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the side of an oak last night. Although he’d
welcomed the distraction of the melee with the intruders, he still couldn’t
wipe Helen’s image from his mind. Now that he was alone in the forest, he had
too much time to think.
    He wasn’t a fool. As much as he hated that she was a
human female, he couldn’t deny Helen was his mate. Just thinking of her name
made his cock hard. Now what? He was an Elite and she was forbidden. All he
could do was use his training to ignore his natural desires, stifle them until
he was colder than ice.
    As he entered the small town, he noticed a male he
didn’t recognize weaving in and out of the perimeter trees. Besides looking
suspicious, he was too muscular to be a local beta shifter or human. And he was
looking for an alpha wolf.
    At this point, everyone was a suspect. He’d forget
Helen by focusing all his energy on finding his mark. Wesley slipped into the
forest and used this stealth to sneak up on the man. His panther moved with
deadly grace, barely shifting a leaf out of place. Not even a wild hare would
hear him coming. When he was only a few feet from his target, the man shot
around and stood his ground, arms crossed over his chest.
    “A Royal Elite. I
should have known.”
    “Who are you?” Wesley demanded.
    “ Now you want
to know? None of you gave a shit when I lost my mate.”
    Wesley narrowed his eyes, giving the male the once
over. It had been years ago, but he still remembered the wolf shifter. It was
an emotional case, one he couldn’t easily forget. The wolf had come to the
palace demanding the queen take revenge on the human hunters who’d trespassed
and killed his mate. He’d been a complete mess. But it wasn’t their place to
interfere in affairs of the human world. Maybe he wanted revenge on the royal
family for not taking action on his behalf. Maybe he was the wolf they were
looking for.
      “Marco, right? It’s been a while.”
    “Years don’t take away the pain, if that’s what
you’re thinking. No matter how many people try to tell you so, time doesn’t
heal all.”
    “Look, what happened wasn’t the fault of the Elite
or the queen. And it was a long time ago. What did you expect us to do? ”
    “ Nothing.” Marco whirled away before quickly facing
him again. “It wasn’t your place to protect her. It was mine. I’m the one who
failed.”
    Wesley wasn’t sure what to make of the wolf. He
sounded like a male in mourning, not the mastermind behind a plot to destroy
the queen. In fact, he reeked of alcohol and his suffering was palpable. Wesley
felt uncomfortable around Marco. He was unable to deal with the heightened
emotions the wolf was displaying when he could barely hold onto his own.
    “We’re looking for a wolf that’s targeting the
princesses and the queen. Do you know anything about it?”
    “You think it’s me.”
    “I didn’t accuse you. But you’re a wolf, and I’ve
never seen you around town before. I’ll bet you know a lot of other wolves,
too.”
    Marco narrowed his eyes, his shoulders squared and muscles
tense. Wesley hoped he wouldn’t have to take on the wolf in a fight, because he
didn’t look like he’d go down easily.
    “I could say the same thing. Don’t you have wolves
under the palace roof? From what I’ve heard, you’ve had at least one on board
for the past five years. He wasn’t too happy about waiting for his princess.”
    “Well, he’s happy now, and he’s not a suspect.”
    Marco exhaled in irritation. “It’s been great
catching up, really, but I’d rather get away from the town if it’s all good
with you. It looks like humans are taking over one of our last shifter safe
havens. But I’m sure the queen wouldn’t be able to do anything about that,
either.”
    Talk of humans reminded Wesley of the girl from last
night. The human girl.
    His sudden desire for the brunette made him feel
tainted in some odd way. He’d come to expect shifters in town, only the rare
human passing through. He