“What?” I gasped, staring at him as if he’d lost his mind. “No. He died years ago.”
“Anders’s family only said that,” Douglas explained with a shake of his head. “Rafe was growing old and could no longer continue his duties. He was once the alpha of Idlewild, then the head elder. He didn’t like showing weakness. He went into hiding to spend the rest of his days in peace and quiet. He made his immediate family—Anders and his mother—swear not to tell anyone. Only the elders and his family knew. I thought Anders would have told you since you were his betrothed mate.”
“This doesn’t make any sense,” I said. “Douglas, there’s no way. The man would be ancient. He’d be?—”
“Almost a hundred and thirty years old, yes,” he said with a sad nod. “It’s theveryfar end of shifter lifespan but notimpossible. I went to visit him a week ago. He’s… Well, he doesn’t have long.”
One of our suspects was stillalive? Wasting away in some death bed? I couldn’t believe it. If I could speak with him, then maybe he’d have more to tell me than my visions had so far.
The thought—the very possibility—left me breathless with excitement. I was suddenly filled with an overwhelming urge to talk to Rafe.
“Hang on,” I said, a sudden thought occurring to me. “Where the hell is he? Where’s Anders’s mother for that matter?”
I hadn’t even registered if Monica Burnell had been at the school with the others.
Douglas shook his head. “She refused to go. She’s still at home. She said she wasn’t going to follow the orders of the man who destroyed her son’s life. I tried, I really did, but she and Rafe are still at her house.”
“Holy shit,” I muttered. This was my only chance. If I didn’t talk to the man now, it might be too late. I had to hurry. I grabbed Douglas’s arm. “Elder Douglas, I need to go. I have to speak with Rafe Thornton. Can you and the elders handle things while I’m gone? It’ll only be a couple of hours.”
He looked beyond bewildered. “Uh…I suppose,” he said, stammering. “But, June, Levi said the Red Maw might attack at any time. Why?—”
“I have to,” I said, my voice straining with emotion. I could already feel some strange tug back toward Idlewild, a deep pull that I couldn’t describe. “If you have any trouble, find Linnea. She can help. She knows this place inside and out.”
With a sigh, he gave me a single nod. “June, you need to be careful. Why don’t you take someone with you?”
“No time,” I said, already backing away. “If I’m not back in five hours, then you can worry. Bye.”
Without another word, I shifted and sprinted into the woods, heading straight for Idlewild. The whole way there, my head spun with possibilities. Could it be Rafe? That night I’d spoken with Monica; the woman had acted strange when I discussed the murder. Was this really the break I’d been looking for? If so, in a couple of hours, I mightfinallybe able to give Naphele’s soul the catharsis she needed to finally reincarnate.
Pushing my wolf body to the limits, I made it to Idlewild in just over an hour. The town was eerie in its silence. I made for Monica Burnell’s home, relieved to see the curtains and windows open. Shifting back, I walked up the steps to the door. This visit would be much less cordial than the night I brought dinner here.
I knocked three times, then waited, hoping she wouldn’t ignore it. A few seconds later, the door opened as far as the security would allow it. Monica peered out, eyes wide with worry and wariness. When she spotted me, the fear disappeared, but the suspicion remained.
“What are you doing here?” she said. “Haven’t you done enough to my family?”
“Monica, I’m not here to argue about Anders,” I said. “I didn’t do anything to your family. If anything, Anders did it to himself. You and I both know what kind of man he is.”
Monica’s eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth to retort, but a distant and fragile voice called out.
“Who’s at the door?” A man’s voice, ancient and decrepit.
Monica’s eyes snapped wide, and I couldn’t help but let a small victorious grin spread across my lips.
“I’m here to talk with Rafe, Monica. This can go one of two ways. You let me in and I talk to him calmly and quietly, or…” I thought up a quick but convincing lie. “I go to the edge of town and bring back two of the other pack alphas I brought withme. We force our way in, and the conversation ismuchmore aggressive. Up to you.”
Her gaze darted behind me. “You broughtfriends?” she hissed the word like it was some dirty, filthy thing she didn’t want to say.
“I did,” I lied. “What will it be?”
She muttered something that sounded likebitch, but undid the chain, and opened the door. I stepped in, careful to keep her in sight the whole time. The last thing I needed was this woman stabbing me in the neck with a steak knife for ruining her poor-sweet-angel-boy’s life.
“Where is he?” I asked.
“Why do you need to talk to my grandfather?” Monica whispered. “He’s done nothing to you. Why can’t you let an old man slip away peacefully?” Her voice rose, growing more strident with each word. “This is the whole reason he didn’t want anyone to know he was still alive. He only wanted peace and quiet.”
“Where is he?”
Monica bared her teeth at me, but she flung a hand toward the back of the house. “His bedroom is down there. Make it quick.”
