"What, the guys who tied me up weren''t brave enough to question me themselves, so they sent some wh*re to try and tempt me?" I could see Jax and Dev shift ufortably at the same time as I released a subtle wave of my aura. It was just enough to make them feel the tension in the room, but not so overpowering that it would give me awaypletely. Still, I knew they wouldn''t let him use my gender as a weapon against me during this interrogation.


    "I have zero intention of ''tempting'' you," I said, my voice thick with disgust. Honestly, he wasn''t even worth the effort to look at. He was scrawny for a wolf, clearly malnourished, with sallow skin and dirty brown hair that hung in greasy strands. His overall appearance was filthy and unkempt. He stood about my height—a trivial detail, but one that caught my eye nheless.


    My wolf growled low in my mind, "He''s not Ben, so he''s not worth our time or attention."


    I nodded internally, trying to push away the distraction. "I know you think the world of Ben and his wolf, but remember, he''s got a thing for a blonde Barbie. So much so that he still keeps her picture on his phone months after finding his mate. Right now, he''s irrelevant. We have work to do."


    The way the man''s eyes roamed over me told me he knew exactly who I was—or at least that I was an Alpha. He seemed eager to meet his end quickly, hoping to avoid giving us any useful information.


    "Let''s try another approach," Jax said, stepping forward. "Why risk crossing three borders? You had nothing on you—no drugs, no supplies. Why not take the longer route? Save yourself the trouble."


    The man shrugged, a hiss escaping him as the silver cuffs shifted on his wrists. "Shortcuts are always better."


    Dev smirked, trying to provoke him. "So you spend a lot of time running? You''re pretty fast for someone with nowhere to be."


    “Meh, not really,” he replied, his tone dismissive. "Sometimes being fast is all the bosses need." Then, abruptly, he went silent.


    "So, you are a mule then," I said, narrowing my eyes.


    "No, I''m a frencer. Just passing through. I''m not your guy."


    "Bad time to be an entrepreneur," Jax said, stepping closer. "That makes you expendable. You''re a loose end they''ll want to tie up. Who''s paying you right now?"


    The man''s eyes flickered with a mix of defiance and weariness. "You guys haven''t done this before, have you? You should just get to the beating part and get it over with."


    Jax took the bait and mmed an open palm across the man''s face. Blood immediately welled from the side of his mouth and nose.


    "Any clue what you''re transporting?" Jax demanded.


    “Nope,” the man said, punctuating his answer with a sharp ''P.''


    Dev stepped forward, his fist closing tightly as he delivered a blow closer to the man''s eye socket. We all heard the sickening crack of bone.


    "That works for me," Dev said grimly. "Let''s see if Junior has a truck we can borrow."


    The man coughed, blood dripping from his lips. "You gonna find a dumpsite for me? You know they''ll find me."


    I let out a confident, almost mockingugh. "You really think we''re going to let you walk free? No. He was right," I said, nodding toward Jax, "you''re expendable. No one''s looking for you, no one cares. What they will care about is finding out you''re locked up in my cells, strung up like a deer for processing. What they''ll care about is how much information you''re giving us because you can''t handle the torture."


    "I haven''t told you sh*t,” he spat at me, frustration clearly bubbling beneath the surface.


    "They don''t know that yet," I said, turning toward the cell door. "They''ll believe any rumor we spread. Let''s move."


    Jax and Dev exchanged a look, then took turns knocking the man out the hard way as I headed toward the door, the cold metal bars closing behind us with a sharp ng.