Page 72 of I Replaced His Husband
It was just a tiny thought, a whisper of a possibility, but it was there. And it wasn’t going away.
My spiral of thoughts was finally interrupted.
Adam and Marco were done talking to the deputy, and after a short exchange, I stepped into the interrogation room, leaving my brothers and Rain behind.
Detective Moor leaned back in his chair and gave me a look, eyebrows raised, eyes scanning me in that way I hated. It was more than just professional curiosity. It was the way alphas looked when they liked what they saw. I sat down on the edge of the chair, hands clasped together.
Yeah, here we go. Whenever I was alone with an alpha, there it was. Eyes widening, pupils dilating, interest growing until it reached that gross intensity. I swallowed hard.
In the past, I’d tried to fight it by acting cocky, even arrogant. But sometimes it just made things worse. Alphas loved the chase. Acting aloof just poured fuel on the fire."Playing hard to get? I’ll prove you’re not"—I’d heard that too many times before.
I once read that alphas were like grizzlies. Challenge them, and they escalate. Betas were more like black bears, and they backed off. Moor? Definitely a grizzly. Maybe even a polar bear type of guy.
He cleared his throat. "So, how does this all add up, Kay?" he asked, tilting his head. "You’re really pregnant? Because what I heard from Deputy Johnson is… something else."
I gritted my teeth and opened the folder Adam had slipped under my arm. "These are my medical records and ultrasound scans. Yeah, I’m pregnant. It was an at-risk pregnancy, but it’s stable now. Still, I don’t really see how any of this relates to the attempted assault I’m here to talk about."
He sighed. "I’ve heard some weird stuff about the whole knotting thing… it just sounds really unusual."
"I’ll say it again, what does that have to do with what happened? With the assault attempt?" I kept my voice steady.
"Well, where did the idea even come from that it was assault? The Dawsons say it was just a friendly conversation. And that your new boyfriend stepped in, all crazy aggressive and out of line."
I clenched my teeth. Of course they’d twist it. What did I expect? Like they were ever going to admit to anything.
"So it’s basically their word against mine and Rain’s?"
"That’s how it goes in situations like this. I have to hear both sides. That’s the job." Moor’s eyes narrowed, his nostrils flaring slightly. I could tell he was catching my scent. It was thick in the room.
"It wasn’t just a friendly chat, Detective. They were watching my house. Lurking. Staring. Sniffing. Kinda like you are right now, Detective."
Moor gave a crooked grin and leaned back, folding his arms. "Just being there doesn’t prove much. A lot of people hang around Adam’s place. The lake’s pretty scenic."
"Not that many. It’s secluded. Rain saw them on the beach, asking about me, making gross remarks, watching the house. They were planning something."
"Oh? Planning? Empty speculation without any substance. Kay, focus. It’s a public beach. People can sit wherever they want."
I clenched my jaw, trying not to explode in frustration. "Right. So you can dismiss every clue I bring you, just like that. But when they gave their version, did you treat them the same way? Did you just shrug off everything they said?"
Detective Moor leaned in slightly, his eyes locked on my face, drifting for a moment to my lips.
"We’re talking about your version of what happened, not how they saw it."
"Too bad I didn’t have a recorder on me, or it’d be crystal clear. They walked up and instantly started throwing vile insults. They mentioned my late husband, said the baby might not be his, called me a whore for bringing Rain to help me—"
"Vulgar insults still don’t count as attempted rape."
"Oh really? And grabbing my neck, yanking me toward them, and saying I should give them my ass since I’m already giving it to Rain—that’s not enough for you?!"
My voice trembled, brimming with nerves and fury.
"Could’ve just been crude jokes. The Dawsons aren’t street thugs, they’ve got clean records. No one’s ever accused them of anything like that. And don’t forget, they could smell your intense pregnancy scent. Maybe it triggered some dumb thoughts."
"So it’s my scent that’s to blame now? Not them? They’re not wild animals, Detective!"
Moor fought a smile from creeping across his face. I could tell he was barely hanging on to a veneer of professionalism.
"Alphas are kind of animalistic. So why don’t you use deodorants that mask pheromones?"
