Page 102 of A Wolf's Heart

I had contacted work and told them what had happened. Chief Nix, of course, seemed to be worried about me and offered to come over if I needed company, which I had declined. Inviting a man into an all-shifter building, while my three mates lived above me, was asking for trouble I didn’t need at the moment. I had promised to return to work after the weekend. My heart bled for Max, it always would, but now was the time to take a step forward, as I had when my parents died, and move on.

I was standingin my kitchen, brewing a coffee with my instant, pod coffee maker. No matter how many times Kage rolled his eyes at it, his coffee machine was too complicated, and I just wanted a plain cup of coffee. However, when I finished making my coffee and took a sip, I spat it out in the sink, gagging as the flavor turned sour on my tongue.

I quickly dipped my head under the tap, turning it on and letting the cool water cleanse my tongue before I threw up again. I hated the stupid high-end coffee pods. My palate just wasn’t used to good shit, but the prissy rich wolves never understood that.

While dumping the rest of the coffee down the sink, turning my head, so the smell wouldn’t trigger me, my phone beeped with a bank notification. I frowned and clicked on it, myeyes skimming the deposit that was just made from Cridhe Enterprise.

Enterprise? The pack was an enterprise?

With a growl, I marched my way out my door. I turned to lock the door, the ring camera whistling before Weylin’s voice came through.

“Mmm, morning, sexy. Coming to wake me up?”

Lord, save me. The only stipulation to me having my own place was that they would be allowed to put cameras up. I flipped the camera off.

“Ah, on your way to see Kage, I see. Have fun. Scream if you want me to join.”

I took my key card and scanned it in the elevator, so I could access the upper floors. It wasn’t long before I was walking into his home office, not surprised to see Rainor there on his tablet. Kage had his back to me as he stared out of the large window.

“Less than a minute,” Rainor murmured.

“She moves fast when she’s angry,” Kage said.

I pressed my lips together, gathering my thoughts. “What’s the payment for?”

“Your time put in as active lead detective on the case.”

I figured he’d go with that. “It’s way too much, and you know that. Even a top detective with decades of experience doesn’t get paid this much. Not to mention, I am still getting paid for the time I put in with my precinct.”

Rainor sighed, setting down his tablet. “Yes, about that. We’ve had a contract drafted, and we’d like to hire you on with Cridhe full-time.”

I took a deep breath, meeting his stare. “Rain, you’re smart. What do I feel right now?”

“I tried to warn him.” He gave a slight smirk. I waited. “She thinks we are paying her for her body with the money and weare trying to trap her here with employment. We are controlling her.” His eyes swung to Kage.

Kage turned around, looking unfazed by this.

“So, you see why I won’t accept the payment or the job position, right?” I said.

“Hm. I do see how someone uneducated within the industry would come to that conclusion.” He picked up a folder from his desk and handed it to me, saying nothing.

I took it, my eyes quickly skimming through them. “What… Is this real?” I raised an eyebrow at Rainor.

“Yes.”

My eyes went back to the pages in front of me. It was a list of employees, their job descriptions, and their yearly salaries. Going by what was here, I was being paid a fairly average wage. “So, you basically own your own police force.”

“Basically.” Rainor mocked me before sitting back and explaining. “They don’t all belong in the city. Our gammas are spread throughout the city and other towns and cities within Cridhe territory.”

“And outside Cridhe territory,” I guessed.

The small twitch of his lip was the only indication that I’d gotten that right. They had gammas in other territories. Bold. I bet they were the higher paid ones. “Fine, you twisted my arm, I’ll keep the money. I want a full description of my job title and what will be expected of me. I’ll finish up this case, but I won’t put my notice in at my current precinct until—”

“Uh, stipulation.” Rainor's grin remained. He’d sure enjoyed that word over the last few days. “Due to the nature of the employment, we can’t have you at any other job. Especially one on a separate territory.”

I gave him awhat the fucklook. “Separate territory? It’s my territory. You just admitted that—”

“Yes, well, I think it’s time you were inducted into Cridhe Pack,” Kage said.

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