Page 22 of Follow Your Instincts

“Can you please keep it down?” Jess complained from the door. She peered in at Kira and me with a sneer. “Oh, did the pack meeting not go well?” she asked mockingly. “I’m shocked.”

“What the fuck is wrong with her?” Kira asked as Jess turned to leave.

“I think she’s really angry, too,” I replied.

I didn’t bother dressing up for the next pack meeting. I did make sure my hair was somewhat tamed and wore clothes that Kira deemed “acceptable”, but that was it. Getting dolled up just put too much pressure on everything. Plus, I was never going to dress up like that all the time, so I didn’t want to give anyone the wrong idea.

The second pack was a huge improvement. There were only three in their pack and they were all very polite and sweet. Matt, their pack leader, brought me flowers. He seemed like a gym rat from the way he filled out his tight t-shirt and was handsome in a friendly kind of way; short brown hair and hazel eyes that crinkled at the corners when he smiled. He smelled like apple cider and cloves.

Oliver was thinner than Matt and East Asian. He had a gorgeous British accent and perfectly coiffed hair. He smelled like pineapple with a hint of green chili. “Your scent is lovely,” he said, and the smile he gave me had something spicy lurking underneath as well.

Reese was built like a lumberjack and had long dark hair and a red beard like a Viking. His scent came out of left field: sweet vanilla and strawberry. It was tooth-achingly sweet, and that, along with his shy smile, endeared me to him immediately.

Unlike the first meeting, they asked me questions about myself. “You’re a cop?” Matt asked, and there was no disbelief in his tone. “That’s great!”

“Yeah, I think so, too,” I said and smiled in relief.

We talked for an hour, and by the end of the meeting, I was sold. Three sweet, handsome guys who seemed to have no problem with me maintaining my career? Sign me up.

I gave each of them a hug before they left, and their scents were calming. Reese picked me up off my feet for an extra squeeze, and I laughed, blushing, when he set me back down.

“Well?” Andreas asked once they had walked out the front door. “Did I redeem myself?”

“I’m sorry I ever doubted you,” I said. “Go ahead and do whatever paperwork you need to do for the dating thing.”

Steffi looked worried. “Dear, you have another pack to meet! The one that you had such a strong reaction to, as well.”

“Yeah, I know, but I’ve made up my mind,” I said. “They’re sweet, handsome, and I like them. They seemed fine with me continuing to work. They’re perfect.”

“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘uncomplicated’, notperfect,” Steffi said.

“Uncomplicated is perfect,” I said.

“No, perfect is perfect,” Steffi said stubbornly. “You’re going to meet with that last pack, chicken. I made Andreas save them for last on purpose, and you’re not going to ruin things by making a rash decision!”

“There’s no point,” I said. “I’m not changing my mind.”

“Then just meet with them, dear. It would be so unkind to cancel on them now,” she said.

I looked to Andreas for support. “Sorry, but I’m with Steffi on this one,” he said.

“I’m not happy with either of you right now, and I’m going to make sure Austin doesn’t give you any of the cookies we made today,” I said and stalked to the kitchen to make good on my threat.

Chapter 8

Soren

Iwasn’t sure if it was the distraction of Officer Carter, or the distraction of our upcoming meeting at the Omega Center, but work was not going well. No leads on the Heitzig case, and our only witness was missing.

I’d tried to get in touch with Greta, the victim. She wasn’t answering her phone, or the door to her downtown apartment. We’d spoken at the crime scene and she’d told me the basics of what happened, but I wanted to ask if she had seen anyone suspicious hanging around in the days leading up to the robbery.

Captain Harcourt was getting pissed that the case was going nowhere. She’d tried to assign Detective Jacobs to the case as well, but he’d been luckily pulled away on an organized crime task force. I hated working with him. He never missed an opportunity to remind me I was a Beta to his Alpha, and he relied too much on intimidation rather than actual detective work.

I took the train out to Bristol Beach, the southern tip of the city where Greta Heitzig’s grandfather and mother lived, then walked the rest of the way to their address. It was on a quiet block in a neighborhood that was trending downwards. They lived in the nicest house on the street, a two-story detachedtownhome with its own driveway: a huge commodity. It was painted a bright blue that stood out from the red brick homes surrounding it.

I opened the gate and climbed the short flight of steps up to the door, which opened before I could even knock. A woman who could only be Greta Heitzig’s mother was waiting for me.

“Detective Murray?” she asked.

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