“Because, Kat, your father gave up his freedom for mine.”
The admission stole her breath.
“Your father was a peacemaker who forged alliances, but I had a reputation for battle that preceded me. One man in the Mage alliance wanted me dead. He knew I would have organized the packs and steered them to war; it wouldn’t have been the first time. For reasons I’ll never understand, Alex took my place.”
A sharp pain lanced through Kat’s tender heart when she thought of her father’s bravery. “The night he disappeared, he wanted to meet with me. He said he had information on someone I was tracking down at the time. He was like that—always helping me out. I think he was proud of what I did because I was the closest he had to a son. Anyhow, he owned a retreat in the woods no one knew about—a place we used to go fishing and hunting. That’s where I was supposed to meet him. When I got there, it had been ransacked, and I haven’t heard from him since.”
Prince turned toward her and his scent swirled in the air. It was a heady, desirable smell that made her toes curl and her wolf perk up. “Do you think it had to do with the case you were on?”
“That’s all I can think of. My father didn’t have enemies that I knew of, just a few local Packmasters who didn’t get along with him. But that goes with the territory, right?”
“You are correct.”
Kat smirked when he didn’t get the joke. “Do you ever just say ‘yep’?”
He stared, expressionless.
“Okay, maybe not,” Kat murmured. Some of the ancients weren’t easy to get to loosen up.
“What is the name of the suspect you were chasing?”
Her eyes latched on to his. “I can’t tell you that unless you swear an oath to help me search for him.”
His mismatched eyes widened and Kat suppressed a grin.
“Sorry, I can’t trust justanyonewith the knowledge I have. I’m sworn to secrecy with the higher authority. The only people I can share intel with are partners. I guess the real question is: how good of friends were you with my father, and how indebted are you to his ultimate sacrifice?”
Prince stood up, his expression cross, hands disappearing into his pockets. “You are a conniving woman.”
She crossed her legs nonchalantly. “Some use the word intelligent, but I’ll accept that as a compliment.”
His eyes shifted down to her foot, watching as she swung it back and forth in a nervous motion. He seemed nicer than the other men Nadia had dated. Most were cocky as hell, and not in a good way. But Prince, he was a different sort of man. Strong, powerful, and over six feet tall, whereas Kat stood at a respectable five-eight, although her boots gave her a nice boost. Prince didn’t talk incessantly or try to hit on her.He must worship Nadia.
“Will you accept my second-in-command to help you out?”
She put both feet on the floor and stood up, hands on her hips. “Absolutely not. You want to send a beta to do an alpha’s job?”
Prince removed his hands from his pockets and his jaw set.
“Is that how much my father meant to you?” Kat continued, rocking on her heels and giving him a somber look. This time she wasn’t putting on an act but was genuinely disappointed that a man who had bonded with her father as a brother would pawn off the task of searching for him.
“Very well. But if we hit a stumbling block, then I’ll have to bow out. I have obligations as a Packmaster.”
“I’m sure you have a capable second-in-command who can lead your pack temporarily.” She snatched his tie and gave it a light tug. “Come on, Charming.”
He stepped back, his brows drawing together. “My name is Prince.”
He’s so adorable, she thought. “I can’t go around calling you Prince, so Charming will have to do. It has a nice ring to it.”
“So doessire.”
Kat stepped forward and stood on her tiptoes. “I’m not one of your subjects.”
His breath heated her face and made her tingle in all the wrong places. Wrong, because this was Nadia’s territory.
Kat stepped back and twirled his tie before letting go. “Do you normally dress to the nines for a date?”
“I like to make an impression.”
