Page 109 of The Alpha's Protective Mate

“It’s not a fling,” I say coolly, meeting his gaze. “She’s mine.”

“Have you lost your min—”

Adam raises a hand, cutting him off. “I’m interested in what Charlotte has to say.”

“She doesn’t think our people are being used as ingredients,” I begin. It takes me a couple of minutes to walk them through the conversation I had with her.

Despite his grievances, Morris’s brows knit together as I finally stop to take a breath. “You trust her with this information?” he asks me.

“I do.”

Adam appears troubled. “If what she says is true, and this whole thing is a distraction, then what are they aiming for?”

“The last time the vampires allied themselves,” I explain, “a war broke out. The intention was to subdue our species and dominate them. What if Beruth wants to do the same?”

Morris looks around at the poor state of the area we are in, graffiti all over the new buildings that Adam had constructed a mere two years ago. “He has found a way to cripple our kind. Your girl’s assessment might not be that far off. We need a guy undercover who can access the drug.”

“But the rule is to consume it on the spot,” Adam counters. “How’s that—”

“What if we create our own diversion?” I suggest. “Undercover guy number one takes the vial. He’s about to drink it. Undercover guy number two bumps into him and smashes a similar-looking vial on the floor. Guy 1 secretly hands off his vial to Guy 2.”

“It’s worth a try,” Morris suggests. “I’ll get on it. There’s still a lot of activity occurring in my area.”

“In the meantime, let’s trace Aaron’s steps and see where he was when he decided to go off alone somewhere.”

Aaron is the man who went missing the day Florian was killed. It takes us a couple of hours, but we manage to find his phone.

“Check for the last number that called him,” I tell Adam, who is going through the phone.

Adam finds the number and tries calling it, then shakes his head. “It’s been disconnected.”

“Florian got a call from an informant,” I murmur. “I bet Aaron did, too. And I assume it was from a burner phone; all informants use burners. When an informant calls, his point of contact typically goes to meet him alone. What if this is how they’re isolating our people?”

Morris and Adam exchange grim looks.

“We’re going to have to warn them not to go off alone,” Morris says.

“Florian told someone he was going to meet his informant.” My voice is hard. “If he hadn’t, we wouldn’t have been able to figure this out. Aaron is one of your people, right, Adam?”

Adam nods. “I’ll look into his list of informants, check his bank accounts, the works. It’s getting late. You two should head back.”

We part ways, but as I’m about to get in my car, Morris stops me. “Are you serious about that girl, Robert? You know what she is.”

“You do, too.” I give my friend a half-smile. “I know you looked into her when Harry told you I was seeing her.”

“He worries about you. What’s wrong with finding someone from your pack?”

I appreciate that my friend is also concerned about me, and I put his hand on my shoulder. “My wolf doesn’t want anyone but her. It’s as if he finally woke up when he first caught her scent.”

Morris’s eyes narrow at the corners. “That’s impossible.”

I give him a cool stare. “I’ve never lied to you before, Morris. I’m not going to start now. I know Aisha has already told you of Charlotte’s circumstances. She’s not the enemy.”

“You’re two different species—”

“I’m aware,” I shrug.

My friend runs his hands through his hair, clearly frustrated. “Robert, she can’t give you children. She can’t be Alpha Female. Aisha wants you to be happy, but you can’t be Alpha and be with a vampire. If you bring Charlotte into the pack, you might be able to stem the rebellion that’s bound to happen, but you’ll be putting the life of the woman you love in danger. You know there will be plenty of people who will try to assassinate her. Since you can’t form a bond with a vampire, getting rid of her won’t impact your mental state. That’s according to pack elders, who can easily force you to take another female as a mate.”

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