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I frown, my stomach rolling once more. I take the offered cup of water from Seb and sip at it as the four men furiously engage across their silent mind link. I don’t interject, I can’t.
I don’t know what to say. Back then, I was in so much shock, I never questioned it. Not really. I didn’t beg to watch him die. I didn’t even consider wanting to see his final moments that way.
Who would?
Which is likely, if they did lie, what made me an easy target.
“How much of what I know is the truth?”
“That’s what we’re determining, darling,” Ben says with none of the tact my delicate heart needs.
“We’ll fix it all for you,” Seb murmurs, gently running his hand up and down my sides. “We can’t bring back Ryan, but we’ll get you and Phoebe some vengeance.”
I nod, my teeth starting to chatter.
“Put that away for tonight,” Topher demands, gesturing to Ben’s laptop. “We’ll start researching properly tomorrow.”
Ben pouts, lifting his head up to look at his brother. He’s already been typing away, his eyes flying across the keyboard. They exchange more silent words before Ben nods and puts his laptop to the side. He pulls the pizza box back into his lap.
“What did they tell you about who did it?” Alex asks, adjusting Phoebe in his arms. “Did they ever admit to finding the person who did it?”
I shake my head. “They told me that they found the car but not the person driving it. They still haven’t found who did it. I debated on hiring a PI, but...” I shrug, looking down at my lap, shame rising. “I wasn’t sure what they’d find, and I was pregnant and scared. My focus was on Phoebe and getting through the day. I couldn’t...” I purse my lips, trying to hold the tears back.
“Nobody is judging you for that,” Topher says, putting his phone down. “Not in the slightest. But would you be opposed to us hiring one now? We’ve got plenty who can start digging.”
“Will it help?”
“It will,” Seb says, and I nod. He squeezes my thigh. He’s been as quiet as I expected, only speaking up when it’s important. But having him at my back, giving me cuddles and kisses and the occasional scenting, has been so nice for me.
“Then do it,” I say, a wave of exhaustion washing over me. “I think I’ve had enough for tonight.”
“Are you ready for bed?” Alex asks. I shake my head without even thinking about it, but it’s not a lie.
My heart is heavy, and I know I’m going to spend the night tossing and turning. I’d really rather not be alone for a little while longer.
“Want to do our normal little informational chats? Take a breather from the heavy stuff?” Topher asks, and I scrunch my nose up and shake my head. I really don’t feel like diving into the unknowns of the werewolf world right now, not after uncovering these secrets.
My head hurts, my body is exhausted, and yet, my thoughts are whirling around a mile a minute.
“Oh, well, the fun little scent talk—” Topher starts with a little teasing injected into his tone.
“Oh, wait, yes,” I say, eagerly jumping up on Seb’s lap and cutting Topher off. He groans, adjusting me slightly. Topher winks at me as Alex laughs. “That sounds great. Let me go get Phoebe settled in bed, and then we can start.”
“No!” Max whines. He flutters his eyelashes at me, a pout on his pretty face. I already know I’m going to say yes to whatever he asks, but in the most desperately pleading tone, he begs, “Can she stay with me for a little longer?”
I laugh and nod. “Of course. She’s settled better there than she would in bed anyway.”
The pure delight that fills him causes a little bit of guilt to rise. I push it back down, refusing to let it eat away at me.
The guys love Phoebe. I know they do.
And we’re going to work on building the trust between us properly.
“She’d be more settled with me,” Ben says before taking a huge bite of another slice of pizza.
“You’ll get cuddles with her later,” I reassure him, and Ben grins at me.
“So, we were going to talk to you tonight about an infant’s scent,” Topher says, and I nod. “What can you remember about it from earlier?”
