Page 61 of Wolf Claimed
“I think we have different definitions of witty, Maddox,” she replied, containing her smile. “Why do you care what your father believes, Rafe? I mean, I understand not wanting to disappoint someone you love, but you can’t worry about what your parents or others say. You have to fight for what you believe in.”
“Is that what you did when your father started spewing anti-shifter garbage?”
“I kept my mouth shut until I figured out how to leave without him knowing, so he couldn’t stop me.”
Rafe thought about that for a moment. “I didn’t realize. How old were you when you left?”
“Seventeen. It took me a while to squirrel money away unnoticed. I wanted to finish high school. Maybe staying as long as I did makes me complicit in some way, I don’t know, but I needed a way to survive once I left him. School was important to me.”
“Where did you go?”
She didn’t answer him. It wasn’t a time she was proud of.
“Where did you go, Artemis?” he insisted, though his voice had a softer edge than usual.
“I lived in abandoned buildings for a while and stole what I needed to survive. Food and Clothes. Soap. All my money went toward college applications and court fees. I changed my name as soon as I could, so he wouldn’t find me.”
“You feared him. Why?”
“Can we just focus on the hike, Rafe? If you want to talk, help me figure out who killed Graves.”
She ignored his growl. He wasn’t used to being silenced, especially when he wanted something.
“I’m guessing a shifter did,” Maddox said from up ahead of them. “And since we may never know for sure, we should pin Graves’s murder on one of the shifters Tiernan killed. They won’t be able to contradict anything we say. Or, better yet, pin it on Tiernan. After all those he killed, they’ll believe he killed Graves too. And it shouldn’t risk the treaty if we explain he went feral.”
“No!” Alyssa snapped. “I won’t blame Tiernan for a murder he didn’t commit, and we can’t let the real killer go free to kill again.”
“She has a point,” Rafe said.
“If we get hold of my knife, can you scent who handled it besides me?” Alyssa asked.
“Possibly,” Rafe said. “But first I have to convince Agent Gallagher to hand it over. I don’t think he will.”
“He won’t, which is why I’m going to distract him while you and Maddox find the knife. Unless they shipped it off with the body, it’s probably in the lab. Gallagher wouldn’t destroy evidence.”
“And how do you plan to distract Gallagher?”
“I’ll think of something.”
Another low growl from Rafe. He wasn’t comfortable with her plan. Neither was she, but she needed time alone with Gallagher. And having two protective shifters with her wouldn’t give her the chance to get the answers she needed.
Chapter Sixteen
RAFE
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine,” Alyssa reassured Rafe and Maddox as they stood by the tree line a few hundred yards from the training center.
They hadn’t been spotted by anyone yet, human or shifter. This was Rafe’s last chance to end this foolish plan before Alyssa walked into danger, except they’d already argued. And he’d lost. Maybe his father was right. He wasn’t suited to be alpha. Eero had been the rightful heir. Rafe had been his second, not the one destined to be alpha.
“Artemis—” Rafe began, but she silenced him with a kiss. Her mouth captured him and he gave in, letting her tongue glide between his lips. He was caving to her when he shouldn’t be, but there was a desperation in that kiss that made him push his wolf down and let her proceed with what she felt she needed to do. He would not stifle that determination of hers, her fire, as it fueled him as much as it did her. He would just have to stay vigilant, make sure no one hurt her.
“I know,” she said, full of confidence. How could anyone not love this female?
“I’ll be careful,” she added with another kiss to seal his fate. This one wrapped around his soul and refused to let go, much like the female herself. “And thank you, Rafe. For agreeing to this.”
Agree? She’d left him no choice, insisting she was going to march back here one way or the other. Alone, even if he didn’t want to accompany her.
She turned to Maddox next, leaned in to kiss him as well, and then stopped. She’d read something in Maddox’s demeanor, an expression or vibe Rafe had failed to pick up on. The guard brushed a loose lock of hair from her face. “Later, angel. When I don’t have to stop with a mere kiss.”
