Page 103 of Wolf It Down, Knot Me Up

She’s shaking against me, and her scent grows stronger. Her fear, dread, and arousal are crashing through me, and all I crave is to be the Alpha who makes her forget the world and have no reason to ever be afraid again.

“Let’s check on Eve,” I whisper just as I spot Wolf strolling up the hallway to join us. Good, he can hold down the fort with Roman. With a hand around her waist, I draw her away. Once we’re at Eve’s doorway, Lucy breaks free from me and runs to her side.

I stand there, trying not to listen to them. Lucy’s sitting on the bed, holding Eve’s hand, telling her everything that’s happened.

The more I see her, the deeper my love for her becomes. I never expected to fall this hard, but I’m not exactly fighting it either.

I step back into the hallway, giving them space, as Eve’s rather upset. The corridor has become a full house. Two police officers have arrived, along with the parole officer, Mr. Colby. I groan under my breath at seeing him. Roman’s in a conversation with him already, several feet away from the others. Wolf’s dealing with the cops, the mayor, and Ethan.

Roman and Mr. Colby are suddenly striding toward me, Roman saying, “Ethan’s returned as our supervisor on-site. He can commence immediately, so there’s no need for us to leave town.”

“That’s not how things work with our program,” Mr. Colby says dryly. “Plus, you three took off when we trusted you. Our leniency ends now.”

My gut twists. Fuck! It’s not as if he’s wrong, and he’s got every right to bury us.

“I came here to collect you three, and to speak with Eve Rose out of courtesy.”

I curl my hands into fists as he pushes past us and strolls right into Eve’s room, giving a small knock on the door.

Roman and I exchange worried looks. “Let me try to handle this,” I state, following Mr. Colby.

Lucy’s still on the bed, both she and Eve staring at the new arrival.

“Mrs. Rose, I wish our meeting was under better circumstances,” he begins, while Eve huffs, clearly disgruntled from hearing about the chaos surrounding her lodge.

“And what’s that?” she asks.

“Given the recent events of the three convicts under your supervision, who have just been classified as attempted escapees, they will be returned to prison immediately. I’ll be honest and say that your position as an approved program is now also in jeopardy of being canceled.”

Eve’s gaze narrows on him as Lucy climbs off the bed but remains close to her grandmother. “Well, since we’re being so candid,” Eve answers, “we should talk about a matter from five years ago, back when Jerry Yon tragically died on my land.”

I glance at Lucy, who says nothing, shows no emotion, but she’s shaking.

“It was a horrible accident, and the police have dealt with it,” Mr. Colby states all matter-of-factly.

“Are you sure about that?” she says, and I’m uncertain where she’s going with this. “During the incident, you never once asked to review the report or for the police to further investigate as to whether it had been an accident or not.”

His eyes are pinching at the corners. “What are you suggesting, Mrs. Rose?”

“I’m referring to care, Mr. Colby.” She raises her voice slightly. “The police confirmed with me that you declined to read the details of the case and asked them to close it immediately, as it’s just another criminal dying in an accident. But I’ve learned tonight that Jerry had been murdered while under your reintegration program, but you didn’t so much as blink at losing a convict. Within two days, you had a new inmate brought to my property to take his place.”

We’re all silent, staring at Mr. Colby, who’s swallowing loudly.

“It’ll be interesting to see how the press presents this to the public,” she continues, and I’m loving how strong Eve is, certain that this is where Lucy gets her strength. “A man murdered under your program, and you didn’t even read his report, but instructed the police to close the case without a full investigation. All because it would interfere with your scheduling and meeting your program quotas. I mean, who cares about a dead criminal, right?”

He clears his throat. “Is this your attempt to blackmail me because⁠—”

“Oh, heavens, of course not,” she says in an innocent voice. Her knitting and magazines are scattered across the bed, making her look like the sweetest grandma, but the look behind her eyes is something else completely. “I’m informing you of what’s about to be released to the public. Of course, that can be changed.”

She just watches him, smiling, and I chuckle softly. It’s glorious to see our parole officer squirming. He breathes rapidly as he straightens his jacket with a few strong tugs.

“When will the doctors release you from the hospital?” he asks, his words clipped.

“End of the week.”

“Then,” he says, smacking his lips, appearing strained. “It just happens that the location the men were to be transferred to can no longer take additional placements.” He lifts his chin. “As long as Ethan resumes his role at the lodge immediately until you return home, the convicts can continue their program at Crimson Pine Lodge. And this will never be discussed again. Clear?”

“You have my word,” Eve says, taking Lucy’s hand, both of them grinning. “But I will need confirmation in writing about the men continuing their program with me.”