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My curiosity piqued, I bypassed the kitchen and darted down the hallway for a glimpse of the bedroom. Two wardrobe boxes filled the closet.

I opened the chest of drawers to find a few piles of folded clothes. Keith was operating with the bare minimum. Was he planning to flee back to the mainland? That seemed unlikely. His file stated that he’d requested retirement and that Evermore was his first choice.

I returned to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. No sign of potions. There was, however, copious amounts of beer. Ground beef. Ground pork. Ground turkey. The man sure liked his ground meats. The blender on the counter was a clue as to why—Keith blended his meat into a protein shake.

Gross.

I closed the fridge door and checked the pantry.

“What are you doing in here?”

So much for thirty minutes minimum. Why hadn’t Knox sent me a message to alert me?

Heart thrumming, I slammed the pantry door shut and spun to face him. “Random security check, Mr. Irwin. We do this with all new residents, to make sure they’re following the rules.”

Keith hiked up his shorts as he ambled toward me. “I’ve lived too long to take orders from a girl who wasn’t born yet when I completed my first tour of duty.”

“Dogs of War, right?”

He stared at me with an intensity that made my stomach curdle. “You’ve been talking to Chaz?”

“It’s in your file, Mr. Irwin. I think it’s nice that you’ve been reunited after all this time. Knox, too.”

“Knox,” he grunted. “Some alpha he turned out to be. It’s a good thing I got here when I did.”

I feigned ignorance. “Have you had the chance to catch up with him? He isn’t very social, but he does poke his head out from time to time.”

“I have no interest in a loser like Knox.”

That seemed harsh. “Is there a reason you haven’t unpacked, Mr. Irwin? If there’s anything you need to help with that, I can speak to Justine.”

“I don’t need your help, missy. Everything is exactly the way I want it.” His stare intensified. “You can go now.”

I felt it then—a pull toward the door. What do you know? Keith was trying to compel me.

Good luck with that, buddy.

I played along, if only not to arouse his suspicion. If he believed I was susceptible like the others, it would buy me time to get to the bottom of his ability.

“Glad you’re settling in, Mr. Irwin. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

I waited until I was out of the building and in the square to call Knox.

“What happened?” I asked, as soon as he picked up.

“He ordered a whiskey, too. Downed it in one gulp and said thanks for the drink.”

“He didn’t want to catch up?”

“Didn’t seem interested.”

“Yet he went out of his way to see Chaz.”

“Chaz was always more sociable. If he’s trying to be an alpha, maybe he feels threatened by me.”

I didn’t want to repeat what Keith had said about Knox. “It’s possible,” I said. Or maybe that was why he’d avoided Knox in the beginning, but now that they’d spoken, he’d decided Knox wasn’t an issue.

“What now?” Knox asked.