The Alpha’s Fated Choice (Alpha's Fated Encounter Trilogy #1)

Could it be that Mathew knows who the fighter is?

But he’s never hidden the identity of any opponent from me. All I have to do is ask, and he tells me who they are.

When I leave his office, I keep thinking about that female shifter. Why was she so aggressive? And why was Mathew pretending to be so apathetic about her?

However, I have one more stop to make today, and I don’t have time to focus on this.

Rita won’t be at home today. It’s Saturday, and she always comes into town for lunch on Saturdays. I stop by her favorite restaurant, and sure enough, she’s sitting outside at one of the tables, enjoying the little bit of sunlight, a drink in her hand. A server is walking away from her, probably after taking her order.

“Rita,” I call out, and she looks over, a smile on her face.

“Sophia!” There’s no hint of guilt in her eyes, and it makes me wonder. “Are you here to join me for lunch? My friend stood me up today.” She gestures toward the empty chair across from her.

I sit down, my eyes not leaving her face. “I want to ask you something.”

She looks at me expectantly.

I have been planning to ask her outright why she gave me that aphrodisiac, and what her intentions were, but from the innocent curiosity on her face, I find myself wavering. Could it have been an accident?

“The other day when I came over, and you gave me a potion,” I begin, “what exactly was in it?”

She blinks. “It was a simple healing potion.”

“It couldn’t have been,” I respond quietly. “I was given a very strong aphrodisiac, Rita.”

Rita’s eyes widen in what could very well be shock. “I didn’t give you an aphrodisiac, Sophia. It was a healing potion that I had specially made—”

“I was with Noah when it started taking effect,” I say, cutting her off. My hands are clasped together in my lap. “I was in his apartment. I had to sneak out the window before I jumped him. Why did you—”

Seeing the way Rita’s face turns white as a sheet has me falling silent.

“You didn’t sleep with Noah, did you?” she asks, her voice urgent.

“No, I ran straight to Al—my fated mate. I was trying to avoid him, Rita, and because of you, we ended up sleeping together. I want to know what you were—”

She grasps the edge of the table and gets up.

“Rita?”

She doesn’t answer me, using her walker to turn away.

“Where are you going?”

“I have to meet somebody.”

I grab her arm to stop her, worried at the panic in her eyes. “What is it? Tell me!”

She hesitates and sinks back into her seat once she realizes I’m not going to let her leave. Rubbing her forehead with her hand, she looks tense.

“I need to know why you did that to me,” I stress.

“It was a healing potion, Sophia. Why would I give you an aphrodisiac?”

Rita looks upset, but from her reaction, I can tell she’s hiding something.

“Then what about this?” I take out the broken pieces of Eve’s phone that I picked up in the alley last night. “When I was getting the bottle from your bedside table drawer, I saw a similar phone. Do you recognize this one?”

Rita stares at the shattered black phone and presses her lips together. “Why were you snooping through my drawer?”