Chapter 2

No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected - Julius Caesar

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Tapping my foot to the quiet music, I compiled the research I’d supposedly made on Balric. I’d put it all together a year ago when Balric and I first played with the idea of bringing Ian here.

*There. Done.*

I twirled the flash drive between my fingers, before slipping it into my skirt pocket. I still wasn’t sure why I had let Mom bully me into dressing nice. It wasn’t that I minded dressing nice or professional, but I knew she only said it so I might catch the eye of my mate… or any single male, for that matter.

“God, save me from meddling women,” I breathed in prayer. Walking around my desk and sitting on the edge, I wondered who the praetor would bring with him. Ian was a given, but if he had a crapload of enforcers too that could be a problem.

As praetor, Noah had only the best of the best. I could go one on one or two on one, but if there were more than a handful… not so good.

*Don’t worry about a problem that isn’t yet a problem. Let’s first find out who he’s brought before worrying,* Balric told me.

*You’re right. Focus on the now.*

Suddenly I noticed a strange scent – a musky, earthy smell with a citrus undercurrent. It made my nose itch. Before I could figure out what the smell was someone knocked on my door, then Sam stuck his head inside my office. Sam was the other investigator - a hacker- and as close as a friend as I had, considering the circumstances.

“Showtime,” he said, opening the door wider for me to pass. Unlike Philip, I had plenty of room.

“Coming, and lay off the cologne, Sam. It’s nice, but a bit too much. I can hardly smell anything else,” I replied, figuring the smell had to be coming from him.

“What?” He asked as I stepped around him and into the lobby.

I started to repeat myself when the strange smell slammed into me like a linebacker. It wasn’t coming off of Sam. I took a step back, my vision dimmed then tunneled down to one unfamiliar man. Dark blonde hair cut, almost military short, in a dark suit that did nothing to hide his broad muscled build. He was intimidating, to say the least, but I wasn’t afraid of him. Just the opposite. I had the strangest urge to cuddle up to him, run my hand over his lightly stubbled jaw, and see if his narrow lips tasted as good as they looked.

His blue-green eyes found my darker ones. A shiver raced all the way down my spine and into my toes. Balric said something, but I couldn’t hear him over the pounding of my heart.

“Uh, just a sec,” I said, struggling to keep some semblance of control over myself. I held up one finger before rushing back into my office, nearly slamming the door as I did. With said door between me and the stranger, I felt a little like myself again.

*What the hell?* I didn’t know what that was, but I didn’t like it.

*Calm down. Now is not the time to panic.*

*Actually, I think this is the perfect time to panic. What happened? I felt like I was dying.*

Balric chuckled then said, *you were not dying, though that might have been preferable.*

*You better start explaining.* I wasn't in the mood for any jokes or evasiveness.

*I don't know for sure, but I think what you felt was the pull one feels when they find their mate.*

*That was impossible. You said I didn’t have a mate,* I thought back at him.

*No, what I said was it would be highly unlikely since we don’t match in gender. Honestly, I only said it because after your sister had found her mate you would only talk or think about boys, and mates. I had to get your focus back on track.*

I remembered that. It was then it finally clicked there would be no after this vigilante justice we were dishing out. There would be no mates or happy ever after, and I had made my peace with it. This can’t be happening. I can’t have a mate. With my eyes closed, I took a couple of deep breaths. As long as he wasn’t Ian…

*He isn’t Ian, is he?*

*No, he’s not Ian. This isn’t as bad as it seems. Your scent doesn't carry the markers. He won’t recognize you as his mate so only you feel the effects and that’s something we can deal with.*

*Can we? Because I don’t know if you noticed, but I wasn’t exactly functional a moment ago.*

*I can help with that. Just deep breaths and get out there. We’ve been in here too long. Don’t look him in the eyes, don’t get too close and it’s probably best if you don’t touch him either.*

*Gee, is that all?* I took another deep breath and steeled myself as I opened the door again. The scent slammed into me again and my knees went weak, but Balric did something and the feeling eased off. I cleared my throat and walked up to them. “Sorry for the delay. I wanted to double-check everything,” I said. This time, I had no trouble keeping my voice meek and submissive.

I did as Balric told me and kept my attention on Alpha Erik instead of the man in the suit. I held out the flash drive for the alpha. “This is everything I have on the Betrayer. The praetor’s people should understand it easily enough.” Dios, I sounded like a nervous fangirl.

“Is this her?” the stranger asked, his deep voice echoed through me a lot like Balric’s did, only his voice sent a hot flush through me right to my belly.

“It is. This is Desirée de Léon,” Alpha Erik said with what could be pride. “Desi, I want you to meet Praetor Noah.”

I sucked in a sharp breath and glanced at the stranger. Praetor Noah? Praetor Noah! Oh no… no, no, no. No… No… no way!

“Desi,” Alpha Erik said, catching my attention. When I looked over to him, he was giving me a curious look.

Realizing I hadn’t greeted the praetor, I cleared my throat. “Nice to meet you, Sir,” I said, feeling the bitter tang of the lie. Hopefully, the others weren’t able to detect it. “Everything is there on that flash drive, my complete research, and discoveries.”

“Ms. de Léon,” the praetor said and I couldn’t stop the irrational pleasure of not only the sound of my name from his lips but that he pronounced it correctly. “Despite what you may think I didn’t come here to be a messenger boy. Tell me exactly what it is you’ve found on Balric.”

“Oh,” I said, unable to keep the dread from my voice. How long could I be around him before I melted into a hormonal sludge pool? “Alright, this way.”

I hurried to the closest conference room and waved them inside. Once the alpha, the praetor, and the two people the praetor brought with him sat, Sam, closed the door. He gave me an amused look as he took a seat. He obviously picked up on my odd behavior. Great, I would never hear the end of it now.

With one more slow deep breath, I pretended this was nothing more than a typical debriefing. “About sixty to eighty years Balric, the Betrayer is reborn. Typically, he is an only child, or there is a significant age gap between him and his siblings. The families also are low in the pack hierarchy. Early on Balric cuts off ties with his mortal family, usually leaving them during his teens.”

“I hope this isn’t all you have, Girl,” one of the praetor’s people said when I paused. He leaned forward, making his slim frame appear even narrower as he did. “We already know this, and it’s irrelevant.”

“I’m sorry, I understood that we weren’t yet aware who the Betrayer is in this lifetime,” I said with more snark than I should have, but really that superior tone of his was just too much right now. “If you know who he is then, you're correct, nothing I can say will help you further.”

“Well said,” the praetor said. The corner of his mouth upturned ever so slightly. I think I saw a hint of humor in his eyes. My skin heated under his gaze, and I forced my eyes to the floor.

*How about we don't attract attention to ourselves, please,* Balric warned me.

That was easier said than done. *I know. I’m trying. Sorry.*

“Carl,” the praetor said. “Let us hear what Ms. de Léon has to say before judging her. Now please continue.”

With a nod, but keeping my eyes lowered, I continued. “If the Betrayer continues these patterns, we are looking for a solitary man. A man who came from a humble background yet has severed himself from it completely. I had been compiling a list of possible links between the victims with Philip when…” I made my voice crack when I mentioned the liaison and pretended to take a moment to collect myself.

“Oh please,” the man, Carl, said with obvious disgust. The praetor shot him a glare, no doubt a warning. Ha! I couldn’t help a little smirk.

It fell as soon as Praetor Noah’s gaze met mine again. The full weight of who he was not only as my mate but as the praetor settled over me. The feeling of being vulnerable and exposed swamped me. It was as if he could look past my masks and see the real me. My palms grew sweaty. My heart slammed into my chest. I couldn’t even breathe. A sharp sting burst behind my right eye.

Balric snapped, *Eyes to the floor!*

Realizing my mistake, I tore my eyes from him and back at my feet. *Shit! Thanks.* Focusing on the task at hand, I said, “I have discovered nothing that connects the victims. They’re varied in standing, skill, and influence, but I don’t think it’s random or otherwise, the body count would be much higher.”

“Speaking of Philip Gregory,” the praetor said. “Why do you think Balric killed him?”

Oddly, he didn’t sound upset that Philip was dead. Perhaps there was no love lost between the praetor and his liaison. Maybe the praetor knew what a slime ball he was. If he knew that though, why did he send him here? Remembering he asked me a question, I scrambled to come up with something. I needed an answer to satisfy him, yet not reveal too much. “My only working theory is that either he found something the Betrayer didn’t want him to find or the Betrayer wanted to draw you out so he could get to you.”

“He can’t be that stupid,” Carl scoffed. “It’s not possible he could ever hope to take on the praetor.”

“Thank you Carl, but that’s not true,” Praetor Noah said, surprising both of us. “Balric is a skilled warrior who has always used his head as much as his sword arm. Now, is there anything else you have to add Ms. De León?”

I shook my head. Please, leave now, I begged silently.

“Carl, take this and go over it,” the praetor said, handing Carl the flash drive.

“Yes, Sir.”

“And Ms. de Léon, thank you for your time,” Praetor Noah said and held out his hand for a handshake.

“No problem,” I said, giving him a tight smile, eyes still on the floor, and hid my hands behind my back. Like hell would I shake his hand! If his proximity affected me this much, I didn’t want to know what would happen if we touched.

Praetor Noah gave me a curious look before he lowered his hand and turned his attention to the alpha. I slipped out of the room and nearly ran to my office, closing the door. “Dios Mío,” I breathed and sunk into the old office chair.

*That could’ve gone better. It seems you didn't manage to stay off Praetor Noah’s radar,* Balric said.

*Well, what else could I have done? Should I have shaken his hand when just looking into his eyes makes me go catatonic?*

*Of course not, but the last thing we need is for him to think you’re insulting him.*

I leaned back in my chair and tried to calm my frayed nerves. It had started to work when Sam burst in with a flourish.

“Sacre bléu, what is it my eyes see,” he proclaimed with a horrible French accent. “Is my little Desirée suffering from a crush?” He pulled his long, lanky frame to sit down on the corner of my desk, wagging his eyebrows at me suggestively.

Fuck, had I been that transparent? “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Sam.”

He laughed, smirking down at me. “Uh-huh.” Sam began belting out the Elton John song from that old Disney movie about the lions.

“Please, stop,” I pleaded through my laughter, covering my ears with a grimace.

“If you want it to stop, then I suggest you answer our questions, Ms. de Léon,” Sam said this time with an equally bad Russian accent as he mimicked slapping his hand with a horsewhip.

“I’ll answer anything as long as you promise not to sing again.” I held my hands in mock surrender. “No, I do not have a crush on him. It’s just… I didn’t expect quite that much of a punch from him.”

I watched as his amusement visibly changed into sympathy. “That’s right. You’re not used to dealing with the big dogs,” he said as if he rubbed elbows with powerful alphas and dominant wolves constantly. “Of course, this means blackmail, you know. Be extra nice or I might slip today to your mom.”

A growl rolled out of my throat as I glared at him. “You tell my mother anything and I’ll tell my father that you groped me.”

“Hey now, that’s not fair… unless…” He wagged his eyebrows at me again.

I leaned forward with my own sly grin. “Samuel, darling, not in a million years.”

“Well damn it, I will not be killed if I didn’t at least get to enjoy the crime.”

“Then keep your mouth shut,” I warned him, standing. “Now, if you don’t mind I want to get some work done.” I waved my hand in a ‘shoo,’ motion.

Sam made a sarcastic snort and grinned at me. “Ugh, work. Fine!” He got up and walked out of my office with his easy, slow gait.

When he left, I sat back down and stared at the ceiling. My mind drifted to the praetor. My body’s reactions were instantaneous - sweaty palms, racing heart, and a flush of heat that pooled in my lower belly. “Damn it,” I whispered.

*A mate? How is this possible? Mating is a wolf thing. I’m human. Is the praetor’s wolf spirit female?*

*No, Noah’s wolf is not a woman,* Balric replied. *We’ve met in the past so I can tell you he is male.*

I sat up. *You were going to tell me this when? And if he’s male and you’re male, does this mean you’re gay? That could explain the whole mate thing.*

*No. My sexual preference means nothing. Noah is your mate, not mine.*

*How? I’m human.*

*Before everything, the praetor and I used to be friends, very good friends. I suspect since my human half is female in this lifetime our past friendship has transmuted.*

*So you two had a bromance, but now you’re not so much of a bro it’s just a romance?* I couldn’t help snickering a little.

You’re really not as funny as you think you are.

Yes, I am. You’re just jealous of my sense of humor. Is there anything else you need to tell me? No secrets, remember.

He was silent for a moment before saying, Of course, I remember.