Page 15 of Red Hood, Bad Wolf

Chapter 5

Dawn had barely touchedthe horizon when Rowan felt Alder's alarm spike through their strengthened mate bond. The connection yanked her from sleep, his urgency becoming her own. She was dressed and running before his howl even sounded, their shared emotions amplifying her own sense of dread.

The River Valley wolf lay dead in the pack house infirmary, skin already cooling beneath her probing fingers. No obvious cause of death—no wounds beyond his original injuries, no sign of struggle. Just the lingering traces of... something. Something that made her magic recoil even as it tried to identify the signature.

"His ring's missing," she said, examining the corpse. "He was wearing an alpha-mate's ring when we brought him in." The silver band had been ornate, marked with River Valley's pack symbols—marking him as someone important in his pack's hierarchy. Her magic detected residual energy where it had been forcibly removed.

"Could he have lost it during the attack?" Alder's power pressed close to hers, their newly consummated bond making it impossible not to share his mix of anger and concern. His emotions colored her own investigation, making it harder to maintain professional detachment.

"No." Rowan's magic probed deeper, finding traces of... she couldn't quite grasp it. Like trying to hold smoke or capture the memory of a scent. "This feels wrong. The magical signature is—" She broke off, frustrated. "It's familiar somehow, but distorted."

"Convenient, isn't it?" James stood in the doorway, other pack members crowding behind him. Their scents carried fear and suspicion. "He indicated a Red Hood and now he’s dead."

"Watch yourself," Alder growled, but Rowan felt his own flicker of doubt through their bond. The timing was suspicious, even to him.

Serenity pushed through the gathering crowd, her beta authority creating a small bubble of space. "We need to contact River Valley. Tell them what happened before they discover it themselves."

"And start a war?" Danny's sister Erica challenged from where she stood with the younger wolves. "They'll blame us. They already think we're killing their people."

The argument escalated, pack members taking sides. Accusations flew—about the death, about Rowan's presence, about Alder's judgment in taking a Red Hood mate. Through their bond, Rowan felt Alder's struggle to maintain order warring with his instinct to defend her. His anger and frustration beat against her shields like storm waves.

She touched his arm, grounding them both. Their essences intertwined automatically, strength flowing between them. "I'll examine the body properly," she said. "My magic might find something we're missing."

"Of course you'll examine it." James's words dripped venom. "Just like Red Hoodsexaminedthe Alpha's mother? We all know how that ended."

Alder's fury crashed through their bond like lightning. Before he could respond, Rowan stepped forward. "Yes. I'll examine him. Because unlike the Red Hoods who killed Alder's mother, I actually care about finding the truth. And right now, that truth is that someone wanted this wolf silenced before he could tell us what he saw."

Her magic flared, illuminating the corpse with sparkling lights. "Someone with access to the infirmary. Someone who knew enough about Red Hoods to frame us. Someone who took a trophy, just like the killer's been doing all along."

The pack's reaction rippled through the room—surprise, reluctant respect, lingering suspicion. But it was Alder's pride and love flooding their bond that made her magic sing.

Later, in the privacy of Alder's quarters, that pride took physical form. His kiss claimed her mouth as his power wrapped around her, the mate bond humming between them like a plucked string. Every touch resonated through their connection, amplifying sensation until she couldn't tell where her pleasure ended and his began.

"Felt you," he murmured against her neck, teeth grazing the spot where he'd marked her as his mate. "All morning. Your determination. Your strength. The way you faced them down."

"The bond's stronger." She gasped as his mouth found sensitive flesh. "After last night... after completing the mating..."

"After claiming you properly." His wolf rose close to the surface, possessive and proud. Through their bond she felt his primal satisfaction, his need to mark and protect and possess. "My mate. My witch."

Their magic tangled as clothes disappeared, power crackling between them like lightning. She felt his pleasure as if it were her own, knew he experienced her passion just as intensely. His emotions crashed through her as her magic sparked through him. When he finally slid inside her, their powers merged completely—wolf and witch, alpha and hunter, two halves of a whole.

Each thrust sent echoes of sensation bouncing between them through the bond. His pleasure fed hers fed his in an endless loop until they shattered together, magic and power exploding outward in a wave that rattled the windows.

Afterward, lying tangled in sheets that smelled of both of them, Rowan traced the mate mark on his shoulder. The connection between them pulsed, carrying contentment and lingering desire. She could feel his wolf still prowling close to the surface, satisfied but watchful.

"I need to contact my Order," she said reluctantly. "About the missing cloaks. We need to know if this is connected to the killings."

His arm tightened around her, and through their bond came his resignation warring with his desire to keep her close. "What do you need?"

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