Page 7 of May the Wolf Die
“Elias, back so soon?”
I should have anticipated we’d be working with the same detective from the incident at the alpha farm.
Like most alpha females, she was quite tall, nearly six feet herself. She wore skinny jeans with a blousy top and oversized blazer, her chestnut brown hair cut into a smart bob. Her badge was clipped to her belt, and she held a large travel mug full of coffee.
“I hope you aren’t planning on making a habit out of this,” she said with a slightly condescending smirk, taking a sip. “We might be able to overlook a deadly feud between packs here and there, but reigniting wars with vamps is another thing entirely.”
I knew she was trying to get me on the defensive, but I declined to let it affect me. “Detective Linda Oakley, these are my pack mates, Marlowe Linden and Julian Ramos.”
She shook Julian’s hand and then moved on to do the same with Marlowe, but as she got closer her pupils dilated and her nostrils flared. “You reallyarean omega. May I?”
Before Marlowe could say anything, Linda lowered her head right into the crook of her neck and breathed in deeply. Marlowe reached behind her and grabbed my hand, and I let out a small warning growl.
Linda snapped her head back up. “Sorry, I know she’s bondedto you and your pack, I just… I’ve never smelled anything like it.” She smiled at Marlowe like she was looking at a puppy. “You’re so cute.”
Marlowe furrowed her brows, which only made the detective laugh. “Oh my goodness, I just want to pinch your cheeks!”
The officer at the front desk coughed and Linda shook her head quickly, trying to rid herself of the intoxicating effect of Marlowe’s perfume. I’d had no idea how an alpha female might react to an omega, but I certainly hadn’t been expecting that. “Wow, I… never mind. Um, where was I? Ah, yes, the vampyrs. The interrogation room is this way.”
Julian, being a young, newly bonded alpha with a lot to prove, had his fists clenched at his side, clearly rattled at watching the detective’s reaction to Marlowe. Even I felt my composure dangling by a thin thread. He wrapped his arm around her possessively as we walked through the bullpen.
Conversations around us suddenly stopped and phones rang unanswered as cops stood at their desks, sniffing the air as we walked by.
All it would take was one whispered comment or random catcall and I might end up under arrest myself for assaulting an officer, especially with Marlowe’s unease and apprehension reaching towards me for support through the bond. I slowed my pace to match hers, taking her hand in mine while Julian still had a firm grip around her shoulders.
Linda opened the door to one of the rooms and then gestured to a chair outside. “Ms. Linden, why don’t you wait out here, I’d like to get a statement from Mr. Ramos first.”
“No,” Julian barked.
Linda sneered at him, straightening to her full height as she rolled back her shoulders. “Excuse me?”
He pulled Marlowe in closer and bared his teeth. “I’m not leaving her out here alone.”
Thank the Moon for Julian verbalizing my thoughts. My wolf was growling, refusing to leave her unprotected with so many curious alphas sniffing around her. Yet as their attorney, their legal buffer and shield, I needed to put my ego and instincts aside to make sure these interviews went smoothly. Because things could get very difficult and ugly if we didn’t play along.
Linda stepped up to Julian and narrowed her eyes. “Are you insinuating these officers can’t be trusted around your omega?”
I could feel Marlowe’s own annoyance now peeking through.I knew her well enough by now that she disliked being treated as though she couldn’t speak for herself.
“Insinuating? No, I thought I was clearlysayingthey can’t be trusted.” He gestured towards the alphas at full attention, staring at us. “The air is so thick with pheromones I could choke on it.”
It was hard not to agree with him, but snapping would make things worse. I had to defend them in my own way. “Please excuse Julian, Detective Oakley. He’s newly bonded to our pack and is feeling quite protective over Marlowe, especially after the attack.”
After a few beats she sighed, tilting her head. “I can’t deny I feel my own strange urge to defend this little omega at all costs, so I’ll forgive the insult to this department for now. But trust me, she’ll be fine. Won’t you, sweetie?”
Marlowe’s head jerked back an inch, taken aback by the pet name. “Uh, I guess?”
“Of course you will. As soon as I’m done with your alpha here, I’ll bring you in.”
Marlowe blew a piece of hair out of her face and rolled her eyes, slumping down in the chair and taking out her phone. “Whatever.”
She certainly wasn’t doing herself any favors by acting like a cute little brat. My cock twitched at the thought of teaching her a lesson, but I tried to focus on the meeting at hand instead, and not Marlowe laying down over my lap with her pants pulled down, my hand print on her perfect little ass…
I cleared my throat and followed Julian and Linda into the small interrogation room, not letting the sound of the heavy door closing and separating us from Marlowe distract me.
“Okay, if you two gentlemen would have a seat, we can get this started.”
Julian slouched in his chair, his arms crossed and foot tapping. Linda opened a thick file on the table, taking a few minutes to silently skim over the first few pages. It was an obvious attempt to piss off Julian even more, but I couldn’t let him take the bait.
