Page 21 of Rogue If You Want To
“They’re not buying the story.”
That was excellent news, though in the short term, it didn’t help Otto. He still had a bounty on his head.
Creven took over. “I’ve been in touch with a pack, and some of the shifters went to school with Otto and Lutris.” He added that they said the brother was always a little shit, and other than a few close friends who always defended him, most of the bevy steered clear. There was always tension between the twins, but everyone liked Otto.
Of course they did. He’s lovely.
I was feeling more upbeat as the pair provided details. "So they're doubting Lutris.” I wished I had a way to speed up that process.
“And the pack Alpha says some of the otter shifters are asking where Otto is.”
That didn’t sound good because they might be the ones who wanted the bounty.
“You didn’t tell them he was here, did you?”
Auden gave me a withering look, and I hunched over, wishing I would drop through a hole in the floor. Creven confirmed that he had not. He’d just listened to the shifter gossip.
But we had no proof that Lutris had killed his father and only Otto’s word that he’d arranged the attack on him. So we were nowhere.
“What if we found the bear shifter who slashed Otto and got him to confess?” That would carry weight.
“Good thinking.” Creven gave me an encouraging smile. “We talked about that. Assuming he’s alive…”
Goosebumps prickled over my skin. Damn, Lutris sounded like the kinda guy who’d get rid of the evidence, including the person he’d paid to do it.
“But if he is, what would be his incentive to talk?” Auden asked.
If he spoke out, Lutris would be certain to enact revenge.
I’ll go after him. Give me something with his scent and I’ll take him down.
No, we have to think strategically. Not that I was sure what that was.
“We’d have to apply pressure.” Auden’s matter-of-fact statement sent more goosebumps treading over my skin.
This wasn’t my world, but I’d been thrown into it, thanks to Otto being my mate. I had to get used to it.
“I’ll see if my contact can find him,” Auden said.
And what would we do when we confronted him? I shivered as I reenacted the scene in my head of what he had done to Otto.
Creven was interested in tracking down Lutris’s movements on the day his father died, saying if we could put him at the scene of the murder, that might nullify him being Alpha. Though that would be up to the bevy council.
But that would make Otto the Alpha, and he had never wanted the title. I refused to put him in a position where he felt forced to accept it. But again, perhaps the council could vote for an Alpha not from the current ruling family.
We’d need witnesses to Lutris’s whereabouts on that fateful day, but if he was always surrounded by cronies, they’d never reveal the truth or they’d pay with their life.
“If we find any evidence, Otto would have to present it to the bevy council himself.” Auden eyed me as if wanting to see my reaction. “He’d have to face Lutris and others who backed up his brother’s story.”
I couldn’t agree or refuse on my mate’s behalf, and I hated that whether shifter or human, it was often the victim who was “put on trial.” But what I could say was that as he had troubleremembering all the details of the attack, he couldn’t advocate for himself.
"We know," Creven said. “And that’s why we need to build a strong case before we even involve the council. If we present them with enough evidence, Otto's testimony becomes one piece of the puzzle instead of the focal point.”
This process could take months or years, and Otto and I would have to stay here. It was too dangerous to leave pack land. But we’d reached a point where I had to share our thinking with Otto. By keeping him ignorant of our plan, we were taking away his agency.
“What can I do?” Otto was my mate, and I was floundering, not knowing how to be a team player.
“Look after your mate.” Creven patted my shoulder. “Maybe he’ll remember something that will be helpful in our investigation.”
