Rook the man doesn’t seem all that affected by my curse, but his wolf grows more attached to me every time we meet. I know it’s the wolf acting like a possessive douche right now, so I don’t call him out. That would only give all the gawking wolves something more to talk about.
“I was attacked by rogues tonight,” I say, stepping back out of Rook’s grasp. “Parker nearly died trying to protect me.”
Rook snarls again and pulls me into a tight embrace, squeezing me so hard I can barely breathe. “Whoa! Down, boy!”
“Hold very still, Nora,” Alpha Toth says quietly. “Rook’s wolf is in control right now, and it appears he considers you his. Any sudden movements and he may very well shift and turn you so that he can claim you as a mate.”
“I thought Rook never dates,” I say as I wait out Rook’s embrace.
“Rook doesn’t. But his wolf must be ready to take another mate. I’ll have to talk to him about suppressing his instincts. As you can see, it can get dangerous to deny our wolves their primal needs.”
“How do I get him to stop?”
“Talk to him. Hug him back. Your voice and your physical touch will settle his wolf.”
Right. That’s not awkward or anything.
The wolf is on the surface, so it’s him I talk to. “Hey, big guy,” I say as I rub soothing circles on his back. “Think you can settle down for me? I know who ordered the hit on me, and I need Rook’s help to catch ’em. Think you can do that? Can you let Rook back out to play?”
Rook’s wolf growls, and he buries his face in my neck to sniff deeply. He lets me go but takes my hand and laces our fingers together. When he steps back, Rook is in control again. Though, his wolf must still be close to the surface, because he tugs me against his side and slips his arm around my waist as if he needs the physical touch. When I try to break his hold and put some distance between us, he tightens his grip. “I’m sorry about this, Nora, but I need you to stay close for now. My wolf really doesn’t like smelling strangers on you, and if you get too close to another male right now, I might lose it.”
I sigh. I can’t be angry with him. We’ve spent so much time training together over the last two weeks that this was bound to happen. I need to figure out how to break this damn curse. “I’m sorry, Rook. This is my fault. I told you it might eventually be a problem. I guess we’re going to have to stop the training sessions now.” When his jaw clenches and his eyes start to glow again, I quickly add, “But hey, I totally used the moves you showed me on one of those rogues tonight, and it worked. I felt like a real badass.” Until I got caught again, anyway.
Rook squeezes my hand and gives me a crooked smile. “Good girl.”
“You in control enough now?” I ask. “Nick and I really need to speak with Alpha Toth privately.”
He clenches his jaw and growls again. “I’m coming with you.”
I roll my eyes and look to Alpha Toth for permission. Alpha Toth nods curtly and leads us inside the building, ignoring all the gaping werewolves. I want to flip them all off, but I can hardly blame them when their ex-alpha is acting like I’m his property.
Once we’re in Alpha Toth’s office, I quickly give him the rundown of tonight’s events. Alpha Toth leans far back in his desk chair, looking pale-faced and fifty years older. “After everything you did for our pack, my own mate tried to have you killed? You’re sure?”
“As sure as the guy who abducted me was sure. He didn’t take the money personally, but there was no hesitation in his thoughts when I asked where the money came from.”
Alpha Toth digests this, then looks to Rook. Rook thinks on it long and hard. “Why?” he finally asks no one in particular. “What motive could she possibly have?”
I cringe inwardly. If Alpha Toth didn’t take the last news so well, he’s definitely going to freak out with this. “Don’t you see?” I ask them both. “It was Luna Marie who was stealing the money.”
Rook’s eyes widen, and Alpha Toth rears back with a soft gasp.
“Money?” Nick asks.
Alpha Toth glares at him. “Pack business.”
Nick rolls his eyes, then raises a curious brow at me. I ignore him and give Alpha Toth a pained smile. “It’s just a theory. I haven’t proven it yet. Hopefully, I’m wrong.”
Alpha Toth grinds his teeth so hard I can hear him from my seat across the desk. Rook, pacing the office behind Alpha Toth, suddenly comes to a stop. He rakes a hand through his thick brown locks and grimaces. “Okay, what’s your theory?”
“Maya and Daniel.”
Both current and former alphas’ eyes flash to me. The intuition sparks in both of them, but I continue my explanation. Mostly for Nick’s sake. He’s out of the loop right now, and his irritation is growing. He’s twitching in his seat and bouncing a knee. But he’s being patient and was a really good sport when I made him swear to let me talk to Alpha Toth first before he barged in demanding to question his luna. “Maya and Daniel had a secret unsanctioned relationship.”
More teeth grinding from Alpha Toth. He really didn’t like that betrayal.
“My guess is either Luna Marie found out about them and blackmailed them into stealing the money for her, or they went to her for help and she manipulated them into taking it for her, promising to help them leave the pack. She killed them awfully quickly once they were found out. And that was only after Daniel started to speak.”
“She was keeping them quiet,” Rook mutters. He stops his pacing and leans against the back wall, as if needing the support to stay upright.
I nod. “Remember Maya’s reaction after Luna Marie killed Daniel? She was defiant to the end and said she wanted to rid the pack of its real problem when she challenged Luna Marie.”
“Marie was tying up loose ends when she ordered the hit on you,” Rook says.
I nod again, keeping my steady gaze locked on Alpha Toth. “She knew we were onto the missing money. She knew I’d discovered Daniel and Maya by using gifts she doesn’t understand. Obviously you didn’t know the truth, but she wasn’t sure how much I knew, or if I’d piece together the rest.”
The room falls silent. Nick must understand what’s really going on now—he’s awfully intelligent, despite the fact that he insists everyone call him Gorgeous—but he knows better than to comment right now. This is pack business, and unless Alpha Toth asks for help, or it starts threatening the underworld as a whole, it’s his right to take care of it without the FUA stepping in. Alpha Toth is hanging by a thin thread, and any interference, no matter how well meant, would send him over the edge.
“It makes sense, boss,” Rook says quietly.
Alpha Toth knows it does. His eyes have started to glow. He’s accepted the truth, and his wolf is starting to surface.
Suddenly, Alpha Toth slams to his feet and flips over his desk with a mighty roar. Nick, moving a lot faster than I could, sweeps me out of harm’s way. His arms lock tightly around me in a protective grip.
For a minute I’m not sure if Alpha Toth’s mad at Luna Marie, or mad at me for making such an accusation against her. “My own damn mate!” He shouts with so much force spittle flies from his mouth with each word. His chest is heaving, and his body is shaking with rage. He storms toward the door, but Rook stops him, placing a gentle hand on the alpha’s shoulder. “Easy, Peter.”
“I’ll kill the bitch!”
“We’ll take care of this, but you must calm yourself first. You want to act honorably and with a level head. You don’t want your pack to watch you kill your mate in a fit of rage.”
Alpha Toth sucks in a sharp breath through flared nostrils, then rolls his stiff shoulders.
“Let’s talk to her first. Give her the chance to explain herself. We still have no idea why she was taking the money. Maybe she had a good reason.”
Whoa. Wrong thing to say. Alpha Toth’s head snaps to Rook, and a snarl rips from his chest. “A good enough reason to steal from my pack and kill two of my wolves who may have been guilty of nothing more than asking their luna for help?”