Page 120 of Unravel Me

"Umm… what do you mean, 'so it is after all'?"

"From the very beginning, when you told me what happened in the forest, I knew it was Mauro."

"Well… in my defense, the fae seemed bigger, and the scent didn’t fit. It threw me off."

"One day, I asked Gianni about shower gel for alphas, and he said Mauro always kept several sets. He gave me a few to choose from, and I noticed they were different brands but had similar scents. I figured Mauro might use a different one in the cabin shower, which could explain your confusion."

I bite my lip.

"Well, good detective work."

"Also, the size. I saw Renato change once, and he seemed bigger, wider. So… magic."

"I saw it too! And it threw me off even more. I had this crazy, scary thought that I’d had sex with Renato." I chuckle awkwardly.

Veyron wears a peculiar expression, as if he's debating whether he should even bring it up, but then he lets out a quiet sigh.

"You know, during the last two days while you were in heat recovery, I did a little more digging around the area."

I practically jump.

"Why would you do that?"

"Occupational habit," he says casually. "I wanted to find out whether there was a cabin somewhere in the forest that had been officially registered with the local authorities. There wasn't anything like that, no record of a house being built, but I spent a few days around here talking to different people. I even chatted with some of Renato's employees, and little by little I found out that not too long ago, maybe three months back, they had worked on a project in the nearby woods, on land owned by Renato. One of the workers mentioned a year-round forest cabin."

"Renato's employees? You questioned them?"

Veyron rolls his eyes.

"'Questioned' is a bit dramatic. We were just making small talk. I was stuck here for a few days, so I had to keep myself busy. At one point, I casually asked whether a guy named Mauro had been supervising the project, and one of them confirmed it. 'Yeah, the mute guy.'"

I just stare at him, not sure what to say.

"I also," Veyron clears his throat, "allowed myself to be a bit… proactive or… rather, creative and put a tiny tracking bug under his Jeep, and that confirmed everything. Mauro has visited that cabin several times. I've marked its location on a map, and I even sent one of my mini drones over there. You can take a look at the aerial photos and tell me whether it's the same cabin."

Still blinking in disbelief that Veyron had been running an investigation on his own, I look at the bird's-eye photo he's showing me.

By this point, I’ve already figured out that the cabin most likely belongs to Mauro, so I just glance at the photo and sigh. "Yeah… that's the same cabin."

Veyron grins, obviously pleased with his detective work.

"I’m just curious here. Mauro built himself a secret cabin not very far from his uncle’s house. I haven’t started the second part of my investigation yet, the part where I figure out exactly why he’d do that instead of simply living with Renato."

I swallow, feeling a wave of resistance.

"No… I don't want you digging into that. Some people just value their independence, so it doesn't necessarily mean anything strange. Mauro and I are only just getting to know each other, and I trust he’ll tell me all of his secrets himself when he's ready. Yes, he owes me honesty… but I'm willing to give him a bit more time."

"There's one more thing I happened to learn."

I bite my lip nervously and shift my weight from one foot to the other. I don't feel comfortable having this conversation because I've already decided to be with Mauro, and now it almost feels as though Veyron has been investigating his family behind their backs… on my behalf. Yes, I want to learn all their secrets, but I'd much rather do it openly, with their knowledge.

"At one point, while I was talking to one of the workers, I mentioned the name Mauro Santoro. The guy raised his eyebrows and said, 'Santoro? I don't think that's his last name. There are very few Santoros left, and none of them have an heir carrying that name.' I was just about to press him for more, but some other workers showed up, and I didn't want to push the subject. Apparently, whoever Mauro really is… his last name isn't Santoro."

I let out a quiet huff.

"Wait a second. But Mauro never introduced himself to me that way, and Renato never called him Santoro either. So I don't know why you assumed that was his last name. I got the impression he's the son of Renato's omega brother, who left this town years ago after getting married, so he could easily have a different last name."

My voice comes out a little higher than usual because I feel obligated to defend Mauro. And since he indeed never introduced himself as Santoro, no one can accuse him of lying.