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“If I had any, I would gladly let you look at it, but the entire town blacked out for most of the early morning hours. You must’ve not noticed if you were out in the woods. It knocked out the cameras.”
Blackout? Seriously? I studied Mateo, but he didn’t act like he was hiding anything.
“That’s really suspicious.”
He shrugged. “It affected the whole town. Blackouts sometimes happen in Blackwood Creek. You can ask anyone, but this one did have peculiar timing.”
Peculiar timing was putting it mildly. Knowing I wouldn’t get anything else out of him about last night or early this morning, I debated whether I should ask him about his argument with Audrey. They were together last night, so would one of them cover for the other? Or was it a regular relationship spat I didn’t want to know about? If it had nothing to do with the deputy’s death, I didn’t care what they were fighting about. It was no concern of mine.
The door opened, and Mateo sighed heavily. “Go away,” he said to whoever was entering the bar. “I don’t have it in me to fuel a shifter’s rabble-rousing.”
I turned my head to see who had entered. It wasn’t anyone I’d met yet. The shifter was around my age, sporting a man-bun and leather jacket. He gave off the vibe of a rebel. Though he wasn’t hard on the eyes, he didn’t have Ridge’s appeal.
The man eyed me up and down. I ignored his blatant interest until he stepped closer, and I caught a whiff of his scent. It was familiar, but I couldn’t place it.
He gave me a sexy smile, sauntered toward me, and leaned down. “Want to go for another run and finish what the mayor interrupted?”
Dread lodged in my gut, and I stifled a groan. Great. Zander Elkins. I promised Ridge I’d stay away from him, and after this introduction, I couldn’t agree more with him. Something about Zander was off, and I didn’t have the time or inclination to deal with him.
I also didn’t appreciate the reminder that someone else had seen my wolf—least of all him.
“Whatever you think got interrupted will have to take a permanent rain check because I’m not interested.” My wolf prowled, begging me to let her take a bite out of him.
Zander threw his head back and laughed. When Ridge did that, I got excited. With this shifter, I was annoyed. Zander had alpha energy, and I had a suspicious feeling he thought I was playing hard. He sat down on the stool next to me, traced his finger down my arm, and shouted to Mateo, “Pour us both a drink.”
I gritted my teeth to keep myself in check and not gnaw off his hand. I shook my head to Mateo and said, “I came here to chat, not drink. Thanks, Mateo. I’ll see you around.”
I got off the stool, but Zander grabbed my arm, fingers digging into my skin. “You can chat with me right here since you don’t want to have more fun elsewhere just yet.” He licked his lips and dropped his gaze down to my breasts.
“No, thanks. I don’t like talking to dense people, and you’re clearly not getting that I’m not interested. Never have been and never will be.” I struggled with my annoyance and my wolf’s deafening growls. I wrenched my arm out of his hold. “Don’t ever touch me again.”
His eyes flamed before me. “If it’s because of your bossy future mate...”
I wrinkled my brow, having forgotten for a second my fake engagement, but I leaned in closer to the jerk and huffed, “It’s because I don’t want to see you get your ass kicked by Ridge Blackwood again.”
Zander’s face darkened. My wolf and I took satisfaction in watching him sputter.
He growled. “If you hadn’t injured my leg so badly and just sat on the sidelines to watch us fight to win you like any other female wolf would, I would have come out on top.”
I didn’t take kindly to the implication that a female shifter was to be fought over, that she was to sit back and enjoy it. The audacity of this pathetic male astounded me. I didn’t remember the fight or hurting him, which wasn’t so bad since he’d completely healed now—a perk of being a shifter.
I moved closer into his space, baring my teeth.
“Cool it!” Mateo snapped.
I stepped back just as the door opened, and a couple of humans entered. A woman spotted me, and her face lit up as she rushed over to congratulate me on my engagement.
“Mayor Blackwood is wonderful. I’m so happy for you both.”
Zander clenched his jaw, and I took pleasure in his anger.
“It will be good to have another couple to invite over for game nights,” she continued.
I exchanged pleasantries with the woman, and then her husband came up and put his arm around her shoulders, congratulating me as well. I thanked them and told them it was kind of them to think of us for game night and that I’d let Ridge know.
After a couple more minutes of playing the ecstatic fiancée, I slipped away, irritated with Zander. I had no problem following Ridge’s request to avoid the jerk—I was equally happy to enforce that one myself.
I rushed to the car so no one else would stop me. I thought about who else I should ask about what might’ve happened.
