Harry shook his head. “When you think about it, I’m amazed we’ve got away with it this long.”
Aaron scoffed. “You mean I’ve got away with it. I’m pretty sure there’s no physical evidence to show that you spent Friday night gambling.”
“I know, but still…” He nudged Aaron with his shoulder. “We must stink when we leave that place.”
“Which is why we go to Lycanis afterwards—to drown in all that shifter scent.” He closed his eyes and breathed in, smiling. “Talking of scents, whatever you’re cooking smells delicious.”
“Thanks.” Grinning, Harry led them through to the kitchen diner.
Aaron immediately walked over to the slow cooker and peered in through the glass top. “Pulled pork?”
“Yep.”
Mouth watering, Aaron patted his stomach. “I’m starving. How long?”
“About five minutes.” Harry grabbed Aaron’s shoulders and turned him to face the cupboards. “Set the table, and I’ll get everything ready to dish up.”
With plates of pulled pork, mashed potato, fine green beans, and gravy, they sat down to eat. After a few mouthfuls, Harry pointed his fork at the TV. “Did you see the news yesterday?”
Aaron shook his head.
“I meant to text you but I forgot. Anyway, they found a dead body not far from where we were Friday night.”
Setting his knife and fork on his plate, Aaron sat back in his seat. “When?”
“Um… Saturday morning, I think.”
Aaron tensed. “That’s not all, is it?”
“No.” Harry reached for the TV remote. “I recorded the last bit of the news to show you.”
Aaron watched the screen as Harry scrolled through for the news snippet.
“Here we go.” Harry set the remote on the table and picked up his fork again.
The reporter for Sky News was standing on the opposite side of the road to an alleyway blocked off with police crime scene tape. The recording cut in halfway through her report. “—victim’s identity has yet to be released. Sources say the investigation has been passed over to the Shifter Crimes Task Force, but as of yet, there’s been no official statement from Detective Chief Inspector Arlington.” She paused, and the camera zoomed into the mouth of the alley before cutting back to her. “If this is indeed now being investigated by the SCTF, it would make it the third death with suspected shifter involvement in the last three weeks.” She went on to talk about whether or not the alpha council should be involved with the investigation and how safe were the streets of London and what could the police do to protect them from a shifter.
Harry turned it off with a sigh, and Aaron sat back, still staring at the TV. “Fucking hell,” he mumbled. Not knowing what else to say.
“Yep. It’s going to be fun times ahead until they catch them.”
Every now and again, a shifter would make the news after supposedly committing some crime or other and would be the headline for a day or so, but things soon moved on when they were either arrested or exonerated. As a matter of course, shifters tended to get wary looks from humans who knew what they were, but not since the pack wars had there been a question of whether they were safe to be around.
Aaron hated it.
Hated having someone look at him with fear, as though he would attack them any second. Yes, he had superior strength and natural weapons in the form of claws and teeth, but he wasn’t a mindless animal who attacked without provocation. None of them were.
He glanced back at the TV again. Well, maybe that wasn’t entirely true.
There was always one who had to ruin it for the rest of them.
“I hope they catch him soon.” Aaron tapped his fingers on the table. “Do you reckon it really is a shifter?”
Harry shrugged. “If this is the same person who committed the first two crimes, then absolutely. You heard what Sam said about it.”
“I guess.” Their alpha, Sam Thomas, had held a pack meeting after members of the SCTF had been to see him. The SCTF met with all the London packs—because if it was a shifter, then it was either a member of a local pack or a visitor.
“The police showed him photographs of the victims. I think he’d be able to tell if someone had been killed by one of us or not, and I’m sure I remember him saying that a doctor from the shifter hospital had also examined the bodies. Whether we like it or not—it’s one of us, Aaron.”
