Chapter 4

"Shall we go for a walk?" I asked once Thomas had finished his coffee. It was nice in the bakery, but I needed a break from his scent. It was too alluring. We had a mission to deal with, and having to constantly remind myself that staring at his lips wasn't going to get anything done was making that mission exponentially more difficult.

He nodded. I tried to read him, to see if it was simply an agreement or if he was feeling the same as I was. I couldn't determine anything, the scent too overpowering for me to actually think properly.

There was so much for us to talk about. I wasn't even sure where to start. For one, he was my mate. That was clear. He knew it too. What we were going to do about that should've been top priority, but this mission had to come first. There was a reason fate brought us together like this, and I was pretty sure it involved making sure no one else had to suffer the way my brother had.

No wonder I had always been curious about my brother's friend and what had happened to him. At the time I hadn't connected it to his scent lingering or even noticed the scent specifically. But he'd left a shirt there that my brother wore a lot, and it always got me curious. At first I thought it was me being a nosy brother wanting to see if this "friend" had been more than that. But that dissipated quickly.

I'd looked into his leaving when I first joined Steelwick, but since Thomas had gone to an Asilo pack, the record had been sealed. Even as an enforcer, I didn't have access to the information. I didn't even know where he landed, just that he had.

Once we stepped outside, the warm air hit me. Acting on instinct, I threaded my fingers into Thomas's and held his hand as we walked. I didn't think it was my imagination when he leaned closer to me.

"I always wondered what happened to you and if you were safe. I'm happy to see that you are," I said.

"Yes, it wasn't easy. There was a lot of guilt to work through at first. It still sneaks up on me sometimes," Thomas replied. "I'm so very sorry about your brother, Beckett. He was a good friend."

His voice cracked as he spoke. I was thankful my brother had such a good friend during his short life. Perhaps when Thomas and I knew each other better, we could have a lengthier conversation about Benjamin. Now wasn't the time. We'd both end up crying, and we had so many other things that had to be dealt with in a timely fashion. We'd discuss it soon enough.

"He was always such a smart kid." Living away from him sucked. I understood all the reasons why, but it didn't make it easier. "I'm glad he had a friend like you. You don't have anything to feel guilty for," I reassured him.

Thomas forced a small smile. "I know."

We continued to walk in silence for a few minutes.

"All these years, I've been wishing that we could catch the alpha responsible, though." He leaned his head on my shoulder. "Perhaps with this new investigation, we'll finally find him."

I loved that idea, except that it would be putting my mate in danger. I'd just found him, and having him meet the same fate as my brother? I couldn't even fathom surviving that.

"Catching him has been my goal for a long time. That was the primary reason I joined an enforcer pack." Revenge wasn't a good reason. Armand drilled that into me. He said I needed to be here for the better of all shifters, and until I fully let go of my desire for revenge, I'd never be able to do that.

I'd worked a lot on it. Was I there yet? No. But I was getting there… At least I thought I was.

"I thought maybe that was the case," Thomas said.

"I don't want you in danger, though. I just found you." Did I sound needy? Absolutely. But I didn't care. It was the truth.

He shot me a look. He obviously didn't see it as me being needy and concerned. He was unimpressed.

"I can take care of myself. At Asilo, we are trained quite extensively in self-defense." He didn't pull his hand away. I took that as a good sign.

"I know that," I said, squeezing his hand, wanting him to feel how true my words were. "That was all me and had nothing to do with you or your skills."

He didn't say a word but simply nodded in understanding. I continued, "But let's not borrow trouble. There'll be plenty of time for us to worry about all of this. First things first: we have to figure out if there's anything to even investigate. Is this the first time he's reached out to you?"

My gut said any communication from him was a threat, and if what the intel said was true, it wasn't even a well-veiled threat at that. But I learned my lesson the hard way. I wasn't going to jump to conclusions. It only put people in danger.

Thomas nodded. "Yes. I sort of thought maybe he'd died."

Wouldn't that have been nice.

"Why do you think he did this after all these years?" I asked.

"Who knows? He never was straightforward—it was part of his manipulation. It's only been six years, I think. It feels like a lot, but for a narcissist looking to do whatever he's up to? It probably wasn't that long at all," Thomas replied and then pivoted the conversation. "Do you like working for Steelwick?"

I nodded. "I do. It's been great." Not perfect, but it was exactly where I needed to be.

"What sorts of cases have you been working on?" he asked.

Thomas was making small talk, nothing more. He wanted to get to know his mate. Still, it hit a nerve.

My jaw tensed. "Not many, unfortunately. Most of my time has been spent learning. I was investigating Nathan's attack."

Thomas's eyebrows raised. "Right. You had thought that Silas was the alpha responsible."

He remembered. How could he have forgotten? I was the one who jumped to conclusions first and asked questions never. I was probably enemy number one in their pride, and it would've been a well-deserved title.

My cheeks heated with embarrassment. "Yes. And unfortunately, that clouded my judgment." I wasn't sure I'd ever forgive myself for it.

"No one holds you responsible. It wasn't as if Silas got put into jail or anything."

There was sincerity in his words, but he was wrong. Maybe no one in Asilo held me responsible. It was a big if, but an if all the same. I, however, blamed myself. And nothing was ever going to change that. It was more than the feeling of failure. It was heaviness sitting upon my shoulders, not letting me forget.

"I've been training hard. Today Armand let me know he thinks I'm ready to go back into the field." I wasn't sure if he would've had this not been connected to my history or not. But I was taking the opportunity for what it was.

Thomas bit his lip and began to pull his hand away, but I stopped him.

"What is it?" I stopped in my tracks. Please don't let it be that my failure was a game changer for him. I couldn't bear that.

"How will that work? I'm with Asilo, and you're with Steelwick. I don't want to leave my job," Thomas said.

"Oh." I hadn't taken a moment to think about that. "I don't want to leave my job either." I shook my head. "We've only known we were mates for less than an hour. This is probably a conversation we should hold off on. Fate wouldn't have put us together if we couldn't work." I refused to believe anything else.

"One decision I have to make today is whether or not I'm returning to Asilo tonight," Thomas's cheeks were slightly pinkened and a soft smile spread across his lips. Adorable.

"You're welcome to stay here with me," I offered. "We can talk about the case, gather information, and I'll be your guard while I'm doing the investigation. I can drive you back tomorrow." I was making things up as I went along, but I had a feeling Armand would allow us to do whatever we decided was best. At least I hoped he would.

"That sounds great," Thomas said. "Armand won't mind me staying?"

"Of course not." That part I was sure of. "You're my mate. You're always welcome," I replied.

"In that case, I'm happy to be here," Thomas said.

My phone pinged, and I pulled it out of my pocket. "Speak of the devil." I gently tugged Thomas's hand and led him across the street to the hotel where we all lived. "Armand wants to speak with me."

"I'll call Morgan while you talk with him." Morgan being his forerunner.

"Great. I'll see you in a bit," I said. I was reluctant to leave his side, but when my Alpha called, I had to answer. Especially given the circumstances. I pressed a quick kiss to Thomas's cheek, then went to Alpha Elect's office.

He was there when I arrived and called me inside immediately. I sat down in the chair, wondering if he'd heard about my mate on the rumor train already or if this was something else entirely.

"I'm glad I caught you," Armand said. "I have to go out of town for a few days. I'll be taking Matty and the kids, and I wanted to speak with you before I left."

That was news to me, but also, I wasn't one of his Betas. It wasn't as if he owed me his daily itinerary.

"Yes?" I said.

"You'll be heading up the investigation regarding Thomas and your old pride," Armand said.

I nodded. I had assumed as much. Especially with Thomas being my mate. I wasn't going to allow anyone else near him.

"I trust you," Armand continued. "Don't let your concerns about past mistakes bring you down. You understand?"

"I understand." It wasn't going to be easy, though. "I should let you know, sir, that I spoke with Thomas at the bakery."

"Good. So you are briefed about the situation?" Armand apparently hadn't heard about Thomas yet.

"Yes, sir," I replied. "And Thomas... he's my mate." That wasn't information to hold back. He might well take me off the mission. I'd fight it, but also… he was in charge for a reason. I learned the hard way how wrong things could go when I decided I knew best.

I braced myself for his reaction.

Armand's eyebrows raised, and he smiled. "Congratulations. I'm happy to hear that. Perhaps when I get back, we can celebrate." That was the last thing I expected him to say. "Or we'll celebrate once the investigation is over. I assume you will be staying with Asilo for the time being while you are investigating?"

Well, that solved any questions I had on that matter.

"Yes, sir. Thomas and I already discussed it, and he'd feel best if I did. I would too."

Armand gave a knowing nod. "I remember how protective I was when Matty came back into my life. He and I were both tied together by a common pack, too. And from the sounds of everything I'd heard, one that was as equally bad as yours."

I didn't know his whole story. But from the pieces I'd gathered, he wasn't wrong on his assessment. I hated that we had that in common.

"We plan to leave tomorrow," I confirmed.

"Perfect," he replied. "And do yourself a favor and let the twins know you are going. I'm sure they'll want to send goodies, and Asilo will be warmer if you show up with some. They don't seem to hold any bad feelings, but a sweet treat never hurts."