How the hell did she keep digging herself deeper into other people’s problems? What happened to all the easy cases where everyone minded their own business and stayed out of hers?
“Wait here.” Durant didn’t even pause to see if the men would listen to his demand when he dragged her into his office and slammed the door in their faces.
“Raven!” Cassie rushed forward, only to stumble to a halt at Durant’s growl. But that didn’t stop her from talking. “Did you find him?”
Her informant. Something on her face must have given her away. Cassie stilled, not even breathing. “I believe so.”
“Dead.” Cassie’s voice went flat, the animation in her eyes dimmed and bled black for a second as emotions stormed through her.
“I’m sorry. He was already gone by the time we arrived.”
“Yeah. I think I already knew that.” Cassie nodded, and some of her control returned. Remarkable for one so young. For being dead, she was quite vibrant, her skin a healthy pink, her mahogany hair shiny even in the dim light. Death agreed with her. Shifter blood had advanced the change by a couple of weeks. Cassie grabbed her jacket, avoiding their gaze as she walked to the door. A light ginger spice clung to her. “I think I’ll take a walk.”
“Take the guys with you.” She didn’t know why she said it, but she didn’t want Cassie alone, not with Randolph in the neighborhood. When the door closed, Raven watched it for a moment longer.
“She’s fed. Your pack’s safe.” The carefully restrained voice made her tense. He was furious, his anger battering her shields.
He had no right. He’d invited her into his business, so he must have wanted her to handle it. She’s the one who should be angry. Now a hired killer, a trained hunter, knew about her. All her work to keep below the radar was fading fast. Soon, others would know as well.
“What the devil did you think you were doing?” Durant swung her around, the angry tiger right beneath the surface and ready to fight.
“You invited me. What was I supposed to do? Stand there and let him kill one or both of us?”
“I can take care of my own business.” A hint of fangs peaked out from his mouth.
“Then why the hell did you call for me?” His eyes turned golden, his animal shredding his humanity. Raven snapped her mouth shut, her fingers itching to reach for power and defend herself.
A growl sounded around the room. “How the fuck is the pack supposed to protect you if you throw yourself into danger?”
“What do you mean? It’s my job to protect you.” The volume increased with her frustration until it matched his. Every time she thought she knew what to expect from pack, they changed the damn rules.
“You protect us by ruling, not by endangering yourself.” He calmed a little at her confusion. “The pack is there for your protection. If anything happened to you, everything would fall apart. Some other alpha could step in and take over.
“You have to make alliances, plans to have your pack absorbed by another. Unless they have some talent that makes them useful, your pack members will either be killed outright or revert to rogue status. That’s why pack wars are a bloody, desperate fight to the death.”
The dire future he painted didn’t look so rosy. “Why would shifters set up the ruling structure that way?”
“To keep the pack strong. Weed out the weak.”
“An alpha should be strong enough to protect everyone.”
“You’re only as strong as the weakest link in your group.” Anger left Durant, and he gentled his voice, his comforting leather scent twirling about her. “We don’t follow human rules for a reason. We’re not always human; most of us enjoy the animal side of our life and revel in the lax laws.”
To be able to rule the pack, she’d have to understand both shifters and their laws more. She thought she’d known what to expect but obviously, she’d underestimated what needed to be done to keep her pack alive.
“What do I need to know?”
“Trust us. Allow us to guide you. Don’t push us away.” He stepped closer, clasping her hand in his. “I–”
“Raven.” The door flew open, and Taggert entered. “Dominic’s on the phone. The police found another body and are asking for you.”
Chapter Twenty-four
DAY 7: AFTER MIDNIGHT
Scotts’ dour face peered at her over the police line. She plucked at the bright tape and raised a brow at the necessity. They were three miles into the forest with no one around but authorized personal.
“One body is torn apart and scattered through the woods like breadcrumbs.” Scotts ran a hand over his head and blew out a heavy sigh. “We marked the area off. Easier to find and collect all the evidence.”