Page 24 of Knox's Fate

"Yes," Coco replied solemnly. "It's not something we've experienced here in Silver Falls. Not like this."

"Who would do such a thing?" Ruby's fists clenched at her sides, the fierceness in her spirit igniting with a desire for justice.

"No one knows, and Beckett—he’s Knox’s best friend and the town’s sheriff—has investigated, but we still don’t know. I do know that neither Knox nor Beckett will quit until they find out." Coco's determination mirrored Ruby's own. "Your aunt was loved here, Ruby. And we take care of our own."

"Then we will find out together," Ruby stated, resolved in her newfound purpose alongside her connection to Knox and his clan. There was danger lurking in the shadows of Silver Falls, but she wouldn't let fear dictate her path. Not when there was so much at stake.

They left the main part of the lodge and were in a smaller, more intimate section. Ruby paced the length of the sitting area—back and forth in front of the hearth. She could feel the knowledge of how her aunt had passed as it began to really sink in. "But why?" she asked again, turning to Coco, her voice low but insistent. "Why would someone do that to her?"

Coco sighed and leaned against the worn windowsill, her gaze distant as though peering into a past laden with secrets. "There's an old legend about Silver Falls," she began tentatively, "about a lost silver mine somewhere in the mountains. A cache of silver is said to be hidden there, untouched for centuries."

"Treasure hunters?" Ruby's brow furrowed skeptically.

"Many have come looking over the years," Coco confirmed. "Most leave empty-handed, but some... they get obsessed.Whoever killed her must have thought Lorraine knew where it was."

"Why would they think that?" Ruby asked.

Coco shrugged. “People believed she had knowledge passed down through generations.”

“But her family wasn’t from Silver Falls…”

“No but your uncle’s clan has been here since the beginning. Information amongst beavers is always passed down the female line. Your uncle had no sisters, so anything that was known would have passed to her, and some may believe from her to you.”

“I know nothing.” Ruby said as a shiver ran through her. A shiver composed of a mixture of fear and anger. It had never occurred to her that her aunt might be connected somehow to such tales of greed and desperation. It cast a shadow over the quaint image she held of Silver Falls, revealing a darker underbelly.

"I only have vague memories of my uncle. We visited them once while he was alive. After he died, we visited several times but then my mother and aunt became estranged, and we never saw her again. I was kind of surprised when she left me the lodge,” Ruby said after a moment. “Thank you for telling me. I think I need to understand everything if I'm going to stay here."

"Of course." Coco's voice was gentle, offering silent support.

As the day waned and the shadows grew long, Coco led Ruby upstairs to what was unmistakably Knox's room. It was a sanctuary that spoke of strength and solitude.

"Knox would want you to be here when he gets back," Coco said, her tone leaving no room for argument. “We’re about the same size, I’ll get you some things you can use.”

"All right," Ruby agreed, taking a steadying breath. She perched on the edge of the bed, her hands folded in her lap to quell their trembling.

“You’ll be fine, and if he’s an asshole, I’m right down the hall, and you can stay with me.”

It was some time before Ruby saw Knox and his men returning. She heard some commotion downstairs and fought the urge to go running down to him and fling herself in his arms. He had things to do, and she thought it was best to wait for him. When Knox finally entered, the room seemed to shrink in response to his presence. His broad shoulders filled the doorway, and his deep eyes found hers immediately.

"Are you okay? Your people?”

“We’re all fine. I understand you pitched in and helped. Thank you for that. It’s tough on everyone who isn’t in the thick of it. Baking cookies helped probably more than you know. Grizzlies have a notorious sweet tooth.”

“I never knew… I mean I have some novels that talk about shifters, but…" she started, but he raised a hand to stop her.

"There's a lot you don't know—about me, about this place, about what happened to your aunt. Can we deal with the easy stuff tonight and let the more complicated things wait until tomorrow?” he asked, his gaze steady. She nodded, and he went on. "As you probably figured out, I'm the alpha of my clan. That means it’s my job to keep our people safe, to keep our existence hidden.”

Ruby laughed. Finding out shifters actually existed had been a bit of a shock, but she knew instinctively that Knox wasn’t making this up and she was now caught up in something that could have come right out of one of her romance novels.

Part of her brain told her she should either reject this idea and him as insane and utterly impossible, but she knew he was telling the truth. Then her brain told her she should run like hell, but she found herself more intrigued than anything.

"… relationships are difficult when you’re alpha and being called to a human complicates things exponentially…” he continued, but Ruby wasn’t really paying him much attention.

That too was no surprise. Many of the books she read dealt with the idea of a shifter falling for a non-shifter. She tuned back in when she realized he was feeling somewhat guilty.

“We haven’t known each other that long. There was no way for you to know if you could trust me. Although if you’d peeked at my Kindle, you might have given me the benefit of the doubt,” she teased.

He reached out to draw her close, lowering his head to kiss her. She melted into him, giving him solace and passion—the only things she had to offer. He raised his head and looked down into her eyes.

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