Page 20 of Wolf’s Fated Bride

“The Regulators are part of the human defense system. If Peter dies from my fire, he died in the line of duty, which will entitle his family to government benefits. All Regulators have life insurance policies tied to their work. The family will need it since he was the sole breadwinner.”

Runa stares.

“What?” I ask.

“I didn’t expect you to be kind.”

“Ah, well, when you’re the guy who burned down the world, you figure you exhausted the lifetime quota for being an asshole.”

“Let’s not get carried away,” Blade says. “You’re still an asshole.”

Sören joins us in jeans and a black sweater, a pair of wolves padding behind him. Those are trackers.

The wolves sniff out everyone, starting with me.

Sören hovers over Peter’s body. “How long had he been with you?”

“Over a decade.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.”

“We will investigate.”

“Not much to uncover,” I tell him. “My alchemist drank and drowned in your pool.”

The wolves who investigated the area around us shift into their human form and put on sweatpants from stacks on the benches around the pool before approaching us.

The taller of the two, with light brown hair and light brown eyes, speaks first. “The scents are all cataloged.”

“How many different people did you account for?” I ask.

“Including us two, eight.”

Runa’s frown deepens. “Only eight?”

I wonder if she came to the same conclusion I did. This is a public bath where the wolf trackers should have found at least twenty scents. None of my males are cataloged as having bathed here when they came here after the party and before bed. It means someone with unlimited access to the pool scrubbed the place clean of scents.

“Likely a case of too much whiskey,” I say, wanting them to think I’ve accepted the results of their investigation.

The tracker nods. “It appears that way.”

Peter liked a glass or two after work. But I’m not sold on the idea of him drowning in the pool. It’s too convenient for my enemies that my alchemist died upon my arrival in enemy territory. I trusted that Peter wouldn’t kill me with the suppressor meds he gave me. He helped me contain my fire. Which is already starting to heat my body since I haven’t taken my morning alchemy cocktail.

Last night, I took six additional cocktails, and it barely dulled the burn in my veins. You’d think the lower temperatures out here would cool me off a little, but it seems I’m running hotter than ever. The little omega next to me, with her sassy attitude and perfect ass, heats my blood in the most inappropriate ways.

I’m marrying her damn sister. “Tell your sister she’ll need to attend the funeral.”

“When will you hold it?” Runa asks.

“Blade?”

“I think we should do it tonight,” he says.

“Objections?” I ask Sören.

Sören shakes his head. “I’ll tell the staff to prepare a feast.”