If he had to guess, he'd say that Scabior was afraid of getting caught by his Alpha.

"Evey," Scabior said in low voice. His grey eyes levelled with her nose, no higher. He moved a bit closer to her.

Too close. "Stay where you are," Walden growled.

Evey sighed. "Hey, Scabior. This is Walden. My husband."

"Uh-huh. I heard. Congratulations, I guess," Scabior said with a shrug. Walden's shoulders relaxed slightly. The cub didn't look like a forlorn lover.

Unlike Tony. It was probably a good thing that the vampire spent so much time with that Morgana girl. When he was around Walden and Evey, Tony was so awkward that it was almost painful to watch him interact with them.

Scabior cleared his throat when no one else spoke. "I'm sorry to bother you at home. I know that I…that we… Well, we've had our differences."

Evey smirked. "That's one way to put it. What do you want? Do you have a message from Greyback? Can you tell us where-"

"Even if I wanted to tell you where Fenrir is, I couldn't," Scabior interrupted her.

There was a harsh gust of wind and thunder rumbled in the distance, despite the cloudless night sky. "Don't call him that," Ted warned the cub.

"Then why are you here?" Walden demanded, ignoring the rebelling elements. He was able to cast magic with the prosthesis that Tony had designed for him, but he'd brought his wand along just to be safe. His right hand was gripping it tightly.

"I just… I'm worried, I suppose." Scabior shuffled uneasily. "Remember when I told you that Fen…um, that Greyback would never ask us to fight for You-Know-Who?" Evey nodded grimly, as though she knew exactly what would come next. "Yeah, well, he's been giving us duelling lessons, and he insists that everyone learns how to Apparate. The ones among us who can do magic, anyway," he added unnecessarily.

Rumour had it that Greyback's pack was not only the largest in Great Britain, but also contained the highest ratio of wizards to Muggles. Ted assumed that Greyback preferred to recruit wizards rather than non-magical werewolves whenever possible. They were simply more…useful.

"If there ever was a good moment to say this, it's now: I told you so," Evey said, though she didn't sound smug about it. "It was only a matter of time, Scabior. Do you really think that Greyback spent all of that time and put so much effort into assembling a giant pack of stray werewolves just out of the goodness of his heart? You knew this would happen. Deep down, you always knew. You just refused to admit it."

Scabior exhaled sharply. "Maybe. I don't know. But he always…he really cares about us, you know. At least, I think he does."

"I won't contradict you on that," Evey said quietly. "I'm sure he does, on some level. But he always had ulterior motives, and they take precedence over everything else."

"I… Evey, I don't know what to do," Scabior whispered. "I always thought… I've always believed in him. I was so mad at you when you… The things you said about Greyback, it was like blasphemy, you know? And since we found out that he's…different…" Scabior trailed off and briefly glanced at Ted. The cub had known about Wolves for a relatively long time, but Greyback hadn't told him everything, that much was certain. Evey had completed his education on the subject. "Well, everything's changed now. After you fought him, after you left, the pack was divided roughly in half: there were those who believed that you ought to have taken over, since you'd brought Greyback into submission, and those who chose to ignore your existence entirely and focused instead on Greyback and what he really is. An immortal werewolf. A divine being in the flesh and living among them. A god who chose them to be his pack. They practically worshipped him, even before all that, but you can imagine how learning about Wolves reinforced their convictions."

Evey was scowling. "I never…I only told Jabbar about the Wolves. I swear," she added, looking at Ted.

"Eh… I think we're beyond secrecy at this point. The army of dark wizards probably knows by now. It's only a matter of time before the news spreads to the entire wizarding community."

Evey bit her lip, but Ted had scolded her for revealing their existence to the Order already. There was no point in giving her another earful about it. What was done, was done.

Perhaps it was for the best. The future would tell.

"Jabbar told his mates," Scabior said. "His mates told their mates…" He shrugged. "You know how it is."

"They're such gossips," Evey said fondly.

"Evey… What do you think we should do?" Scabior asked. As the conversation wore on, his eyes had progressively lowered. His gaze was now fixed on Evey's chin. For his sake, Ted hoped that it wouldn't get any lower. Walden would certainly have a problem with that.

"So you're in the half that believes I should be your queen?" she said with an amused smile.

Aaand the eyes were back on her nose. "Of course not. Don't be silly. There's no such thing…"

"There's no such thing as me," Evey finished for him. "And I could totally be your queen. Alpha sounds way too male-ish."

Scabior took a deep, calming breath. Ted could relate, and Walden, too, he was willing to wager. She was a handful, sometimes. "Evey… The problem would be the same, or near enough. The ones who would accept you as our leader consider you a…" He paused, then went on reluctantly. "Like Greyback, they see you as a near-godly being. Because…well, you know why."

Evey giggled. She actually giggled. Ted didn't think that she was even capable of making such a sound. "I'm sorry," she said, still grinning, "I know the situation is pretty serious, but…" There she went again. Walden was staring at her. He even glanced at Ted as if to make certain that he was hearing it, too. "Sorry!" Evey cleared her throat. "A near-godly being. I have to say, after being called an abomination and a hybrid for months, it's a pleasant change. Anyway." She finally got her mirth under control. "Okay. What were we talking about?"

"You were going to resolve our situation, O divine queen," Scabior said wryly. "I mean, we can't just…leave. Greyback would never allow that."

"Of course he wouldn't," Evey said briskly. "Scabior, I wish I could help, I really do, but I don't know what you expect from me. Unless you tell us where to find Greyback…" She shook her head. "No. Even that wouldn't help. Tony says that the cage is not done yet. Ted managed to break out of it every single time. We're not ready. We need more time."

"Cage?" Scabior repeated.

"Tony's been working on a magical enclosure that could securely hold Greyback, until we figure out how to…you know." Scabior nodded. "No luck so far, though. Besides, locking him up won't be the hardest part. We'll have to restrain him first, preferably without hurting him."

"I can't help with that," Scabior said. "Honestly…even now, I wouldn't feel comfortable betraying him."

"You're betraying him right now," Walden pointed out.

"I'm not!" Scabior snapped. "Look, I tried to talk to him, to appeal to him, really, to explain that none of us wanted to take part in the war, that we didn't want to fight anyone. He said that if we wanted the freedom we deserve, and the same rights as all wizards, as all people, war was the only way." He grimaced. "He said that we were foolish and naïve to think that the wizards would simply hand those over to us on a silver platter. The means justify the end, you can't make omelettes without breaking eggs, blah-blah-blah, that sort of things. He just won't listen to reason."

Evey nearly reeked of pity as she looked at the cub. She'd seen this coming from a mile away, and anyone in their right mind would have, as well. The young werewolf and his packmates were delusional. Greyback had been manipulating them from the beginning, and they had no clue.

Ted decided to question the cub further. Together, surely, they could figure something out. "Did you receive specific orders from Vol-"

"DON'T!" Scabior shouted, hands raised as if to physically force the word back into Ted's throat.

Ted's eyes widened in surprise. He'd heard that wizards were sensitive about calling him that, but… "Um…"

"Sorry," Scabior said hastily. "You don't know, do you?" Everyone stared at him in confusion. "They put a Taboo on that name. If you say it out loud…"

"Wow," Walden said, whistling softly. "Seriously? A Taboo is extremely difficult to enforce. Efficient, but it requires a lot of manpower."

"That's where we come in," Scabior said, a defeated look in his eyes. "Fen… Greyback didn't say that the order came from You-Know-Who, but in the next few months, our mission will be to find everyone who utters the Taboo and arrest them. You-Know-Who knows that only his enemies will use that name."

"Clever," Evey admitted. She turned to her husband in alarm. "Gods, I hope Harry knows about this. He uses that name every chance he gets."

"We have no way of contacting him directly," Walden said. "We'll have to let Tonks or Kingsley know, and hope they can get in touch."

The remaining members of the Order had been adamant that they should not communicate with each other unless it was absolutely necessary, at the risk of being caught red-handed by Death Eaters and left to rot in a dungeon somewhere. But this was a vital information. It could literally save lives.

"But does the Taboo thingy allow the Death Eaters to walk through wards?" Ted wanted to know.

Scabior shook his head. "I don't think so. It only allows them…us…to know your exact location, or the nearest non-warded spot, anyway. So…yeah, I guess it doesn't matter much if you say it, but if someone's in hiding in a badly protected place or on the move, then... They're fair game."

"Actually," Walden said, "that's not exactly accurate." He smelled smug, though it didn't show on his face. Like he was glad for the chance to correct Scabior. "The Taboo will let you know the person's approximate location and it will weaken the protective charms in place, if there are any. So, honestly, I wouldn't take that chance, even within our wards. Especially if Greyback himself is able to track people who use the Taboo. For all we know, the slight weakening of a single ward is all it would take for him to get inside the estate."

"Knowing him," Evey said glumly, "that's exactly what he's counting on, and I'll bet he volunteered the pack as a Taboo task force with that in mind. Greyback knows that I always call…You-Know-Who by his made-up name, just like…the Dark Lord knows that Harry uses it, too. Crafty bastards, both of them."

"You gotta hand it to them, it's a pretty smart move. An evil stroke of genius," Ted said with a hint of admiration. Perhaps Voldemort was a worthier opponent than he'd initially assumed, though he'd never doubted that Greyback was a cunning cub.

Scabior chuckled mirthlessly. "At least we're getting paid."

"You-Know-Who is paying you to capture his opponents?" Evey asked.

"Greyback is paying us. He must have realised that we needed an incentive."

"What are you going to do with the money, anyway? You're stuck in a prison somewhere. It's not like you can spend it on fun stuff."

"It's not a p-" Scabior made a sound like he was choking. "Ugh. Fidelius. I can't…"

"It was worth a shot," Evey said with an attempt at a cheerful smile, which failed pathetically.

"And yeah, we don't need money, not right now," Scabior went on, ignoring her remark. "Greyback pays for everything, he always has. But some of us are hoping to have a family someday, when we…when the wizards let us work and don't bleed us for a potion that the law states is compulsory to drink every month."

Ted glanced at Evey. Her scent was a complicated combination of emotions: pity, sadness, helplessness, bitterness, anger… Ted assumed that the last one was directed at Greyback. Or possibly at the wizarding society. No matter what they believed, they weren't any better than the Muggles.

If the wizards had not made the werewolves pariahs, maybe Great Britain wouldn't be in such a pickle right now. If the werewolves were happy citizens, Grigori wouldn't have had such influence on the world, and his appointed heir, Greyback, wouldn't be trying to start a revolution, aided by the current Voldemort situation. None of this would have happened.

Ted had a feeling that Walden would hate him for saying what came next, but he didn't let that stop him. The man hated him already. "It's just an idea, but couldn't we move the pack here?" As expected, Walden narrowed his eyes at him. Who are you to make that sort of suggestion? he was clearly thinking. Ted went on regardless. "Obviously, there's not enough room for everyone inside the house, but they could camp out in the woods, couldn't they? It's the middle of summer."

To Walden's evident relief, Scabior shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but it wouldn't work. Greyback magically bound us…well, everyone else but me, in truth, to the…place in which we're currently residing. And like I said, not everyone would be okay with this. With Evey being..." He hesitated, and eventually decided not to finish that sentence, at the risk of causing Evey to giggle again. "Besides, if anything went wrong, the consequences would be disastrous."

"But if you're bound, how are the others supposed to chase down the people who use the Taboo?" Walden asked.

"With either Greyback or me accompanying them, they can leave."

"So you know how to remove the Binding spell," Evey stated. "And you're free to go wherever you want."

Scabior quickly scanned his surroundings, as if he was afraid that Greyback might have heard her. "I'm not. I'm not supposed to leave unless we get a Taboo alert. Greyback received one just an hour ago, so I took the opportunity to come here. I don't have much time. If he finds out that I…" He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "I should go."

"But what are you going to do?" Evey asked. She smelled almost exclusively worried now.

"Suffer through it. Try not to harm anyone. Await the outcome. What else can we do?" There was a hint of reproach in his voice, as though he'd genuinely expected Evey to fix everything and somehow save the pack.

"Cub," Ted said. "Greyback has finally revealed his true colours. You know that he's not the Alpha you deserve. But you're right, you don't have a choice but to serve him. You know what he is. You couldn't defeat him in single combat and take over." He sighed. "The entire pack couldn't take him down if they tried. It would certainly annoy him to have to kill the whole lot of you, but it wouldn't stop him. The way I see it, you have only one course of action. As second, it is your job to protect the pack. Against themselves, in this case. You must convince them all that Greyback is not fit to lead you, so that when the opportunity arises, you can stand united against him."

"You do realise that what you're suggesting could lead to the brutal murder of four hundred people, right? Including children. If Greyback finds out that I'm trying to undermine him… If anyone snitches…"

"You can handle this, Scabior," Evey said firmly. "I've been saying it from the beginning, haven't I? You should be their Alpha. Not me, not Greyback. It should be you." She gave him a wan smile. "I strongly advise you to make Jabbar your unofficial second. He can help, and he can be trusted." She moved forward and put a hand on his arm. Oddly, Walden didn't react. His expression was neutral, and his scent didn't reek of jealousy. No more than usual, anyway. "You've got this, okay? I believe in you."

Scabior cleared his throat roughly. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Alright. Thanks. I guess." He looked up at the sky. The moon was a waxing crescent. "I really should go. Um…stay safe." Without another word, he Disapparated.

"Well..." Walden said after a moment of silence. "I guess we're back where we started. If Greyback isn't afraid to leave his lair, we must stay in ours. We can't risk-"

"No," Evey said decisively. "I won't hide from him anymore. I won't go outside just to stretch my legs," she told Walden reassuringly, "but we have work to do. We have to find the Questing Beast and use our wish to help Harry. Gods know, he can certainly use all the help he can get."

"Where's everyone?" Tony asked Alice when he returned from Morgana's apartment.

Alice didn't glance up from her cauldron. Walden and Evey had been teaching her how to brew magical potions, mainly to distract her from her grief. Judging by the appearance of the liquid and its lack of smell, she was making Veritaserum. That could always come in handy. "Out in the woods. Someone wanted to talk to Evey," she replied absent-mindedly.

Tony frowned. "Who?"

Alice shrugged. "Foreign name. Sandor or something like that."

Well, that was highly unhelpful. Should Tony investigate? He headed for the back door.

Alice looked up suddenly. "Scabior!" she exclaimed. "That's the name. I think." Now that her attention was on him, she took some time to study Tony, scowling at his tousled hair. "Are you still seeing that girl?" Tony shrugged. "This won't end well, fledgling," she stated with an air of motherly disapproval.

Tony rolled his eyes. The household was currently divided evenly. Ted and Alice, who knew – or thought they knew – why Tony was dating Morgana were entirely against it, though they never said it where Evey and Walden could hear.

Because Evey and Walden believed that it was grand idea, of course.

Tony, as he often did nowadays, decided to ignore Alice's remark and tried to get back on track. "What does Scabior want with Evey?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask."

Tony expected Alice to revive the Morgana issue, but she returned her attention to the potion. "Now scram. If I mess up this part, I'll have to start all over again."

Tony scrammed. By the time he reached the door that led to the woods, though, he saw that Walden, Evey and Ted were coming back. Evey smiled at him when she spotted him. "Hey," she said. She was still a few hundred feet away, but she knew that Tony could hear her. "Scabior came by. Greyback has them working for You-Know-Who, just as anticipated."

Tony raised an eyebrow. You-Know-Who? It wasn't like Evey to use that name instead of simply calling him Voldemort.

"They placed a Taboo on the name," Evey explained, as if she'd read his mind. "We'll have to be careful."

Merlin's dangling bits, a Taboo? That was pure evil. If Harry and his friends didn't know about it, they would be captured in no time, and possibly everyone in the Order. "We have to warn…" Tony trailed off. Walden and Ted could hear him just fine, but Evey was still too far away. He moved forward to meet them halfway. "We have to warn the Order," he went on when Evey was within hearing distance.

She nodded. "Walden will send a Patronus message. That'll be a perfect occasion to show me how it's done. How did your date go? How's Morgana?"

As usual, Tony did his best to evade the subject. "She's fine. It went great. What did Scabior want? Was it just to let you know about the Taboo?" At least, he assumed that this was how they'd found out about it. He hoped so.

"He wanted me to become the pack's Alpha, but I declined," Evey said with a goofy smile.

Tony stared at her. "Seriously?"

"Well, it was briefly discussed," Walden said curtly. "Anyway. We should-"

"There was also mention of me being godly and divine," Evey went on. She made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. Was she drunk? Tony tried to convey the question to Walden in a look. His brother shook his head a fraction. Drunk on Scabior's poor choice of words, perhaps.

Of course, in Tony's opinion, Evey was divine, but he couldn't say that aloud. A few months earlier, he would have joked about it, but he was too afraid that it might be misinterpreted. "Well, um…okay then. I'll let you take care of the Patronus message. I…should keep working on the cage." He awkwardly turned around.

"Tomorrow night, we'll start planning our expedition to track down the Questing Beast," Evey said before he could take more than five steps. "That's priority number one. Though the cage is a close second," she added in a low voice.

Tony nodded, but he didn't look back as he made his way toward his workshop. He could feel Evey's eyes on him as he walked away. In hindsight, perhaps a joke would have been less suspicious.