Chapter Forty-Four

Roan

Roan’s mark on her neck made his wolf go crazy. The sight of his mate wearing his mark fulfilled him in ways only a wolf would understand.

The feeling of her skin against Roan’s palms. The smooth path his fingers trailed up and down. Her teeth in his neck. It’d been perfect. Everything about it. Everything about her.

Even the ride home. Their scents were heavy in the air, Sullen’s need to touch Roan, and the giddy vibration he felt rolling off of her, made his wolf content.

Fulfilled.

They were mated. Finally.

He’d finally marked his mate.

When they parked, the pack house was mostly quiet, which didn’t surprise Roan, since Jacob was in charge of training for the afternoon in the field behind the house. Roan walked with Sullen toward their room.

He had ten different positions he wanted to try once they showered and their bodies relaxed. He didn't want to push it too far their first time. Now that the awkward, new, feeling was out of the way, their freak flags could fly.

Roan opened the door, and Natalie was sitting on his bed.

“About dang time.”

She stood and stopped, blinking several times, her gaze tracing Roan’s neck and then Sullen’s.

Silence enveloped the room, and then a scream ripped from Natalie. “You mated! Oh my God, you mated!”

She rushed toward Sullen and began jumping up and down in excitement. Sullen jumped with her and laughed. “You’re more excited than us.”

“I’m just so proud of my cousin.”

Roan rolled his eyes. “Where’s your mark?”

Natalie flipped her hair from her shoulder. “I’m not in my thirties, am I?”

“You’re about to be a rogue yourself if you don’t get out of here with your judgements. Why are you in our room?”

Natalie pursed her lips. “Because I think you need a new mole.”

Roan glared at her, trying to make sense of her riddles. “What are you talking about?”

Natalie swayed to the side and folded her arms over her chest. “I understand finding your mate and dealing with alpha duties are a big job, but sending Jacob to spy on your pack member is a terrible idea.”

Sullen chuckled. “He did pretty well at The Mermaid’s Tale.”

“They didn’t know him. We know him. The small talk questions he asks are ridiculous. He asked me about football, Roan. When has Jacob ever asked me about sports? He broke up a group of shewolves talking about the upcoming heat. Yup, scattered them like The Red Sea.”

Roan rolled his eyes. “Good lord,” he mumbled. “What do you suggest, Natalie? Since you have all the answers?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” She did a grand show of bowing. “Me.”

Sullen laughed. “How did I know you would say that?”

She smiled. “Because you're smart. I can’t believe you didn’t ask me to begin with. I’m the eyes and ears of this place, Roan.”

Roan slipped out of his wet shoes and scoffed. “Let’s not get carried away, Nat.”

“Anyway. I’m glad you said yes because now I can give you some information.”

“You’ve been keeping information from us?” Sullen asked, taking off her shoes, and grabbing a robe from a hook beside the bathroom. “That’s not the way to start your new investigative career, Natalie.”

“I had to gather some leverage in case Roan said no.”

“What did you find out?” Roan asked.

Natalie leaned against the door dramatically. “That the mole is a guy.”

Roan stopped digging for dry clothes. “How do you know that?” he asked.

“Because I went on a run this morning. A normal run, not in my wolf form, because I am getting older, and I think it’s time to get a hold on my health before I get too old and gain weight like Mom did—”

“Natalie,” Roan hissed. “On with the story.”

“Yeah, right,” she said. “So, I went on my run and decided to push myself. There is a gap in the schedule for the guards. Like a ten-minute gap, when they switch shifts. I picked up a scent. It was … mingling. A wolf and a shewolf together. The girl's scent was stronger, and I didn’t recognize it. The other was a male, but when I tried to get closer to smell him, they disappeared.”

“So you think this means the mole is a male why?”

“Because I know for certain, because I’m around the shewolves every day, that it wasn’t a shewolf from our pack. She is part of the rogues or an outsider. The male scent—I’m not sure. I was in my human form, so my nose wasn’t as good. You need to make sure there are no gaps in the schedule,” she said, shrugging. “Or go out during the gap and find out who is meeting with the rogues.”

Roan’s mind twirled with possibilities. There were plenty of wolves in the pack. Though he would have guessed a shewolf was behind it before. Natalie had no reason to lie unless she was covering for someone, and Roan doubted it.

“Thank you. I officially deem you the new investigator. Tell Jacob after training is finished. Also, don’t come back up here.”

Natalie wiggled her brows. “I won’t. I love my eyes too much, and I don’t want to claw them out after coming in on you two.”

Natalie faked a shiver and ran out of the room. Sullen sat down on the bed and glared at Roan. “I would have put money on Whitney.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Me too.”

“What male would do this? Why would a wolf want to do this? What would be the motive? To take over the pack. Were you up against any alphas?”

“No,” Roan said, shaking his head. “It was a smooth transaction from what I remember unless someone was hiding something. Maybe the shewolf from The Mermaid’s Tale has a hold on an unmated wolf here.”

Sullen slipped out of her clothes and grabbed her robe. “So we can eliminate the mated wolves?”

Roan shrugged. “I’m not sure. Wolves rarely cheat, so I would say yes, but at this point, no. No one is ruled out.”

Roan slid his palms down his face in frustration. He’d pace the woods all night to find out who the mole is at this point. He wanted to end it.

Sullen walked over and slid her hands up his biceps to his deltoids. “We know the mole is a male now, Roan. We can eliminate the shewolves, and with Nancy Drew on our side, we have a better chance of figuring it out.”

Roan pinched her chin and nipped at her bottom lip with his teeth. “Why are you so calming?”

“It’s part of my job,” Sullen said. “Why are your clothes still on?”