“Yeah. Is it recorded in the lore? Is that how you knew to expect it?”
“It’s recorded in the lore.”
Ezra’s senses perked up. Malachi had just told him the truth. But the reluctance layered over his musky essence… He hadn’t told the entire truth. He hadn’t answered the second question. “You’ve experienced it too.”
Malachi turned his head to meet Ezra’s gaze, and his amber eyes seemed for a moment to glow in the dark. “Yes. Now please leave that alone.”
His sealed past had just cracked open. It was a solitary crack, and it would likely never happen again, and Ezra still didn’t know a single detail. But the moment felt important nonetheless. “Thanks, Mal. For, uh, not doing whatever you have the right to do when a wolf comes at you.”
“As I said, you didn’t come at me.”
“Well, then…thanks for holding me back. I don’t think any other wolf could have. But maybe I’m wrong.”
“You’re not wrong,” Malachi said.
Twenty-Two
“Hi,Willow,”thetallerofficer said. “This is Sergeant Kelly, and I’m Officer Davis.”
Ann squeezed Willow’s shoulder. “I’m sticking by this girl. She’s been through plenty this week already.”
“That’s fine. We just need to verify a few things. We’re sorry we had to get y’all out of bed.”
Forget niceties. The presence of police on Lunar Lane was the insulting cherry to top an outrageous unforgiveable Fitzgerald sundae. “What did my folks tell you?”
“Let’s start with what really happened,” Officer Davis said.
“What happened is, I’m twenty-three years old and I won’t break up with my boyfriend on their say-so. They told me to get out and demanded I turn over my house key.”
“What day was this?”
“Thursday night, around eleven.”
“All right. They demanded your key, and then?”
“Then I called Ezra, because…” She ruffled her messy curls with one hand, pushed the stray spirals out of her eyes. This part still felt more overwhelming than any of the junk before and after it. Maybe it said something about her, that bad behavior was easier to take than good. “I knew he wouldn’t want me to sleep in my car. He said his folks would take me in, which I could hardly believe. He didn’t want me driving here while I was panicking and all, so he came to drive me.”
“When he arrived, was there a confrontation?”
“Yeah.” She lifted her chin, held eye contact with the cop. If there were any question as to Ezra’s conduct, she must be firm on this. “My dad assaulted him. Charged at him, shoved him against my car, and—” Her voice broke. “And he punched him in the torso with his fists.”
“Did that frighten you at all?” Davis said. “Anything either one of them said or did? Was there any form of retaliation on Ezra’s part?”
Her inner analyst knew they were only doing their job. They did not personally know Ezra. They were concerned for her safety. Maybe in another situation, maybe if she hadn’t been dragged from sleep, she could have kept better composure. But right now a boiling began deep in her gut. She wanted to drive home—no, not home, never home again—and scream at her father. She propped hands on her hips in a stance of defiance that might not help matters, but she couldn’t stand meekly by.
“Ezra did nothing. There’s not a mark on my dad, I can tell you that. Whereas if Ezra takes his shirt off, you’re going to find bruises. What, is Dad claiming assault?”
“No,” Sergeant Kelly said. “He’s reported you as a kidnapping victim.”
Wait…what?
What?
Kidnapping was a felony. Kidnapping was the sort of premeditated crime that garnered decades of prison. An image flashed in her mind—Ezra behind bars, locked away from sunshine and mountains, from art fairs, from his pack whose closeness he needed. Locked away with violent men who would figure out his status as a wolf and gang up to hurt or kill him. Willow’s legs collapsed from under her, and she stayed upright only because Robert wrapped an arm around her. His deep rumbling growl was like a soothing song as he set her gently on the porch swing. She clung to Ezra’s daddy’s arm.
“He’s innocent,” she said to the two uniformed men who might be here to take Ezra from his pack, from her. “I called him for help; I can show you my call history. I gave him my keys. I got into the car with him willingly. I’ll go to court and say so under oath, I’ll—”
“We believe you,” Davis said.
