Page 4 of In the Mouth of the Wolf

Oliver cocked his head. “Other wife? I’m not sure what you mean. His emergency contact was his business partner, Camden Wolcott. He directed me to his attorney, who gave me your information. That was how I got in touch with you.” He took a small envelope from the box and opened it, dropping the ring into my hand.

Sure enough, my mother’s name was engraved on the inside.

“This doesn’t make sense,” I said quietly. “He walked out on us. Are you telling me they never officially divorced?”

He sighed, giving me a sympathetic look. “I wouldn’t know anything about that, only that he was found alone in his home. Speaking of, you should be getting a key to the place from his attorney. I know the process of cleaning out a loved one’s belongings after death can be painful, and I am happy to assist you. I am great at moving boxes.”

Oliver flashed me a flirty grin. My breath hitched, and I brought my left hand to my chest as I was hit with a wave of his enticing cologne. His eyes darted towards the ring on my finger, disappointment eclipsing his friendly expression. Okay, so I might have entertained some light fantasies about the very good-looking man in front of me, but I certainly wasn’t going to act on them. Had he actually considered asking me out? That must have been a major ethics violation for his position.

“Are you bonded?” he asked, pointing to my hand.

I straightened in my seat. “What? I’m engaged, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Why isn’t your pack here, too?” His voice had become strangely clipped, like he was mad at me for not being single.

I sat back in confusion, my eyes blinking rapidly. “Pack?” What the hell was he talking about? “Not that it’s any of your business, but this was kind of sudden and my fiancé,singular, has work. He’ll come out for the funeral or if I need his help clearing my dad’s house. But thank you for the offer, I guess.”

His palms flattened on his desk and he took a deep breath. “Your father lived in Maiingan Hollow. You can’t go there by yourself. You need a male escort to protect you. I will take you.”

I clicked my tongue, put my dad’s ring on the desk, and folded my hands in my lap as I centered myself before I replied. “I don’t appreciate your tone or your concern, Mr. Alderwood. This is really unprofessional.”

Oliver chuffed. “And I don’t think you understand the dangers of an unbonded…”

“Excuse me?” I raised my hand to stop him. “What the hell does this ‘bonded’ and ‘unbonded’ bullshit mean? Is the town my dad lived in so dangerous that a woman can’t even walk the streets by herself without being jumped? And why is this my problem and not something that should involve, oh I don’t know, the police?”

My words hung in the air, and Oliver’s expression turned from frustration to suspicion. “Do you not know…”

I refused to listen anymore. “This is really too much. I hate to be a Karen about this, but I think I need to speak to your supervisor.”

At that, Oliver growled and I jumped in my seat, my heart bursting with primal fear. I snapped out of it and gave him a disgusted look. “What the hell, dude? Did you just fucking growl at me?”

Someone knocked at the door and Oliver’s eyes shifted towards the sound. “What?” he snarled.

“Mr. Alderwood? This is Elias Faulkner, James Linden’s attorney. Is his daughter here already?”

“Come in,” Oliver said roughly. I opened my mouth in shock. How did he go from caring nice guy to aggressive asshole? And why? Just because I had the audacity to be engaged?

The attorney entered, and I almost laughed. Like Oliver, he was also very tall and well-built, his bespoke suit immaculate and perfectly tailored to his muscled physique. His skin was tanned, like he had just come back from a tropical vacation, his dirty blonde hair highlighted with streaks of gold. I hadn’t been out of the Midwest that long. Surely, I would have remembered everyone looking like Greek gods. Had they put something in the water the past few years?

Elias nodded at Oliver and then extended his hand towards me. “Pleased to meet you, Ms. Linden.” When I took it, the same expression that Oliver had first given me fell over his face – his nostrils flaring and his pupils dilating as he pulled me in. He shot Oliver a look.

He gestured at me from his desk and sighed. “She doesn’t know.”

I took my hand back and stood up. “Mr. Faulkner, did my father have you on some sort of retainer? I might need to open a case of sexual harassment against this hospital.”

This time, a growl reverberated from the attorney’s chest, and he stepped in front of me, his body shielding mine from Oliver’s view as his eyes raked me over. “What did he do? Did he touch you?”

Oliver bared his teeth. “She doesn’t know,” he reiterated slowly

The attorney turned around and faced him. Some kind of silent understanding seemed to pass between the two of them, and the tension in the room started to melt. Elias sighed, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck. “Ms. Linden, could you actually give us a moment?”

I bit my lip in frustration. Sure, they were just going to ‘talk it out’ and brush it all under the rug, trying to convince me I had overreacted.

Typical.

I slung my purse back over my shoulder and wrapped my scarf back around my neck.

“You know what? It’s fine. My dad already has his funeral all planned out, right? It sounds like I don’t even have to do anything anyway. You guys can just discuss everything and this little ‘unbonded’...” I put my fingers up in air quotes. “...woman will leave it all to you. See you.”

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