They had planned to swap war stories about last night, while they waited for Julie and her girlfriends to arrive. Then the group was going to ride to the Dirty Money Mining Kaolin processing plant for a quick tour.

They greeted Amanda, who explained that she was inviting herself to ride along with them. Amanda was the ranking female Beta in the pack, having been a trusted ally of Julie's mother, the former Alpha bitch of the Gum Swamp Creek pack.

Dub had the utmost respect for her, and rarely questioned her decisions. "Of course, Amanda, you're welcome to come with us; I should have invited you in the first...