“You’re free to ask any woman to be your mate, Elmer,” Levi said slowly, crossing his arms over his chest. “But that doesn’t mean I have to approve of it. Mary-lou Abernathy is only fourteen years old.”
Elmer waved a hand around as if trying to swat a fly. “Old enough, ain’t it? Her parents agreed to the pairing.”
Elmer Meyers was known around town to have always had an eye on young ladies. Most of the time it skewed toward girls who were nineteen or twenty. But he was known to say inappropriate things to younger women and girls as well. He was also a rich man, and I wouldn’t have put it past him to have paid the Abernathy family so he could take their daughter as his new mate. The man disgusted me.
“And I’m the alpha. I have final say. I’ve warned you about this, Elmer. You are really close to getting banished from this pack. When it was simply young adult ladies, I could turn a blind eye and allow them to make their own decisions, but when it comes to children? That’s a different story. I. Won’t. Allow it. Understand?”
“I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch,” Elmer crowed, balling up both of his fists.
“That’s enough,” I said, stepping up beside Levi. As much as I disliked Elmer, there was no reason for this to turn violent.
Elmer shot me a glare. “You think you can tell me what to do?”
“Elmer,” I said, keeping my voice calm, “do you really want to start a new life in a new pack? Will another pack even accept you?” Shaking my head, I gave him a sad smile. “Do you know how long a lone wolf your age would last out in the wilderness?”
His anger faded like a match being snuffed out. “I don’t… That’s not what I want.” His face crumpled inward. “I’m just lonely.”
Levi gave a derisive snort, but I ignored it, even though I thought Elmer was lying. The man was a menace, but I’d rather not have bloodshed. Though, if he didn’t listen to Levi and leavethe girl alone, then blood would be shed, and I’d be the one doing it, not Levi.
“Why don’t you go home, Elmer?” I said. “Think about things and, hopefully, make the right choice.”
The old man turned from the door, not even bothering to give us a second glance. He stalked away, shoulders slumped and head hanging, the very image of defeat. Sighing, I turned to Levi as I closed the door.
“You know,” I said, “That disgusting old bastard might actually listen.”
Levi smirked and said?—
“Did you do it?”He looked at me as I blinked, trying to clear my mind after the vision.
I let out a hoot of excitement and jumped in place. “I did!”
An almost uncontrollable desire to kiss him flooded me. I wanted to pull him close, feel his hands on me, have his skin grinding against mine. Sudden heat surged between my legs. It was all I could do to throw the thoughts away. Was that really me or was it because I’d seen things from Naphele’s point of view again?
“What did you see?” Levi asked.
Shoving away my desire, I took a breath and told him what I’d seen.
“I remember that,” Levi said slowly. “Old fucking asshole.”
“He looked pretty beaten down and defeated when he left. I seriously doubt it was him. Also, even in his wolf form, I doubt he would have been strong enough to kill Naphele.”
I sighed in disgust. “I just wish I could see these visions from another point of view. It would make it much easier to be sure who did this if I could live in their head the night of the murder.I mean, if Elmer is sitting at home drinking a beer when she dies, then that’s pretty cut and dry.”
What I didn’t tell him was that I liked being in Naphele’s head. It was comfortable, easy, and welcoming. Though, that may have simply been the fact that she was a woman. With every vision I had through her eyes, I could see why Levi had loved her so much. She was fierce, kind, strong, beautiful, and smart. She hadn’t deserved to die like that. It pushed me even harder to figure out exactly what had happened and why.
“Do you want to try another person?” Levi said. “Maybe if you meditate or something, it could bring about a vision. Try to put Naphele out of your mind and focus only on the person the item belongs to.”
He took my hands and gazed into my eyes. “I have faith in you. Come on. Let’s try.”
My knees nearly buckled at the touch, the heat of him melting into my fingers. All thoughts of Anders and Naphele vanished in that instant while I looked at him.
“Okay.” Squeezing his hands, I closed my eyes.
I did my best to think of Elmer Meyer and focus on the coin sandwiched between our hands, but all I could really think about was?—
Levi,dressed in his best suit, stood silhouetted against the noon sun. He smiled at me as I walked forward to join him in the circle of our friends, family, and pack mates, I couldn’t help but smile back.
Rafe stood beside Levi and patted his friend on the back as I approached. Once I was beside him, he took my hand in his, and we turned to face the pack.
