<b>Chapter </b><b>24 </b>


    Alexander


    I followed my Beta into my study, where a man was waiting for us. I recognized the man’immediately as one of the photographers from the press


    conference.


    “Alpha,” Gabriel said, gesturing to the man, “this guy says a couple came into his tabloid agency to leak the story. He saw them.”


    I narrowed my eyes and folded my arms. “Is that so?”


    The man nodded. “I–It’s true, Alpha,” he said, wringing his hands. “They came in and spoke to my boss. Well, I didn’t see them, but I did hear them speak.”


    “And? Spit it out.”


    The photographer fidgeted with his camera strap. “It was an older couple. A man and a woman.”


    “An older couple?” I asked, straightening a little. “Did they give names?”


    “No, sir. They were careful about that. But I remember what they sounded like.”


    “Go on.”


    The photographer hesitated. “Well, the man had a deep, gravelly voice. Like he used to smoke. And the woman’s voice was high–pitched, but she drew out her ‘s’s, sort of like a snake.”


    I tilted my head slightly, exchanging a nce with Gabriel. The description was vague, but it sounded an awful lot like Sophia’s parents, John and Helen Oxford. Alpha and Luna of Moonshine pack.


    John once had a smoking problem, and Helen did speak like that.


    But it made no sense. The Oxfords and the pack they led, Moonshine, was a close friend of Ashw’s. I’d known John and Helen my entire life. They weren’t the type to do something like this, and even if they were, they had no reason for it in this case. Our packs were allies.


    Unless…


    Sophia allegedly wanted to break up my marriage to E. I always knew she had a crush on me, but perhaps it ran deeper than that.


    What if her parents wanted us to get together? Moonshine was a distinguished pack, but they had fallen on hard times over the years. A marriage between our packs would benefit them, just as it had benefited Stormhollow.


    I would have to do some investigating on my own.


    “Anything else?” Gabriel asked. “Any identifying features? ents? Mannerisms?”


    The photographer shook his head. “No<i>, </i>Sir. I didn’t get a chance to talk to them myself. I just heard them talking to my boss, and when they left, my boss told me to post the story online.”


    Well, that didn’t feel like enough to go off of for a definitive answer. But it was enough to warrant bringing it up to the Oxfords. All three of them.


    “Thank you,” I said. “You can go now.”


    The photographer nodded and hurried away.


    “Get the car,” I told Gabriel as soon as we were alone. “I want to investigate the site of the bonfire.”


    A little whileter, I found myself at the clearing in the forest where the Spring Celebration had been. My lips were still burning, just like the scorched


    00:23 Tue 1.


    <b>Chapter </b>24


    <b>ground </b><b>where </b>the bonfire had sat the other night.


    I couldn’t help but absentmindedly run my tongue over my lips as I surveyed the clearing where the Bynfira had been held fast day ago, i lingered there cherry blossoms and vani, sweet and intoxicating. I couldn’t get it out of my head


    That <b>kiss</b><b>. </b>


    thadn’t expected it. Hadn’t expected her to grab my tie and pull me down to her like that, hadn’t expected the surge of desire that shot though m? sh our lips met. For those few seconds, I’d feltplete for the first time in my entire life.


    My wolf wanted more. Each step I had taken away from E had felt like dragging myself through mud. He was furious with me, em now, begging meth return to our mate’s side and pull her close. He wanted me to love her.


    But I couldn’t fall in love with E. Not when there was still a chance her pack was involved in my parents‘ deaths. Besides, even if i did want to fall for her, she still wanted to divorce me. The kiss was just an act for both of us, and we wouldn’t be repeating it.


    I paused my thoughts, crouching down near the ground to check for clues. The grass was still trampled where the crowd had gathered, and the remnants of the bonfire sat in the center of the clearing, although it was nothing but a circle of charred wood and wet ash by now. It had ramed this morning, so everything had turned soft and soggy.


    But somewhere in this mess had to be evidence–evidence that would either exonerate or condemn Sophia and perhaps even her parents.


    I didn’t want to believe that the Oxfords could be involved in something like this. The girl I grew up with, the one who had been my friend through thick and thin… could Sophia really be capable of doing something like this? Endangering innocent people during her favorite holiday of the year?


    And for what? Jealousy? Revenge? Was she really that angry that I hadn’t attended the celebration with her?


    What about her parents? Why would they intentionally leak the contract to the press<b>? </b>None of it made any sense. Even if they wanted a union between Ashw and Moonshine, they weren’t the type to go about it like this.


    But Liam had been resolute in his ims that she had caused the attack at the bonfire. He also said that she knew about the contract first, <b>had </b>approached him in the hopes of ending my marriage to E, and had even exposed us. And then there was the photographer.


    None of it felt like something they would do, but neither did pushing E out of a hayloft. And as the days went on, I began to wonder more and more if Sophia truly had done it on purpose. Perhaps the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.


    I began circling the bonfire, scanning the ground for anything unusual. Unfortunately, there was nothing around the bonfire. I circled wider and wider until I was walking the entire rim of the clearing.


    And then my eyes caught on something metallic glinting in the sunlight, half–buried in the dirt near where the rogue had first appeared.


    I bent down to examine it. It was a silver chain, partially obscured by leaves and dirt. I brushed the debris away, and my heart sank as I recognized the delicate pearl pendant attached <i>to </i>it.


    Sophia’s ne.


    She never took it off. It had been a gift from her mother on her sixteenth birthday, and she treasured it. For it to be here, at the site where the rogue had emerged…


    I picked it up and studied it. There could be innocent exnations. Perhaps she’d lost it while fleeing from the rogue like everyone else.


    But… no. I recalled that night perfectly; she had been standing near the bonfire when the rogue came. This was too far from where I’d seen her to be usible.


    Well, perhaps it had fallen off earlier in the day, before the attack even happened.


    And yet, as I turned the pendant over in my hand, I noticed something else; there was dried blood on the sp. And embedded in the chain were several coarse, dark hairs. Rogue fur.


    240073 TULBIA


    <b>Sophia </b>had been here, close enough <b>to </b>the rogue to get its blood and for <b>on </b><b>her </b><b>ne</b><b>. </b>It did seen to support Lison’s theory that the bat lured the <b>beast </b>to <b>the </b>celebration<b>. </b>


    I pocketed the ne and continued searching the area, but found nothing else of interest. Finally, I decided to <b>call </b>it quits for now and then my <b>toward </b>where my Beta was waiting next to the car.


    “Did you find any evidence?” Gabriel asked. “Anything pointing to it being the Oxfords‘ doing?”


    <b>“</b>The photographer’s description certainly sounds like them,” I admitted, holding up the ne. “And I found this. It’s Sophia’s“.


    Gabriel’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the ne. “But the Oxfords are a well–respected Alpha and Luna. They wouldn’t do something like this i don’t think Sophia would, either.”


    I tilted my head, considering. Gabriel was right; Sophia’s parents were well–known amongst all of the neighboring packs. They had been <b>a </b>prestigious Alpha and Luna duo for decades and had never gotten involved in drama before.


    Sophia, on the other hand… She was acting differentlytely..


    Or had I just been blind before?


    “Still,” I said, “it’s worth looking into.”


    Gabriel huffed. “Well, I wouldn’t be so quick to judge. Same with Sophia. How can you be certain that E wasn’t behind all of this?”


    My wolf bristled. “What makes you think E would have done this?<b>” </b>I blurted out, sharper than I intended.


    “Because she clearly wants to cause trouble,” Gabriel said, already turning to leave. “I don’t trust her one bit. I don’t think you should, either.”


    I watched my Beta move toward the car, a strange feeling churning in my gut. He didn’t trust E. And for the longest time, I hadn’t trusted her, either.


    Buttely…


    I ran my tongue over my lower lip again, tasting the remnants of her lip gloss.


    Lately, I wasn’t sure if she was quite so bad.


    AD


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