Chapter 15: Ferrin

I bounded down the stairs, wanting to get this over with so I could get back to Willa. I didn’t know what Damen wanted, but he said it was important. If it wasn’t, I would have told him to bugger off. I was finally making progress with Willa. I didn’t want to risk that by leaving her too long.

I was on the landing one floor down when Damen came around the bend. I nodded toward the suite I had been staying in since we brought Willa here.

I shut the door behind us once we entered. “This better be good, Damen.”

He looked back at me, taking me in for a minute. I thought he hid a smile, but whatever expression I saw was gone before I could read it.

“Dante called. I told him I’d get you. He’s waiting for us to call him back.” Damen pulled a cell phone from his pocket and tapped on the screen. I heard ringing as we waited for the call to connect.

“Rhodes,” Dante’s voice came on the line.

“Dante, I’ve got Ferrin here. What’s the update?”

“I just made it to Moonacre. I’ve scoured through the newspapers from around the time of Melanie’s death. I gathered some information that may be useful, but nothing that tells us anything just yet. I’m meeting with the overnight medical examiner in a few hours. We have a history. I’m hoping I can get my hands on the autopsy report.”

“What information did you find interesting?” I asked, wanting something to take to Willa.

“Mostly, there are reference details, but there was one article that had something suspicious. It stated that Melanie was thrown from the vehicle. Most coverage did. However, they printed a photo of the vehicle,” Dante said. “People are most often thrown through the windshield. In the photo, the glass was fractured but intact. No one went through the front of the vehicle.”

“It’s not much,” Damen said.

“No, but it’s enough to give reason for suspicion. And it’s something to corroborate the story you guys have.”

“Okay,” I said. “Make sure you send me a copy of that autopsy report when you get it. And let us know anything else you find.”

“Of course,” Dante replied. “I’ll be in touch.”

The call disconnected.

Damen tucked the phone in his pocket. “That’s not the only thing. You have a visitor in your office.”

I didn’t like the tone of his voice. “Who is it?”

“Desiree Boucher.”

I grimaced. “Get rid of her. I have no interest in speaking with her.”

“She’s not alone,” Damen added. “She has Lord Larkin with her.”

I cursed under my breath. “Do you know what they want?”

I didn’t miss the glance Damen shot upward toward Willa’s suite, and it made my gut tighten.

“Damen?”

“They mentioned they heard some rumors but refused to elaborate.”

“Fuck,” I said, pushing a hand through my hair.

“Yeah,” Damen agreed. “And you need to change, and maybe shower, before you go anywhere near that office.”

I gave him a confused look.

A smile broke across his face, and he slapped my shoulder. “You wreak of her, man. Her scent is all over you.”

He chuckled as he left the room. I breathed in. He was right. I could smell Willa’s intoxicating scent on my clothes. A mix of citrus, gardenia, and something that was just uniquely Willa. I smiled, drinking in how right it felt. But I had to sober up quickly. I headed to the bathroom and begrudgingly stripped down. I hated having to wash her scent off me, but I couldn’t risk it.

As I stepped out of the shower, a realization hit me.

When Desiree found me in the hall the other night…

I kissed Willa for the first time that night. I had been with her for a while. Had Desiree caught her scent on me then? Panic started to rise in my chest. I dressed quickly and marched to my office. Now eager to hear what they had to say.

Lord Larkin was an elder council member. While he held a particular loyalty to my father, it seemed that loyalty didn’t transfer to me after his death. I lost count of the ways he has challenged me in the fifteen years I’ve been on the throne. I still hadn’t figured out the reason for his ire toward me. I was arguably more progressive than my father, but that still didn’t seem enough to warrant Larkin’s distrust.  

I braced myself for the exchange that was about to occur as I pushed through my office doors. Lord Larkin stood from a chair while Desiree didn’t bother to lift herself from where she was leaning on my desk.

“Lord Larkin, Lady Boucher,” I greeted them. “How can I be of service today?”

“Your Majesty,” Larkin bowed. The sour look on his face told me he wasn’t happy about whatever he was here to discuss. “We’re here to address some disturbing rumors circulating through the castle.”

“And the village,” Desiree added lazily.

“Oh, what rumors may those be?” I asked, making my way behind my desk and taking a seat.

“The first is in regard to lycans crossing into werewolf territory. A group has been spotted on more than one occasion coming and going from Avilvale lands,” Larkin said.

No, they hadn’t. I had made sure of that. But I was glad to see he took the bait. The “rumor” he was referring to was an exercise. There had been several attempts to sabotage some of my more lucrative projects over the past three years. We suspected we had a mole feeding information to some of the council members, but we weren’t sure who specifically was involved. Larkin just gave me two names to add to the top of the list.

“That is disturbing news. I can assure you, there is nothing of the sort happening at my command. What kind of details can you give me? I’ll have to look into this,” I said, feigning concern.

“I can send you the witness accounts first thing tomorrow,” he replied, looking a little suspicious.

“Very good.” I leaned back in my chair. “And the other rumor?”

“Yes,” he said, glancing at Desiree, who was still perched on the edge of my desk. “There is another rumor that you have taken a lover.”

My brow furrowed. “And if I had?” He was taken aback by my blatant response while Desiree was shooting daggers at me with her eyes. I continued before either of them could speak. “Since when is an unmated king taking a lover such a scandal? Even more important, when did it become your business? Or any business of the council?”

“You know very well why it is our business,” Desiree said, crossing her arms over her chest as she finally stood. “There are expectations of you, Ferrin. You have a duty to provide the kingdom with a Luna and a legitimate heir. Neither of which you have delivered.”

“You are past the age of youthful dalliances, my king,” Larkin insisted. “It is the secrecy of this… liaison that worries us. We fear you have taken up with someone highly unsuitable. That is our concern.”

“Well, then,” I said, “I guess it is a good thing that it is just a rumor, and nothing of the sort is going on.”

Desiree scoffed. “Like hell, it isn’t. You’ve been sneaking up to the tower every chance you get. You’re hiding someone up there. I could smell her on you.”

I plastered a smile on my face that did not reach my eyes. “I already informed you that I am renovating the top two levels for my sister and her family, Lady Boucher.”

“That’s a lie,” she snapped. “There hasn’t been a single worker or any materials going in or out of there.”

“That tower is over six hundred years old,” I began, getting impatient with her meddling. “It hasn’t seen any structural renovations since it was retrofitted with plumbing and electricity. I want to ensure the work is done safely, seeing as it will be housing my niece and nephew — the current heirs should I fail to provide any. I’ve hired the leading expert in historical architecture. She has been staying up there as she creates the plans. It is most likely her scent that you detected on me. And I can assure you, she is not my lover.”

She glared at me, not believing a word of it. But I didn’t care at that moment. I stood, pushing my aura out toward them both. I wanted to make sure they understood I was serious about my next words.

“None of this information is any of your or the council’s business. I am clearing the air out of courtesy. The council may have a say in how I govern my kingdom, but this property belongs solely to my family and my family alone. You have no say in what I do in these walls.” I looked between the two. “So, whatever inquiries or snooping you have done in my home — stops now. Do we have an understanding?”

They both began to fidget under the weight of my authority. An alpha’s command could not be denied. It could be painful, even deadly, to try. As the lycan king, mine was more potent than any other. I wasn’t even putting a fraction of the force I could behind my words, but their discomfort was clear. Finally, they responded with their understanding, tilting their heads to expose their necks to me in submission.

“Good. Now, go. We have nothing more to discuss.”

They left the room, and I lowered myself into my desk chair. That should keep them from interfering again for a while, but I doubted it would quell their suspicions. I would need to put some kind of plan for introducing Willa in place soon.

I paused at the thought for a moment, wondering when I had made the decision to officially bring her into this mess. It didn’t take long to admit to myself that it was never really a choice for me. Guilt tugged at me as I realized I had condemned Willa to a lifetime of danger the moment I laid eyes on her.

I would do whatever it took to make sure it was worth it. It was time I put more effort into making my mate happy.

But first, I needed to speak with Austin about Lord Larkin and our little exercise.