Page 3 of Red Hood, Bad Wolf

Alder's power flared, pressing against her shields. Some of his pack growled. "We are not Southampton."

"Prove it." Rowan met his gaze steadily, ignoring the way her body wanted to lean toward him. "Cooperate with my investigation. If no one in your pack is responsible, you have nothing to fear from me."

"Nothing to fear?" He laughed, a harsh sound. "Your kind killed my mother. Claimed she was feral when she wasn't. And my father—" He cut himself off, jaw tight.

Ah. The history her order had mentioned. "I'm sorry about your parents. But right now, people are dying. Will you help me find out why, or will you force me to investigate on my own?"

The air crackled between them, magic and tension and something else, something that made her skin tingle wherever his gaze touched. After a long moment, he growled, "Fine. But you work with me. No wandering my territory alone, no questioning my pack without me present."

"Agreed." The word tasted like surrender, but she knew a victory when she saw one. "When do we start?"

"Now." He gestured to one of his wolves, who brought forward a sealed evidence bag. Inside was a scrap of bloody fabric. "This was found an hour ago, half a mile east. Still fresh."

Rowan's pulse quickened. She reached for the bag, and their fingers brushed. Electric shock raced up her arm. From his sharp intake of breath, he'd felt it too.

Their eyes met again. In that moment, Rowan knew two things with absolute certainty: working with Alder Blackwood would be the most dangerous thing she'd ever done.

And not because he was an irate wolf with an axe to grind.

"Well?" he demanded, breaking the moment. "Can you tell anything from the blood?"

Rowan pulled her focus back to the evidence, to her mission. She had a job to do, and she'd do it—no matter how distracting her reluctant partner might be.

"I need to see the area where this was found," she said, letting magic spark between her fingers. "Lead the way, Alpha Blackwood."

His lips curved in something not quite a smile. "Try to keep up."

Chapter 2

Magic tingled acrossRowan's palm as she held the bloody scrap of fabric. Her spell illuminated a faint red trail only she could see, weaving between the ancient pines. Beside her, Alder moved with predatory grace, his nostrils flaring as he caught scents she couldn't detect.

"Blood trail heads east," he said, voice low and rough. "But there's something off about it."

"The magic feels wrong too." Rowan frowned at the crimson trail. "Like it's been deliberately scattered."

“It wasn’t us.”

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