by Lyla Oweds
“It’s all right.” Gregory’s voice was soft against my ear, and his warm presence strong beside me. “In here, he’s nothing but a powerless civilian.”
Blake’s gaze narrowed toward us, focusing on Gregory. “You’re walking a thin line—that touch is in no way professional. And you’re out of your element if you think you can just challenge me—”
“Are you threatening a police officer?” Gregory said mildly, shooting him a sardonic look. “Because if you are, I’d hate to arrest you. But, rest assured, I will gladly do so.”
“You just said that you’d hate to do it…” Blake frowned. “Look at you, all tough because you’re safe here. Out in the wild, I’d rip you to pieces. But, for the record, I’m not threatening you at all. I’m only stating a fact.”
“Is that so?” Gregory sounded bored.
The male rivalry was at an all-time high, and I realized just how silly this was. Downstairs, I’d been worried that it was me who’d be unprofessional. But this… I expected that maybe Blake might be jealous, considering our almost-relationship, but Gregory?
However, it was surprising to think that Gregory might feel this way. Outside of a random comment here and there, and the prophecy, I had no idea he was even remotely interested. He certainly hadn’t acted it before.
I opened my mouth, intent on swaying the conversation back to the topic we’d gathered to discuss, when Blake spoke first.
“I heard you’re looking into the mysterious events surrounding Stacy DuClaw’s death.” Blake crossed his arms on the table in front of him, leaning forward. He didn’t move attention from me, as if Gregory was no longer a person of importance in the room.
Alarm raced through me, and I fought to keep my expression clear. How did he know—
“This is a confidential investigation, how did you hear about this?” Gregory interjected, voicing my thoughts.
“Who my sources are is none of your concern,” he said, not moving his attention away from me. “I’ve come to throw out a peace offering. A way to win back my mate, as it were.” His face softened, becoming even more impossibly handsome. “Perhaps, if I correct some things, you’ll reconsider?”
I blanched as Gregory’s hand tightened over my knee. Hadn’t I made myself perfectly clear on this matter? “I’m not—”
“I heard about the attack.” Blake’s expression was solemn. “I’ve looked into things on my end, because a breach in security concerns me as well. The only person who had access to my office that day was my uncle. But interviewing him won’t help much. He has a sickness of the mind and spends his days rambling about the past. He barely even remembers his family. He won’t be able to aid you in your investigation.”
I glanced at Gregory, not sure how to respond. The opportunity was a good one, but from the sound of it, we might not ever learn—
“Are you selling out your family? Anyway, you’re too confident for that to be the only thing you have to offer this investigation,” Gregory said, leaning forward as well, facing Blake in challenge. “What else did you bring here today?”
“There’s no love between my family and me.” Blake’s mouth lifted slightly, only a twitch, before it’d been concealed once again. “But I’ll play nice.” He reached into his pocket, his gaze never straying from my own.
“At least for now,” he added and pulled out a small photo.
Without another word, he placed the picture on the table and slid it toward Gregory and me. My fingers itched to touch it. The way that Blake presented it, his confidence—this must be something pivotal. But Gregory didn’t move to grab. He continued to watch Blake with an expression of distrust. So without further hesitation, I picked it up myself.
When I glanced at it, my swelling excitement faded. It was only a fading picture of four children. “What’s this?”
Blake smirked now, straightening his shoulders as he sat higher in his seat. “That is a photograph of your victim.” He pointed to the older of the two girls. “This is Stacy Malone—as she was known before her marriage—and here is Victoria Malone, her sister.”
He hesitated only briefly, then his fingers brushed over the younger of the two men. “This right here is Uncle Darren, and next to him—holding hands with your victim—is my father, Christian MacClure.”
My breath caught, and I stared into the young, black and white face of my former Alpha.
I’d barely known the older Alpha MacClure, as I tried to keep out of notice my whole life. But seeing a photo of him younger, a teenager, made it hard to not notice that Blake shared in the same sharp jawline. He had also inherited his father’s curly black hair.
Then the gravity of his words registered over the fact that he was sharing family photos with me. “They’re friends?” I took in the photo anew, and even though their hands were out of sight, hidden behind the backs of the younger siblings, it wasn’t difficult to guess that Stacy and Christian might have even been holding hands. Her head was inclined slightly toward his, and the corners of his mouth lifted in a smirk. “I thought the packs were rivals.”
“Not always,” Blake said, leaning over the table as he studied the picture between us. “As you can see. In my grandparents’ time, they weren’t even friends, per say. But they were allies. Their children, my parents, were never meant to know each other. But from this, we can deduce that is not the case.”
“Your father never told you otherwise?” I asked. The table wasn’t so wide, so his hands and face were quite close to my own. It was something that I both noticed and filed away. Because this was far more interesting than an up-close-and-personal look at Blake MacClure’s flawless skin, or the warm, deep tendrils of his scent. “How did you find this?” I asked instead.
“My father never told me much about the past—only that the Silver Moon pack cannot be trusted. I ended up finding this mixed in with his financials after he died.” Blake rested his chin on his hand, holding my gaze. “I asked my uncle about it once, but he said to never speak of it again. And there’s nothing in our written records anywhere.”
I glanced at the girls again, my brows furrowing. “Then how do you know—”
“I recognize Stacy and Victoria Malone because of these.” Blake pushed two other photographs onto the table. “Of course, there were other pictures of my uncle and father mixed with these, but I’ve left those behind. But I thought you might ask.” He waited until both Gregory and I looked over the photos before he spoke again. “Look at the back,” he explained. “Names and dates are written there. That’s how I was able to make the connection myself.”
Silence rang through my ears as I considered the possible implications of his statement, but it was Gregory who spoke the words.
“You do realize what you’re implying.” He cleared his throat. “In previous investigations, outside of a mutual acquaintance, it seemed as though your packs had nothing to do with each other. Only mingling when absolutely necessary. You’ve now brought us evidence that very well might implicate someone in your own family.”
Blake didn’t move, his hand remained inches from mine on the table. But I didn’t pull away; my gaze remained fixated on the pictures.
I was in a turmoil. Every step of this process, every new revelation, I’d found the very foundation of my world shaken. Now, there was almost nothing left.
My career and my love life had been manipulated by outside forces, including my parents. If things had gone differently, if I’d been told the truth from the beginning…
How would my life have turned out? Would I have been married, mated to Blake, with children of my own at this point? Or would I have been so much further in my career; perhaps already a success with my plan to rescue Grace?
And now there were more lies, more secrets. A woman had died, and no one even fully knew the involvement of the Dark Creek pack. The history I’d been taught since childhood had been a lie.
And how did Edward Cole come into this?
I glanced up and met Blake’s knowing l
ook. My mouth went dry.
I could never trust another shifter again. “Why are you telling us this now?” I asked.
Blake, who’d ignored Gregory, moved at my question. His hand was warm over my own. “I’ve made many mistakes since becoming Alpha. All born from selfish desires and my inexperience. Bringing new light into your investigation is the least I can do.”
It was the least he could do, certainly. His fingers brushed against my skin, and the touch made the hair on my neck stand up. It was obvious from the too-innocent twinkle in his eyes that charity wasn’t the only thing on his mind.
Before I could even reply, to force the words past the lump in my throat, Gregory’s hand closed over Blake’s—ripping his hold from mine. To anyone who might be in the observation room, it might seem that they were the ones now holding hands. But to me, the room suddenly dropped ten degrees and there was a tenseness in the air that made even breathing strained.
“For your transgressions against Miss Gloria, Mr. MacClure, it is the least you can do,” Gregory replied, a harsh, sharp tone to his voice I’d never heard from him before. “If you’ve nothing further to add, this interview is now finished.”
Blake’s hateful gaze narrowed on Gregory—hateful, possessive.
And just a little bit terrifying, if I were to be honest. The more time I spent with Gregory, the more the little things stood out. Things I’d concerned myself over in the beginning—such as protecting him from my own kind—no longer seemed so important. Despite being fae, he’d always been able to hold his own.
It made sense that the strongest usually could. A weak shifter couldn’t overwhelm raw strength, and life could prevail even though harsh conditions so long as they weren’t overwhelmed.
That was why Gregory had told me from the very beginning. That although it was against my own instincts, I couldn’t defeat him with raw power.
It would take a long moment of weakness for me to make my way past his defenses.
But their skin had touched, and I hadn’t missed it. The rippling of power, and the short intake of breath that followed.
Blake was stronger than me, but wouldn’t push the issue. Not so long as we were ‘mates’. He allowed my impertinence to slide, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out why.
He hadn’t given up on me. The thought caused my heart to race—it was flattering, after all.
Still though, despite my body’s reactions to seeing him, I knew what he wanted.
Obedience, subjugation. It was a wolf’s way, and he’d already said as much.
There was no way in hell I would submit, no matter what game he thought he was playing.
But that wasn’t the issue.
He was stronger than me. And according to everyone, my own quintet and I were of Tongjun level in terms of strength. Which made us the third most powerful in our world, at least until the real Tongjun ascended to their duties. There was the second level, the Jiangjuns. To outrank me, he could be that.
But, no. While it was possible, that didn’t feel right either, not with the way Blake and Gregory were glaring at each other. In fact, if I wasn’t mistaken, it was with the same loathing and sense of denial that had overwhelmed me when—
“Are you in the same quintet?” I asked, glancing between the two of them. There were only two ranks higher than my own, and Michael and Gregory were both Er Bashou proxy.
Blake scowled, but it was Gregory who responded, his voice dry. “So it seems.”
“How could you not know this already?” The thought was surprising, considering that the most powerful of our kind tended to run in small circles. Self-preservation, as it were. I was low-born, the sister of an Omega. It made sense I’d be overlooked. “I thought you already knew each other.”
But Blake was an Alpha, already powerful. And surely he’d have been to more social events than I’d been exposed to growing up.
“We know each other, but never have gotten close enough to tell. It doesn’t matter, we’re not official,” Gregory replied, “and we’re never going to be. Kathleen will not come out of seclusion, and Michael and I do not make a habit of cavorting closely with shifters—”
Hurt flashed through me. “Hey—”
“You’re different.” Gregory didn’t move his gaze from Blake as his hand sought out my own. “You’re special.”
It sounded stupid, and still didn’t make his previous statement any better. But the emphasis he placed on the last caused my face to heat and pulse to quicken.
A reaction that didn’t go unnoticed by Blake, if the flashing of his eyes was any indication. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” His eyes glittered dangerously for only a brief moment, and then it passed, a deathly calm in its place. “We’ll need to rectify this.” He looked at Gregory, silk lining his expression. “It’s unnatural.”
My stomach clenched, because within the depths of me, I knew he was right. I shouldn’t feel so much for Gregory—and Michael. Not when my own mate was sitting right in front of me. But still, even though my body reacted to Blake’s presence, I couldn’t live a lie. “What—”
“When you’re done this investigation, I’m joining your quintet.” Blake inclined his head toward Gregory, ignoring me. “It seems like you’re in need of some… monitoring.”
“I think not.” Gregory didn’t sound worried in the least, nor nearly as upset as Caleb had been when I’d made my appearance in his quintet.
“You can’t stop me, Tinkerbell,” Blake replied.
Gregory’s eyebrow rose slowly. “That’s the best you can come up with? You’ll need to work harder than that if you mean to insult me.” As he said this, Gregory wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to his side. My heart stilled at the touch.
Gregory smirked at Blake. “It looks like we’re finished here.” It wasn’t hard to pick up on the bragging tone of his voice. But if I’d had any doubts, they were quelled by the musky smell of male satisfaction. “Gloria and I have some private matters that require our attention.”
My gaze narrowed on the slight indentation of his dimples, further confirming my suspicion.
Gregory was too happy about this situation, and he enjoyed annoying my previous Alpha.
I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
“Because we’re together,” Gregory continued, not noticing that my attention was on him. “So we spend quite a bit of time together: as professionals, as roommates, as love—”
Without a thought to it, I punched Gregory in the jaw, and he fell to the floor, holding his face. “Okay, that’s enough.” I didn’t even spare Blake a glance as I moved to my feet, brushing off my skirts. “This interview is over. Thank you for your time, Mr. MacClure.”
Blake had gotten to his feet as well, and his time he was the one smirking. “Of course, Miss Protean,” he said, faux pleasantries thick in the air. “I’m sure you’re a very busy woman.”
“Right.” The picture was still on the table. “Can we keep that?”
“Of course.” Blake picked up the photo and presented it to me in one graceful movement. And I could tell already that he thought my actions were an acceptance of his.
Best not let that misconception remain.
“Thank you.” I tucked the photo in my portfolio and turned to Gregory, who was slowly getting to his feet as he held his jaw. “Come along, wee one.” I looped arm around his waist as my insides twisted strangely. I had hit his face rather hard. It would have been such a shame to break it.
And this time, I ignored the wafting scent of smugness as I led him from the room.
“What was that?” Gregory waited until we returned to the privacy of our office before he pulled from me. He still touched his jaw, which was beginning to sport a bruise, and his face was set in a grimace.
“What were you thinking?” I sighed, crossing my arms. “Are you trying to annoy Blake?”
“No.” Gregory frowned. “Are you trying to protect him? Having second thoughts about your decision?�
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“Are you jealous?” I asked, sure that I was misreading the petulant tone in his voice. After all, we weren’t even a couple. Yet.
“Of course not.” He turned from me, returning to his desk.
“Wait a minute.” I followed him, sitting on the edge of his desk. “Who are you jealous of anyway: Blake or Michael?”
“When Michael returns, we’ll need to update him with the interview we’d just had.” Gregory ignored my question. “And then—”
“Don’t change the subject,” I interrupted. “Are you trying to get my attention?”
“You’re dating Michael,” Gregory said stiffly, shuffling the papers on his desk.
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” I pulled the papers from him and lay them beside me. “And that’s not what you were implying when you were talking to Blake, either. Don’t pull any of this middle child foolishness. Talk to me.”
“I don’t know how to talk to you.” Gregory looked at his desk, and my heart lurched at the forlorn expression on his face. “You get angry at everything.”
“I do not.” My mouth pressed together as guilt washed over me. “This is just my face.”
“You hit me,” Gregory pointed out. “You got angry.”
“Gregory.” I sighed, rolling my eyes. “We are not a couple. You haven’t even asked me on a proper date.”
He glanced up, frowning, and a flash of hurt crossed his expression. “But I took you to my family’s home.”
Oh for the love of…
“That doesn’t mean anything!” Surely he didn’t think it had significance. It was true that I’d enjoyed myself, and had fun spending time with him. Afterward, I had even felt that I understood the infuriating man just a tiny bit more. However. “What decade do you think this is? We’re not in an arranged marriage here, where you’ve gone to present me to your family and all that.”
“But…” Gregory’s brow furrowed twisted. “We are getting married.”
Annoyance flared through me. I’d heard enough of that from Michael.
