Page 46 of Bitter Discord

“Did they ever catch the werewolf?” I asked, going back to the serial killer.

“Oh, yeah, and I heard they killed him slowly,” Director Rhodes answered.

“Odd that you’re here tonight,” Zuri mentioned as we saw the line of yellow tape. I couldn’t smell blood yet, which made me wonder just how far from the body we still were.

“Considering everything that has happened in this city in the last four years and what we knew was going on tonight, I got a call and decided I needed to be here.” The Director stopped at the tape. “Let me tell you what my agents discovered. At least three gunshot wounds to the chest. We haven’t touched the body to check the back.” He waved, looking over my shoulder. I turned around to see two men coming closer. “These two were the ones to check the body when the tip came in. I figure you’ll want to know their scent?”

I nodded, catching both of them on the wind. They weren’t too far, and it was easy to file them away as the BSA agents.

“As for the tape line, it’s based on werewolf recommendations. At this distance, we’ve vastly reduced the risk of further contamination. Does it work for both of you?”

“It’s perfect. Go back to the tent. We’ll tell you what we discover,” Zuri said, going under the tape. She held it for me, and we started for the body. After ten feet, she looked back. “The BSA is an exemplary human organization.”

“I think they just want to make sure the world keeps spinning. If that means working with us as friends, then that’s what they do. Not all the members are okay. I’ve run into some bad attitudes, as you’ve noticed, but generally, the BSA keeps to its own.”

“Many countries have taken that stance or just ignored the problem entirely. Some tried to play games when the werewolves went public, like conscripting them into armies and the like. Those attempts ended in less than a decade. The werewolves have a lot of economic power, and they are woven into a structure that gives them reach across the globe. They taught the humans the valuable lesson of letting us do what we need to do as supernaturals because we’ve been more of a pro than a con.” She continued to look back to where we had left the Director. “But still… the BSA is a good group from my limited knowledge.”

We kept walking, and eventually, the scent of blood reached our noses. The scent of the victim was certainly a werecat. Male.

“Oh, no.”

“I was hoping it wouldn’t be the worst-case scenario,” Zuri said with frustration.

We stopped when we could see him.

Mason.

“Let’s see if I can put this together. He was related to a traitor, Carter, from Mikkel’s group. His brother helped take me hostage and starve me, with the intention of killing me and sending my head to Hasan if the family didn’t give in to his demands. Now, he’s dead.” I growled softly as I went closer. With little else to do, I had to verify one thing. I looked at the holes in his chest, three, just like Rhodes said. I shoved a finger in one, fishing for a round. There was a slim chance it wasn’t silver, but incredibly unlikely. It would have had to hit something vital to kill him if it wasn’t silver.

I pulled out a silver bullet.

When you wanted to kill a moon cursed, silver made sure they died.

“They know the pack is carrying silver,” I said, hearing Zuri come closer as I held up the round, then dropped it in her hand.

“Set up or one of the pack going against Heath’s orders?” she asked softly.

“It takes strength of will to go against orders,” I murmured, considering the options. “I think Heath would know if someone in the pack broke free of the hard directives to stay on my territory this week.”

“But you have to ask, Jacky. I know you don’t want to cast blame on him, but you have to ask him.”

“Will it help?” I demanded, looking over my shoulder. “We both know the others will say I asked the werewolves to take out Mason because he was an enemy. If I didn’t ask, then I said something, and he was killed for me by my fiancé and his werewolves to make me feel better.”

“It’s easy to prove your innocence. You just need to tell them the truth.”

“And the werewolves? Do I line all of them up and have them give their truths and hope no one kills them before they have the chance to be heard?” I stood, staring at Mason’s body. “I believe this was a setup.”

“I do, too, but we have to exhaust everything so we can tell that to the other werecats. Speaking of, we need to reach out to all of them and try to get them back to the mansion immediately.”

“Do you have all their numbers? I… Well, I didn’t think to ask before they left.”

“I have everyone,” she promised. “When we’re done here, we’ll reach out. I don’t want to leave this scene yet.”

“I want to look around more, too. We could pick up the scent of the shooter. Do you… feel any magic?”

“Not yet, but there could be trace in the spot it was used on. His blood is overpowering my sense of smell right now. I can’t even pick up the two humans who came out here and saw his body.”

“Agreed.”

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