My body was ready to accept his challenge despite everything: the danger... the embarrassment. Ridiculously, all I could think about was how badly I wanted to feel his human form pressed against mine.
But I took a step back, rolling my eyes. “Fuck you, Blackwood.”
His nostrils flared, chest heaving as he stepped closer, glass crunching under his feet. “You lied to me, Miss Sullivan. From the very beginning.”
I stood my ground, refusing to back down. “I didn’t lie. I only kept some things to myself. In fact, I think I gave as much as I got.”
Marcus’s eyes searched mine, shaded with livid confusion.“What the hell does that mean?”
“You have no mate, yet you travel to crime scenes with only your gamma?” I crossed my arms. “It doesn’t take a werewolf to know something is off when there’s no beta in sight.”
Marcus’s growl echoed through the cabin.“Why was he helping you? What was the case?”
I hesitated, uncertainty gnawing at me.
Should I tell him?Did I have a choice?
I sighed, having made up my mind. “My sister’s murder.”
I watched Marcus for a reaction, but he was unreadable. “Your sister,” he echoed, his voice softer than I expected it to be.
I nodded, looking away. I couldn’t bear to find out if there was pity in his eyes.
“Latoya. Werewolves killed her. Cops never found her body. I hired Ethan to help me find out what happened to her.”
Marcus was silent for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck.“And did he?”
My gaze drifted to the floor. “No. But he did help me… cope.”
I could feel Marcus staring at me, his eyes searing through my skin.
“And in return, he also got what he wanted.”
Marcus turned away, hands clenched into fists at his sides. Tension rolled through his body. “And the spell? Why hide your scent?”
I sighed, toying with a braid that had come loose during the fight. “Because I’m a hunter, Marcus. I hunt your kind. I don’t fuck them.”
Marcus whirled around, amber eyes ablaze. “Is this a fucking joke to you?” he growled.
I held my ground. “I didn’t come here to play games with your behind. I came here to stop a killer. And if that means working with you, then so be it. But don’t think for a second that I trust you.”
Marcus took a step closer. “Trust goes both ways, baby girl. And right now, you’re not giving me much to work with.”
I balled my hands into tight fists.“I’m not your baby girl, Blackwood. And I don’t need your trust. I need your cooperation. You just let that monster get away, asshole.”
Marcus smirked, wicked and knowing. “What makes you think he got away?”
I paused, embarrassed by how long it took for understanding to dawn on me. “Your gamma,” I whispered.
We were now inches apart, Marcus looking down at me, amused. “Did you really think I’d let a rogue go free?” He shook his head.
My chuckle bounced off his chest. “And what will you do with him? Give him a slap on the wrist and a stern talking-to?”
Marcus’s eyes darkened, the amusement gone.“He’ll face a trial by his peers. And if he’s found guilty, he’ll face the consequences. That’s the pack way.”
“You should’ve let me kill him.”
Marcus turned away, the aura around his body shifting as he began to transform back into the wolf. “And if I did that, you wouldn’t be able to hear the update he claims to have about your sister.”
