Chapter 25

Sophia Hope

Wyatt and George.

I recognize them instantly and muster up my most annoyed look. "What do you want? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

The two of them stare at me, visibly taken aback by my appearance. "Have you been home all evening?"

I glare at them. "What do you think? Yeah, I've been watching TV and having dinner."

"You expect us to believe that?" George says, but he doesn't sound very sure of himself.

I stare at him. "What is that supposed to mean? Do I look like I'm dressed to go into town? I've been home all night. Why are you even here?"

They look over my shoulder. "Are you alone?"

"Of course not," I drawl sarcastically. "I always entertain guests looking like this."

The two men flush, but Wyatt gathers his wits and gives me an angry look. "You'd better watch your tone around us, girl. Be grateful we're still treating you with respect."

My anger stirs at his words. "How else should I expect you to treat me? I'm a part of this pack. What other kind of treatment should you be giving me?"

Wyatt has always been one of those people who despises the existence of anything that isn't a wolf. He has a special disdain toward humans, and there have been a couple of incidents where he lost control with them. As for me, a shifter with the inability to change into her wolf form, he considers me the worst of the worst. But ever since Noah expressed an interest in me, Wyatt has been forced to back off from his usual harassment of me.

That's probably why he looked so eager when I opened the door.

"A thing like you shouldn't even—"

"Wyatt!" George growls at him, a flash of fear appearing in his eyes. It confuses me, but Wyatt seems to understand the silent communication, and he shuts up.

"Are you sure you didn't leave your apartment tonight, Sophia?" George's voice is slightly polite now.

"Yes, I'm sure. I've been watching a game show and doing a skin care routine, as you can see. I was in the middle of dinner when you knocked."

"Pretty late to be having dinner," Wyatt snaps.

I raise my eyebrows at him. "Now you're going to tell me when I'm allowed to eat?"

"Wyatt…" The warning edge to George's tone has Wyatt falling silent again. George looks uneasy, but he takes a step back. "Alright. Sorry for disturbing you."

He forces Wyatt to leave with him, and I can't help myself: leaning through the doorway, I call after them, "Hey! You're not even going to tell me what this was about?"

George stops, and then he says, "You'll find out tomorrow morning."

I close the door as they head down the stairs, and then I let out a long breath. Leaning back against the door, I sink to the ground, my legs unable to bear my weight. I have never been so terrified. But they seem to have bought into my lie about not having gone anywhere tonight. I pull off the face mask and press the heels of my hands against my eyes, trying to regulate my breathing.

I hear footsteps, and suddenly, Alex is crouching on the floor next to me.

"That went well. Better than I expected."

I let out a sound that is a mixture of a sob and a laugh. "Always go on the offensive to throw off your opponent. But now they're going to be wondering who it was that found Rita's body."

Alex sighs. "We may not have thrown them off your trail just yet. You need to be careful the next few days."

"Careful, how?" I lower my hands, giving him an alarmed look. "There's not much else I can do aside from denying that I was ever at the cottage."

Alex is quiet, but I can tell from his jaw that he is not very happy right now.

"You should get back to the motel." I get to my feet, suddenly exhausted. "Your men are going to be wondering where you are."

Alex doesn't budge. "They can wonder all they like. I'd rather stay here to make sure there isn't a surprise attack on you tonight."

I drag myself to the coffee table and sink down on the couch, resting my head against the back of it and staring at the ceiling as if it has all the answers I need.

"Go home, Alex," I say tiredly.

He walks around to the back of the couch and looks down at me from behind. "Sick of me already?"

I consider this. "If I say, yes, will you leave?"

"No. And it'll hurt my feelings."

I straighten up enough to reach for the box of tissues on the table, which I offer to him. "You can cry on the way home."

His lips twitch. "I never took you to be so mean."

I wish I could smile at him, but my heart isn't in it. "I lost somebody important to me, tonight, Alex. I want to be alone to grieve. Rita is the first person I've lost since my mother. And I don't even remember her. But Rita…I have lots of memories of her, of us. Her attacker didn't only kill her, you know. He killed her dog, too. Whatever it was that Rita was doing here, she didn't deserve to die tonight. Neither of them did."

Alex comes to sit down beside me. "I know a thing or two about grief, Sophia. The most important thing is not to let it consume you. It has a tendency to do that. You feel a whole range of emotions: helplessness, pain, misery, and then, anger at the world. It's altogether too easy to let yourself break under all that negativity."

He's able to easily describe the state of my heart right now.

I wrap my arms around my stomach, my voice thick. "I want the people who hurt her to pay for what they did."

"I know," Alex responds calmly. His arm settles around my shoulder in a comforting hold. "But you cannot let that desire for revenge fuel your every action, Sophia."

I glance at him. "But isn't a desire for revenge fueling your actions? Karina killed your parents. Aren't you trying to get revenge for that?"

Alex is struck with silence, as if my words have provoked something within him. After a minute or two, he says quietly, "I wonder."

"What do you wonder?"

"Ever since I met you," he begins, meeting my gaze, his own holding some confusion, "the anger that has always been a part of me has thawed. I no longer keep thinking of vengeance. When I'm around you, I feel more at peace. I want to save my pack from Karina, but I am not sure about sacrificing lives just to get revenge on her. Remember what you said to me the other day about that? You had a point, and I heard it. My people have already suffered so much. Putting them through another traumatizing event just for the sake of vengeance isn't fair to them. And putting the Silver Wolf through such trauma is not worth what it could do to her. When I'm around you, my head clears. The darkness fades away, and I know what I should do, as opposed to what I think I'm supposed to do."

My heart is beating at a rhythm I can't keep up with. Does Alex know what he's saying? Does he understand what he's implying with his words?

He hasn't thought them through. This sounds like a love confession, just like at the lake and when he was in my bedroom. But his words hurt because even when he claims to feel this way, he will never truly be with me. I don't know why I am being so lenient with his presence around me. I should tell him to leave. I should be harsh with my words. I should let him know that I am not going to allow my heart to be played with like a ping-pong ball.

So, why do the words not come out of my mouth?

Why do I feel so secure with him here? Why am I getting so used to his presence? The second he finds the person he is looking for, he will go far away. And we may never meet again. And just like that, I'll be all alone once more.

I try not to think about the future. I try very hard not to think about how I will feel when Alex is gone. But the one thing I try my hardest not to think about is how I feel about this man.

It's irrelevant. My feelings are always going to be irrelevant. So, it's best not to think about them.

I try to change the subject. "Well, we now know one thing for sure. The Silver Wolf is in this town, and somebody knows about her existence and her identity. What if we try to find this person and force them to reveal her identity?" I can feel Alex watching me, but I move away from him, walking to the front of the room to stand by the television, desperate to put some distance between us. "If we can get an idea about who this person is, we'll be able to locate the wolf. You can use me as bait. If you draw him out—"

"Absolutely not! " Alex thunders. "We are not using you as bait! Get that idea out of your head."

My brows knit together as I turn to face him. "Why? You need to find the Silver Wolf, don't you? This is the easiest way."

He's no longer sitting on the couch, either. His hands are balled into fists by his side, his face white. "No. Out of the question."

"But why?" I demand.

Alex looks like he's going to be sick. He steps toward me before forcing himself to stop. "Is it just me, or do you have very little regard for your own life and safety, Sophia?"

I gape at him. "That's not true."

"Yes it is. You don't think twice about putting yourself in danger for somebody else. Whether it's that waitress at your bar or me. Stop treating yourself as dispensable!"

My mouth moves, but nothing comes out. I've always been dispensable. I've never mattered enough to anybody before. Does he expect me to believe that I matter to him? Not willing to go down that rabbit hole again, I give him a sharp smile. "No offense, Alex, but whether I treat myself as dispensable or not, I hardly think you have a say in it."

I can see that my words are like a slap to him from the way he jerks back, but I don't regret them. I am pretty certain that once he leaves this town with his goal achieved, Alex will forget all about me. He'll be surrounded by his pack, by his people who love him and trust him.

I will be an afterthought. He'll forget about me, and I will have no one. But I will be here, picking up the pieces and trying to move on.

I don't want to hear such words from him, true or not. I don't care how he feels about me right now. Those feelings will fade with time.

My nails dig into my palm, my eyes burning with tears of anger and hurt.

Swallowing hard and holding back those tears, I turn to face the wall, not wanting him to see my expression.

"I'm going to head to bed. If you're smart, you'll go back to the motel, to your friends. They'll be worried about you."

Without another word, I storm into my bedroom and slam the door shut behind me. Towel still on my hair, I sink onto the bed and close my eyes.

I don't want to think about Rita. I don't want to think about Alex. And I especially don't want to think about the damn Silver Wolf.

The exhaustion catches up to me pretty fast, and before I know it, I'm slipping away into a deep sleep. Misery is my companion, dragging me down into the abyss where nothing exists aside from the comfort of the darkness. Grateful, I let it wrap around me in a cocoon of safety.

As I sleep, I have the oddest sensation that someone is running a comb through my hair. When I wake up the next morning, my hair is not the tangled mess I expected. Someone has removed the towel and combed the strands. The blanket that had been at the foot of the bed when I fell asleep is now snuggly wrapped around me.

And Alex is gone.

*** **

The news of Rita's death hits the town almost immediately the next morning. When I get to the Dancing Bear tonight, Elsa's eyes are red-rimmed, and she doesn't say a word to me. My own heart is heavy. The servers, however, are discussing the murder. Not a lot of details have been leaked, but it has been verified to the shifters that it was indeed a murder.

Eve arrives later than normal, her mouth a thin line. When she enters the bar, I see somebody else walking in as well. I haven't met the man, but I know he's one of the new recruits to the pack security team. He's sitting at a table in the corner, and I can see Eve casting nervous glances his way. For some reason, she seems hyper aware of him. I greet her as she passes me, but she barely says a word back. The man isn't exactly acting normal, either. He orders a drink and keeps staring at her.

I suddenly find myself recalling the conversation I overheard in the alley.

"Do you think I would stay here if my identity has been revealed?"

I remember finding Eve's words strange at the time. It was a weird thing to say. What identity was she referring to?

But now that I think about it, could it be that she really is the Silver Wolf? I'm still not seeing a lot of the pieces of the whole picture, but Eve is definitely a strong candidate. And her behavior has been quite odd recently.

Like when she smashed that black burner phone. Alex told me Rita's was a very high-grade piece of technology. Something his people used, as well. If Rita was working for somebody as a spy, then why did Eve have such a similar phone? Is she also a spy?

If she is one, she would try to integrate herself into this town, like Rita did. But Eve has been going the extra mile to keep her distance from everybody. The only reason she would do that is if she has something to hide.

It all comes down to secrets. And there seem to be a lot of those around here.

I need to figure out who Eve really is. We don't have time to waste. I'm going to have to go to Alex with my theory and tell him to keep an eye on her. If he can catch her shifting forms, and her fur is silver, we can figure out a way to approach her and ask her for help. And then Alex and Eve can run off into the sunset together.

The mere thought has my chest aching.

As I wipe the glass in my hand, I murmur to myself, "Get used to it. You made this choice."

"What choice?"

I look up to see Drew sitting down across the bar from me.

"Good evening, Drew." I smile at him, forcing my troubles aside. "What are you doing here?"

He taps the back of my hand. "You seem to be all over the place lately. Everything okay?"

I give him a half smile. "Like it always is. You want a draft?"

"Make it two. And are those fish and chips on the dinner menu tonight? I'll take an order of those, as well."

I look around. "Where's your mini-me?"

Drew gives me a pained smile. "Tim is sleeping over at a friend's house. I never give him permission to spend the night away from home, but he's been adamant. The boy has a way of wearing me down."

I chuckle. "Well, he's at that age where kids get stubborn. You can't keep them safe forever, can you?"

The smile slips from Drew's mouth. "We really can't. Life is so unpredictable."

I wonder if he's thinking about his wife.

I bring him his beer and put it in front of him. "On the house."

"Thanks." Drew looks pleasantly surprised. "So, what have you been up to since our last conversation?"

He gives me a meaningful look, and I know he's referring to my overnight guest from when Alex was staying at my apartment. I roll my eyes. "I'm not talking about that with you."

"About what? I never said anything," he says innocently.

"I've known you for years, Drew." I wipe my hands with a cloth. "I know when you're fishing for information. And you're not getting any."

He looks disappointed. "Are you happy, though?"

My lips twist in a grimace. "Who's ever happy in this town?"

He lifts his mug of beer in the air. "I see you've taken up philosophy as a side career."

I chuckle. "I was told I needed a hobby."

He takes a sip before setting down the mug. "I heard about Rita. I'm sorry. I know you two were close."

"Yeah. Do you know anything about the investigation taking place?"

Drew shakes his head. "Only tidbits. It was disguised as a home invasion. They have a suspect in mind. That's all I've been able to find out. Rita was a nice woman."

"She was, wasn't she?" I smile wistfully. "I don't think I've fully wrapped my head around it yet. Do you know when the funeral will be?"

Drew doesn't have the answer to that, and he shakes his head. But then, leaning forward, he says quietly, "I heard Noah is leading the investigation. I just hope they find the killer."

I make a small sound. It has been bothering me that Alex said he recognized one of the men outside Rita's cottage. Why was somebody from the pack security team watching her place that night? Who was it? Do we have a traitor amongst us?

I feel like I should tell Noah, but there are also other conversations I need to have with him. Also, if I tell him, he's going to ask me how I know all this. I really don't think it's a smart idea to reveal that I was at Rita's cottage last night. As badly as I want to find her killer, it's not as if my self-preservation skills have gone out the window.

As I put in Drew's order for fish and chips, I wonder if I should ask him about the men lingering outside our apartment building last night. When I do end up raising the subject, he looks surprised. "What are you talking about?"

My voice is low to avoid being overheard. "I saw them. Across the street and at the back entrance."

Drew's expression tightens. "Are you absolutely certain about this, Sophia?"

"I've got no reason to lie to you. It made me nervous. Why would anyone be keeping our building under surveillance?"

Drew frowns, looking deep in thought. "It certainly is odd. Did you go anywhere last night?"

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."

"I don't have to do that. You're family."

I expect him to laugh or at least grin at that, but instead, Drew's eyes hold a strange wistfulness when he looks at me. His voice is soft as he says, "You're right. We are family. You've looked after me and Tim all these years without asking for anything in return. You've treated us as if we really were your own blood."

I don't know why he looks so downcast, so I pat his shoulder. "Now try saying that with a smile."

He chuckles. "I'm going to head out now. But I'll look into everything we talked about. Don't you worry."

With a smile, I watch him leave, but once he's gone, that smile disappears from my face.

I feel bad about manipulating Drew, but I do know that while he barely interacts with the people he once used to call his brothers and his friends, there are still some members of the security team who are on good terms with him. He may be able to get information from them.

There are several theories floating around in my head about both Eve and Rita. As I serve the customers around me, I'm not wholly present. The gears in my head are turning.

What really happened to Rita's husband? I remember her telling me that he died during a battle. But that strange message on her burner phone suggested otherwise.

What was it that Rita wanted to tell me so desperately when she called last night? Had she already anticipated her imminent murder?

Who was Rita spying on in this town? Drew clearly doesn't know that Rita was still working as a spy, although he did mention her past in espionage. Was she working for Alpha Black? If so, it makes sense that she had that burner phone and that she communicated on those parchment slips. It's odd; the ones we found were copies. Why did she keep copies of her responses, and where are the slips she received from the person she was communicating with?

I'm beginning to think we need to search Rita's home again. But I don't know if that will be possible.

As I pack up to leave for the night, I feel more tired than usual. There are not many customers around, and the other bartender is minding them. Grabbing my jacket, I head out. It's the early morning hours now, and the streets are relatively quiet. A tired sigh leaves my lips as I stand in the cool night air.

Walking home, I think about how Rita's death seems to have altered something fundamental within me. Since I don't remember my mother, this loss of someone so close to me is a first-time experience, and I don't like it. It's not like I saw her every day, but this thick ball of grief in my throat refuses to vanish.

When Alex told me his parents were killed, I felt bad for him, but I realize now that I never actually understood the gravity of his loss. I spent so much time angry with him and making everything about myself when the truth was that he was the one dealing with the worst of it all. This feeling of overwhelming grief that I'm now experiencing, he must have felt at such a young age. But his agony had to have been leaps and bounds more painful. And then to be forced into an Alpha position where he had to take all the responsibilities of his pack! How did he survive having to show respect to the woman who had slaughtered his parents? And even now, he's having to give up his fated mate for the sake of his pack.

Did I ever try to understand his feelings? It was much easier to get mad at him, to feel hurt instead. I guess I was too focused on my own problems.

I feel guilty for the way I treated him last night.

He's never really done anything to justify my being hostile toward him. In fact, he has tried to be open about his situation in order to spare my feelings. He keeps looking out for me, notwithstanding my attitude and behavior. He's patient and understanding and has never lashed out at me despite his own suffering.

"Great," I mumble to myself, tucking my hands in my pockets. "Now I've gone and made myself feel like a jerk. Good going, Sophia. You're a real prize."

I continue walking, feeling both ashamed and raw inside. My wolf whines inside me, wanting to go to Alex, but my darkening mood has it going silent. I can't be selfish here. If it's hard for me to be around Alex, it can't exactly be a walk in the park for him to be near me, either.

All the disquiet in my head is starting to build up, and the idea of going home to my empty apartment is becoming almost unbearable. So, I take a detour.

The forest surrounding this town has always felt safe to me, a home away from home. I venture through the trees, the sounds of the insects helping me breathe easy. I've been on my feet all day, and they're throbbing now. Wincing, I look around and spot an oak that has embraced the spring, its leaves a vibrant green.

I jump up onto the first branch before clambering to a higher one. Leaning against the trunk, one leg on the branch, the other dangling below me, I breathe in the crisp, cool air and let out a sigh, thankful for this reprieve.

I clutch my bag to my chest and stare up at the night. Stars are littered in the sky, tiny sparkling suns too far away to reach but blinking like diamonds in the darkness.

It's going to be hard once Alex leaves.

I tried not to let my heart get involved, but the inevitable happened. He carries a piece of my soul, and whenever he leaves me, I'm overwhelmed with the urge to pull him back to my side. Even when I'm angry with him, I need him here. His presence calms me. It reassures the loneliest part of me.

"Does that mean I'm desperate and lonely?" I question the sky. "Or do I have real feelings for him?"

I already know the answer.

"Stupid feelings," I say aloud, pulling a leaf off the tree and playing with it.

It's childish, but the only other option is to cry myself into a miserable state, and I don't want to do that. I can't ask Alex to choose me, no matter how much I want him to. I can't be selfish, even though I want to be.

"It would really help if he were a Grade A jerk," I mutter, crushing the leaf in my hand. "But no. He's got to be understanding and intense and all that other crap. How can I hate him? Stupid Alex!"

I toss the leaf away, and as I watch it fall, I see a flash of movement just ahead.

Blinking, I sit up straighter.

It's Eve.

She seems to be moving quickly, constantly checking over her shoulder.

What is she doing out in the forest at this time of night?

And where is she heading with that panicked look on her face?