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

I’m about to say yes, but I quickly shake my head. “I was going to, but then I saw those people outside, and it creeped me out. I ended up staying in.”

He glances at me. “Someone was banging on your door overnight. In the early hours of the morning. It woke me up.”

I flinch. “Yeah. Two members of the security team. They wanted to know if I had been home all night. When I said yes, they implied that I was lying. Now that I think about it, it was probably related to Rita’s murder.”

My words startle Drew. “You think they consider you a suspect?”

I shrug, wondering when I became such a good liar. “It certainly felt that way. But I’d just been watching TV and having dinner. Then they acted like they wanted to come inside to take a look around and make sure I was alone. It didn’t make sense to me. The whole thing was very bizarre.”

A strange look crosses Drew’s face. “Bizarre, huh? It certainly seems that way.”

There aren’t many people near us right now, so I lean closer and ask him, “Have you ever heard of the Silver Wolf, Drew?”

He blinks at me. “What’s that?”

I shrug, quickly convinced that he knows nothing about it. “Rita mentioned it last time I saw her. It made me curious, so I thought I’d ask you.”

“Rita mentioned it?” Drew asks slowly. “Did she say anything else?”

I shake my head. I feel bad for manipulating Drew this way, but I need answers. “She just mentioned it in conversation. But she looked tense.”

He gives me a small smile, and I can tell he doesn’t believe me, but fortunately for me, he doesn’t push for more information.

I bring him his food, and as I go about my work, I can’t stop myself from glancing at Drew. If anyone can help me figure out who the Silver Wolf is, it’s him. Even though he no longer works for the pack security team, he still knows everybody in this town.

However, I don’t know if I want to take the risk of involving Drew in this mess. I still haven’t figured out the extent of Rita’s involvement in everything. Whatever it was, it got her killed. I can’t put Drew through the same situation. He has a son to look after.

But perhaps I can try to uncover Eve’s true identity with his help.

That’s a safer bet, in my mind.

As I hand Drew his bill, I ask, “Has Eve ever served you?”

“Eve?” Drew automatically glances in the direction of the female server who is at the other end of the room. “A couple of times, yes. Why do you ask?”

“The other day,” I begin quietly, “I overheard her having a conversation with somebody on the phone. She was saying something about her identity not being leaked yet. It just made me a little apprehensive. I think she knows I overheard her because she’s been acting strange around me.”

This time, Drew’s gaze is sharper when he looks over at Eve. “Are you scared of something?”

“I wasn’t before,” I admit. “But now? After Rita’s murder, I’m suddenly doubting everybody. What she said sounded very suspicious. It has me a little bit on edge.”

I don’t know if Drew is buying into my little act, and I hold my breath, waiting.

He studies Eve for a minute and finally says, “I don’t know much about her, but I can ask around. Have you told anybody else about your concerns?”

I give my head a small shake. “I don’t exactly trust anybody else around here.”

Drew looks relieved. “That’s good. The thing is, even though Rita was retired and had a bad leg, she wasn’t an easy target. Whoever killed her had to have been quite strong. Even compared to others of our kind, Rita was exceptionally skilled.”

He fiddles with the handle of his mug, his words slow and drawn out. “I don’t know if you know this, but in her prime, she used to work in espionage for the pack. That’s one of the reasons why she came to Oakrest to settle down. She had made too many enemies, and she was certain nobody would look for her here. But even if she couldn’t take on an attacker due to her age and disability, she had other skills. Whoever killed her was definitely very smart and very fast. And you’re right to be scared. My advice would be not to trust anybody.”

His speech does a good job of rattling me. I knew we were dealing with somebody dangerous, but not to this extent.

“But don’t worry,” he tries to reassure me. “I don’t know why the security team showed up yesterday, but I don’t think they’re going to bother you anymore. Without a wolf, you couldn’t have taken down Rita physically, and they know it. In any case, I’m going to start making some inquiries about who’s been lingering around our apartment building. And if need be, I’ll go have a word with them myself. You don’t have to be concerned about anything.”

I beam at him, feeling relieved now. “I knew talking to you was a good idea.”

He flushes. “You’re just trying to butter me up.”