Stupidity left a vile taste in my mouth. Here I’d thought my pack disliked me, but if they hadn’t avenged my father, then their dislike ran deeper than I’d assumed. Loathing throbbed beneath my skin. Claws curled from mynailbeds.
“Breathe. Your eyes have shifted,” Julianinstructed.
I breathed, and the simple act of inhaling and exhaling managed to drive my claws back. What it didn’t manage to do was ease myfury.
“Heath had too many business dealings with Aidan Michaels to afford killing him.” Julian leaned toward me, his whisky-scented breath brushing my ear. “You did the world a great favor by killinghim.”
My heart felt like a shard of ice. “Everest said you could help me.” For the first time since my cousin had informed me I was a murderer, I didn’tcare.
An amused, almost satisfied expression creased his eyes. Unlike what humans believed, werewolves aged at the same rate as humans, yet Julian looked ancient, like he’d been alive far longer than his forty-sevenyears.
“I am well acquainted with the PI Liam hired. One word from me, and he will direct the focus of the investigation off ofyou.”
“What will that word costme?”
“You don’t beat around the bush, doyou?”
I squared my shoulders, and the leather dress tightened around me like a second-skin. “What will it costme?”
“You go on with that little game your elders haveorganized.”
I jerked my head back. “I don’t want to be part of mypack.”
“You wouldn’t just be a part of it. You’d ruleit.”
“I have no desire to rule a bunch ofpricks.”
“Why did you enter your name in the first place,then?”
“Because I didn’t want another Kolane to have that sort ofpower.”
“And you’ve changed yourmind?”
“No.”
A slippery smile eased over Julian’s lips. “You go on with those silly trials then, and I will not only make sure that your name is cleared, but also that youwin.”
“How andwhy?”
“Don’t bother yourself with the how. As for the why…” Julian closed his hand over my elbow and steered me up the lawn. “I want there to be peace between our packs, and I believe you are the instrument of that peace. There is something incredibly special about you, and not simply because you are the first female born to your pack in a century. Although, perhaps your sex does color my conviction.” He pulled me to a stop on the first step of the grand stone staircase leading up to the terrace. “Do we have a deal, MissClark?”
His flattery and backing were honing my ego into a dangerous weapon. “The Boulders detest you. They believe you are the source of allevil.”
“I don’t doubt this.” His eyes flared like silver bullets. “But would an evil man desirepeace?”
I tried to glimpse the wolf lurking beneath the human casing of tanned flesh, pouty mouth, and powder-blue eyes that were Julian Matz. I sensed his wolf was an impressivespecimen.
“I could sweeten the pot by having my weres deal with Aidan. Would you likethat?”
“I like to clean up my own messes, but thank you for theoffer.”
“So, will you go on with thetrials?”
Did I have a choice? Besides hitchhiking away from Boulder, I had no way out. “Yes.”
Julian’s teeth flashed. He lifted my hand to his mouth and laid a kiss there to seal our deal. “How proud you would’ve made yourfather.”
Glass shattered against stone, and then screeching voices exploded above us. I wheeled around and found an almost unrecognizable man glowering down at me and Julian. Blood poured from Liam’s temple and gushed from hisnose.
