Page 64 of Fake It ’Til You Mate It

“No.” I pat my mate on his handsome cheek. “I’m asking you to let me help you close this case so that we can put all these murders behind us. Besides, I trust you. You won’t let me die.”

He won’t, and I believe that with every last inch of my soul.

“Declan needs justice. No matter why Leo went after him, he needs justice. So does Abigail.” Her sad eyes flicker through my mind. “I don’t want him to hurt anyone else. Not me.” I stroke the edge of his jaw. “Not you, either.”

Put like that, how can he refuse?

Spoiler alert: he can’t—and he doesn’t.

CHAPTER 18

CONFESSION

I told you Mother didn’t do it.

— gus

Riordan had a good plan. It hinged on both him and Max dousing themselves in wolfsbane. Gus was brought to their parents’ cabin at the other end of the woods—I stayed back because I absolutely refused to meet Max’s mom on a couple of hours of sleep—so that he was protected. Riordan handpicked a few wolves that were one hundred percent loyal to Max in case we needed backup.

Do I know where he got the ear thingy and the wire from? No. Do I ask? Also no. I figure, these two aren’t just the Alpha and the Beta of the pack that is responsible for me and the town. They’re the top law enforcement officials in Moonburrow. I guess this goes with it.

It was a sting; look at me, using detective lingo. I was bait, and I did a good job. Figuring that it was Leo that Gus saw peeking at me last night, if he was still coming after me, he’d be watching the cabin. Max confirmed that Leo had an apartment downtown, but Declan was an old friend of his. He would sometimes stay over at his cabin if pack meets ran late.

It’s another reason why neither Max or Riodan ever thought it could be Leo. Declan was his friend. Abigail was his… something. He worked closely with Max… but it didn’t matter. He was involved, and we needed to prove it for the sake of Moonburrow.

That was actually way easier than I thought it would be. I stayed inside the Alpha cabin with Max while Riordan made his plans; another way that my mate let his brother use some of his obvious alpha energy. A little before sunset—since I didn’t want to get caught in the dark, just in case—I announced enthusiastically that I would be taking a walk.

Right on time, one of their loyal wolves came knocking at the door. Riordan sent Vera, a maternal delta who looked like she couldn’t hurt a fly… unless her pups were in danger, to ask the Alpha for a meeting in the den. This was all pre-arranged, of course. If Leo was watching and saw that Vera and Max were going in one distraction, Max’s new witchy pet going wandering off into the woods again at the same time, Riordan thought he might not be able to resist coming after me.

He was right.

I hadn’t even made it as far into the woods as we went last night before a very familiar, and scarily friendly face popped out from behind one of the taller trees. If I was clueless, I’d think he was just another wolf in Moonburrow looking out for one of the weaker residents.

I knew better.

It was the eyes. It’s always the eyes. Sure, his smile was odd, his mouth crowded with teeth, but there was an unwell, hungry gleam in his eyes that told me that this was no normal predator.

This was someone on the wrong side of being feral.

It happens. When you’re part human, part beast, sometimes a shifter goes bad. You start thinking that you can live outside of the pack rules, but instead of going lone wolf, you break.

Somewhere along the lines, that happened to Leo Holloway. If I had any doubts that he was a killer, they’re squashed the moment I see his eyes. I didn’t even listen to the kind greeting or the way he asked if I knew where Max was. I just ran.

He bolted after me.

Luckily, I didn’t panic. I didn’t faint, either, which was good considering our plan, but I did hit the alarm signal that told Riordan I was in trouble. Just like he coached, he ordered, “Play dead,” through my earbud—and that’s the last thing I remember until I was blinking my eyes open again, the echo of his voice drawling, “Wake up, Honey, wake up now or Max will gut me.”

I’m instantly awake.

I’ve woken up in the morgue. In body bags. Sprawled out on the asphalt, my head tucked in the Alpha’s lap. Waking up on the forest floor, a stick jabbing me in the ass… it could’ve been worse, but when I see Max crouched in front of me, thrumming in place as he waited for me to stir… when I see the look of pure love and relief flashing across his face as he hurries to help me to my feet… hell. I can’t complain.

“Where is he?” I ask.

Max moves me so that I can see if Riordan’s plan worked.

It did.

The big Beta pinning Leo’s arms behind his back. The blond wolf is thrashing, trying to break free of Riordan’s hold. Good luck, asshole. He’s about twice as wide and an alpha wolf moonlighting as a Beta so, yeah, I don’t see that happening