Chapter 5: Chapter Four

Jacques drove them back to his house. “You were great with my brother.”

“I was afraid he’d be a little too pigheaded, but he showed he has a lot of potential when he realized being boastful wasn’t the way to go.” She looked over at him. “I’m glad he wasn’t insulted by what I said.”

“My brother can be an idiot at times, but he’s learning.” He kept his attention on the road. “I also think you gained a little friend tonight.”

“Little man? What a sweet kid.”

“That was Everett. Youngest of five. He’s got three brothers and one sister.”

“He’s very curious. I’m sure that drives his mom crazy.”

“Every time the pack runs he seems to find a new place to explore.” Jacques smiled. “He amazes me. He finds places no one knows are there.”

Catherine thought of her soon to be niece or nephew. Would they be like Everett? A sigh escaped her as she wished she could be there to see her niece or nephew come into the world.

“You okay, cher?”

“What?” Then she realized he heard her sigh. “Little man reminded me I’m going to be an aunt soon. That’s why I was sent instead of my brother. His mate is due any day now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I believe Max would have sent me anyway. I’m the one who understands our history and the stories passed down from generation to generation.” She shifted a little in her seat. “Tell me about your doctor. She’s not originally from your pack, is she?”

“No. She joined the pack about fifty years ago.”

“What happened to her pack?”

“I don’t know. She spoke to my father in private and he was the one who told the pack that she was now one of us and to accept her like family.”

“And her mate?”

“She came with her daughter. I assume her mate must have died and she couldn’t go back to her pack.” He pulled up in front of his house. “I ran a background check on her when I became sheriff, but never got anything.”

“So she has a social security number?”

“Yeah, why?” He walked around to her side of the truck and opened the door.

“My brother just took over a pack where no one in the pack has a social security number. Now Max has to figure out how to get them all numbers without drawing attention to the fact they should have had them years ago.” She climbed out after Jacques opened the door for her. “If you want me to use our resources I can see if the pack she came from is in our system.”

“Let me think about it.” He headed to the front door, used his key and unlocked his door. Once again he held it for her.

Catherine stepped into the living room and wondered what would happen next. She looked at Jacques and found his intense gaze on her. He closed the distance between them and captured her lips with his. Their need for each other flared the moment their lips touched.

“I can’t seem to get enough of you,” Jacques murmured against her lips. He maneuvered them back toward his bedroom. His hands worked on her clothes dropping them to the floor as he freed them from her body.

Catherine followed suit and removed his clothing as they worked their way back to the bedroom. They fell onto his bed naked. He didn’t give her a chance to take control. His mouth found the pulse in her throat, brushing his tongue against the sensitive skin. Then he worked his way down to her breast.

Her heart pounded in her chest as he brushed his tongue against her nipple. A soft moan escaped her when she felt the heat of his mouth on her breast. She felt his hand brushing against her thigh as it worked its way to her folds. His fingers stroked and caressed, building her need higher. What was it about this man? She was happy when he said he couldn’t get enough of her because she felt the same way. They were magic together.

He climbed back up her body and drove into her. Her body quaked as he filled her, already anticipating the powerful release he would cause her to have. The pace he set was quick and she met him thrust for thrust. Excitement flowed in her veins as she felt her muscles tighten against him, enhancing every move.

Jacques’ muscles tightened as she ran her fingers over his back. He was quivering. She smiled as she let go and allowed her orgasm to take over. He followed right behind her as they howled together.

“Holy shit!” Jacques captured her lips for a nice slow kiss. “That was amazing.”

He shifted his weight so she could curl up next to him. She sighed as she settled against him. The screen door slammed jolting the two of them.

Catherine looked at him, hoping he knew who had just come in to ruin their quiet moment together.

“Sally.” He sat up. “I bet she brought food.”

“Great.” Catherine sat up. “We left a trail of clothing to your room.”

“We did, didn’t we?” he grinned. “I’ll find you something to wear.”

He rummaged in his closet. Pulling out a football jersey.

“What? A Saint’s jersey? Really? I live in Charlotte. You know, the Carolina Panthers? Same division? Rivals?”

“Oh, come on. You can be a bit breezy today.” He held it up to show number nine.

“Fine.” She took it from him. “I’ll wear your Drew Bree’s jersey.”

Jacques slipped on a pair of loose-fitting pajama bottoms. He gave her a sexy smile when he saw her in the oversized top. “You do look good.”

“You two going to come out here or are you going to go at it again?” asked Sally.

Catherine opened her mouth then closed it again as she shook her head. She gestured for him to go first.

He sauntered out of the bedroom. “I should have never given you that key.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Sally had her back to him as she pulled containers out of a cloth bag. “Your door wasn’t locked anyway.”

He laughed at that. He pulled out a chair for Catherine then sat in one beside her once she had settled in hers.

“Now, I thought Catherine might be hungry after our run.” She turned to place a plate in front of him as well as one for her. “And the two of you did burn more energy since the run so I’m sure you’re starving.”

“So what’s for dinner?” asked Jacques.

He wasn’t going to let Sally fluster him, so Catherine let him control the conversation.

“I thought I’d bring some red beans and rice along with some crawfish.”

“Yum.” Jacques turned to Catherine. “Ever have either?”

“Red beans and rice, yes. Crawfish? Not fresh ones.”

“Then you’re in for a treat. Sally makes the best of both.” He got up and got everyone a beer. “Hope you don’t mind. It’s this or water.”

Sally pulled out a few pans to reheat everything.

“Beer is fine.” Catherine took the bottle he handed her.

“You sure are quiet, Catherine,” commented Sally.

“You two are doing just fine without any comments from me.” Catherine smiled. “But you wish to talk, so what would you like to talk about?”

“Well…”

“Not that.”

“What did you think about the pack then?”

“Wow.” She hadn’t had time to process what she learned. “Everett was cute.”

“Oh, he took a shine to you, didn’t he?” Sally laughed. “He’s normally so shy. He can’t compete with his siblings so doesn’t even try.”

“How old is he?”

“Human wise about three.” Sally stirred food in one of the pans. “He’s just learning to shift.”

“That’s awful young.”

“Not here. We all learned to shift within six months of our birth.”

“Really?” Catherine made a mental note to remember to add it to the file she had started on the pack. “In my pack we don’t start shifting until we’re teenagers.”

“No kidding.” Sally spooned rice into a bowl. “Do you have your color then too?”

“No, all of us start white.”

“All our puppies start with a gray coat, then the color slowly seeps in.”

“Do you mind if I go grab my notebook?” She looked at Jacques then Sally. “I’d love to jot down a few notes.”

***

“Go right ahead.” Sally stared at Jacques. As Catherine left the table she pitched her voice for Jacques only. “You have her deferring to you? I thought this was all fun and games?”

“You know she’ll go back to her life in Charlotte.”

“And what, you’re going to stay and be sheriff for the rest of your life? What if she is the one?”

“It’s not going to happen so drop it.” He picked up his bottle and took a drink.

Sally knew better than to push him any further. Catherine came back to the table with a notebook which ended the conversation anyway.

“So you can shift as children. What is the youngest age?”

“About six months. Everett is the youngest child right now.”

“Wow.” Catherine wrote down a few notes. “Is it a full shift every time or can any of you control part of the shift?”

“Control? No one can control the shift.”

“We can.” Catherine held up her hand and willed it to turn into a paw. The rest of her stayed human. “We’re normally teenagers when we first shift and it’s normally something like this. Only one part will shift. We can’t control it right away either, but as we master our control of the shift we learn to control everything about the shift.”

“That is amazing. You can’t control it right away? We can. It’s as natural as breathing.” Sally picked up her fork. “What about other packs? Are they like us or like your pack?”

“Each pack is a little different. Your pack beat the others on when they start shifting. I think before I met your pack the youngest shifter was two years old. Some can only do a full shift while others can control it like my pack.” She jotted down a few more notes. “That’s why I’m interested in each pack’s history. My pack looks like the grey wolf, which is the same wolf that is in Ireland. You guys look more like the red wolf which is indigenous to Louisiana. I’m finding most packs are like that. They look like the wolf from their homes. I think it’s a survival tactic.”

“That’s how you knew the doctor wasn’t from our pack. She looks more like the black wolf from Italy.”

Catherine nodded. “Most in the US look like either the gray wolf or the red wolf because that is what is mostly in the United States. Seeing a different wolf catches your attention.”

“And the fact that her daughter is the same wolf?”

“Makes me wonder what happened to her mate. You don’t see too many females without their mates unless they have died. I find it odd that none of you know what happened to her mate. She’s never said anything about him, yet you know she had one because she has a daughter.” Catherine looked at Sally and Jacques. “She is her daughter, right?”

“As far as we know.”

Catherine wrote a few more things in her notebook then placed her pen between the pages as she closed it. More questions than answers.

***

Catherine sat at Jacques’ coffee table with her notebook several days later. She had talked to more people, including the doctor and she didn’t know anything new. She did get the woman’s last name so she could ask Alicia to see if she could find out more on her background. She wasn’t sure why she couldn’t let this go. The pack loved the doctor. Everyone liked her and they spoke of all the good things she had done for them.

She had already spoken to Max for the day and he didn’t seem any happier with her responses, but she was still at square one. She had no idea who was killing the pack members and it was driving her a little crazy. Catherine looked at the clock. She was supposed to meet Jacques at the restaurant.

The notes she had on the murders were real basic. The victims were all within a year of each other, and female. They went to the same school, but that was the norm of a pack. The school in any pack taught all ages and had several teachers depending on the age of the students. The teachers for this pack couldn’t give her anything to work with either. The girls didn’t really have that much in common. She couldn’t find anything to tie them together.

“How can there be nothing in common? What am I not seeing?” She tapped her pen on the table as she stared at what she had written. Catherine sighed and closed her journal style book. It was time to go to the restaurant. Maybe this break will help her see what she was missing.

She climbed into the truck Max rented for her and drove to the restaurant. Jacques pulled in behind her. They entered together. Catherine wondered if his pack was seeing them as a couple. Did she see them as a couple?

They sat at the bar and Sally gave them coffee.

“Did you learn anything new?” asked Jacques as he picked up his cup of coffee.

“No.” She played with her cup. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

“I received this earlier.” He handed her a message from one of his friends.

Catherine read it then looked at him. “Max is here?”

He nodded.

She scrambled off the stool she sat on just as the door opened. She bowed, knowing who was opening that door.

“What are you doing?’ asked Sally.

“Showing respect to my alpha.”

***

Jacques watched her bow and hold it. What the hell was she talking about?

The door closed, leaving the heat and the bright light behind. A hush fell across the patrons inside when they found another stranger amongst them. This one stood tall, with black hair and green eyes. He had a charismatic smile. Even though they didn’t know who he was they could feel the power surrounding him.

“Sweetheart, please allow Catherine to rise.” A pretty blonde pressed her hand to his chest. “These people don’t know who you are yet. A few can see your power. Show them your kindness. They will learn quickly.”

That had to be Max. He exuded a charisma Jacques hadn’t seen before. He couldn’t help himself. He bowed as well.

“Catherine, please stand.” Max placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Sir.”

Max looked at him then Catherine. He smiled but that smile didn’t reach his eyes. The man was pissed. He started talking but Jacques couldn’t hear him. Catherine stood beside him, her gaze dropped.

“Excuse me.”

That got Max’s attention.

“If you’re upset at Catherine because she slept with me it does take two, so I should be part of that conversation.”

“All right. Then why don’t you and I have a conversation while my mate speaks to Catherine?”

Jacques wasn’t sure if he wanted Max’s undivided attention but he had already opened his mouth so he had to live with it. Catherine gave him an odd look before Max’s mate took her away from them.

“So, Sheriff, what are your ambitions with my second in command? I know Catherine and she doesn’t sleep around. She has used me and her brother as a shield to keep men away.”

He wasn’t sure how to answer that.

“Don’t use the fact that you can’t shift as an excuse.”

“How did you know that?” Did Catherine say something to him? He had been with her for every call and never heard her even hint at his problem.

“I know a little of the history of your pack which includes the eldest son of the alpha suddenly being replaced by his younger brother. There are very few things that will cause an alpha to do that. Then there was a rumor that someone in your pack couldn’t shift. The moment I met you, I knew you should be the alpha.”

“Catherine is a grown woman.”

“Yes, she is.” Max gave him a megawatt smile. “She is also family, so if you hurt her you will have to deal with me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m happy you understand.” Max slapped him on the back. “Now, I need to speak to your father.”

“Now?”

“Now.”

“Yes, sir.” Jacques gave him a slight bow before he headed out the door. His father wasn’t going to be happy.

***

“I have to say he is cute,” said Alicia as she watched Jacques talk to Max. “But why did you sleep with him? What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking we could have a little fun while I was here. You two weren’t supposed to find out about this. Why are you here, anyway?”

“I love the way you avoid the subject,” said Alicia.

“I could say the same thing about you.” The door opening, then closing caught her attention. Jacques was nowhere to be seen and Max was walking toward them. She turned to face him.

“I like him.” Max smiled at her. “Did he ever explain how he stopped shifting?”

“He mentioned an accident but hasn’t said much else.”

“That’s because he doesn’t know what happened. None of us do.” Sally held up the coffee pot. “Would you like some coffee?”

“That would be wonderful,” said Catherine. “Sally, I’d like you to meet my alpha, Maximillian Santos and his mate, Alicia Santos.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you two.” She poured a cup for each of them and set them on the bar.

Catherine took her normal spot and picked up her coffee.

Alicia sat on one side of her, and Max sat on the other.

Great, now she was surrounded.

“What can you tell us?” asked Alicia.

“Not much.” She leaned against the bar in front of them. “Jacques was still in high school. There was a girl in his class that he was sweet on and they had decided to go crabbing and crawfishing. When they hadn’t come home by the next morning our alpha went looking for them. He figured time had gotten away from them and after he scolded them he’d bring them home. He found Jacques unconscious and bleeding. He searched but our alpha couldn’t find the girl. He brought his son to our doctor then took the pack to look for the girl.”

“Who was she?”

“The daughter of our alpha’s second in command.” Sally wiped the counter for a moment. “My baby sister.”

“Oh my God, Sally.”

“We never found her body.” She didn’t look up. “We didn’t know what happened. Jacques had defensive wounds on him, but he doesn’t remember what happened to him or my sister. Someone did this to two of our children. Jacques considers this an open case. He wants to know what happened to them on that fateful day.”

The door opened. “My father will see you now.”

***

Jacques watched his father interact with Max, in awe. His father feared that Max would come in and just take over, but that wasn’t Max’s goal. He was kind. He thanked him for seeing him. Apologized for just dropping in and flashed that killer smile a lot. The pack started to filter in as they talked.

“The reason I came here was to ask permission to put up a temporary antenna so I can keep in touch with Catherine. I know you want to keep your pack off the grid as much as possible and I don’t want to interfere with that, but I’ve known Catherine all my life and not being able to see how she’s doing makes me worry.”

“And where would you put this antenna?”

“I’m assuming either the sheriff’s office or his home since those are the places she is at the most.” Max gave him a friendly smile. “I’d make sure there is a strong password that only Catherine will have.”

His father looked at him. He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face as his mate leaned in and whispered something. “The most visited building is Sally’s restaurant and Catherine should be able to access your antenna from Jacques’ house as well as his office with it there.”

“Thank you.” Max inclined his head.

“We want to offer our hospitality to you. My people want to get to know you, make our best food for you.” He smiled. “I know you didn’t plan on staying but we can accommodate you. Sally has offered her house for you.”

“That is very kind.” He slipped an arm around Alicia. “My mate and I are honored.”

Jacques didn’t realize Sally stood next to him until she spoke. “I figured since Catherine isn’t using that spare room of yours, I could bunk there for the night and let Max and Alicia have my house.”

“Don’t you also have a spare room?”

“Yes. But what if Max wants Catherine to stay with him and Alicia? Staying at your place will make sure Max can have whatever he wishes.” She watched Max for a moment. “The man has a smile that can stop a train.”

“I noticed that as well.”

“Well, let me take them to my house and I’ll drop off a bag at your place later.”

He nodded. Jacques noticed that Catherine went with them. She looked back at him and signaled for him to join them. He wasn’t sure why but followed them anyway.

They walked to Sally’s house.

“I really appreciate you doing this,” said Alicia. “We could have stayed with the sheriff.”

Sally laughed. “Jacques’ house isn’t that big. Mine is my parents’ home and when they decided to downsize, they sold it to me.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Thanks.” Sally pulled out a key from her shirt pocket. “Come on. Let me give you the nickel tour.”

Jacques placed his hand on Catherine’s arm. He pitched his voice so only she could hear. “Why am I here?”

“Max likes you and it helps when someone from the pack he is visiting can help him with those unknown land mines. You can be his go between. I’m sure your father would appreciate it too.”

“My brother–”

“Is far too young to be able to deal with Max for a long period of time and you know that. I know you want him to prove he can lead, but when it comes to Max he is out of his league. If you don’t want to do this I understand and will do what I can for your pack.”

“I’m not sure if I can be that helpful, but I will do my best.”

“Wonderful.” She pressed a quick kiss on his cheek and went into Sally’s house.

“Was wondering if you two were going to join us.” Sally was a little too truthful for Catherine’s taste. “Jacques, I told Max you could put the antenna up for him on the roof of my restaurant.”

“Of course,” said Jacques. “Do you want me to do that now?”

“It won’t take long,” said Max. “I’ll help you.”

Max went to his rented truck and opened the cab. He pulled out a small satellite dish. “I’m guessing Sally is your seer.”

“Yes, sir.” Jacques took the small dish and carried it to the back of the restaurant. “Sometimes she does stick her nose where I don’t want her to, but I know she has my best interests at heart.”

“You’re talking about Catherine.”

“Don’t get me wrong. Catherine is a beautiful woman. She’s bright and funny, but her life is with you and mine, well, it’s here.” He pointed to a small ladder attached to the back of the building. “I don’t think I’d fit into her world, and I’d never ask her to leave everything and move here.”

“You’ve been practicing that in your head, haven’t you?” Max followed him up the ladder. “You’re only fooling yourself. I know Catherine. We grew up together. If she just wanted a sex partner she wouldn’t have kept the fact she had slept with you quiet. She wants to believe there is nothing there, just like you want to, but both of you need to face the fact that there might be something there.”

Jacques found a good spot to set up the antenna. Max couldn’t be right, could he? Was there something between them starting to bloom. He had wanted to show her he could be an alpha and she hadn’t fought him.

“And that crap about you not fitting into our world is bullshit. I’d hire you for my security detail in a heartbeat.”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“I did my research.” Max didn’t elaborate. “That should do it. Now there is only one way to test it out.”

He pulled out his phone. After entering a number, he waited. “Patrick? Good. The antenna works, now you can call your sister instead of bothering me all the time. No, I don’t know if your sister has her phone on her. Yes, you can call my mate.”

Jacques wanted to laugh when he saw Max roll his eyes. He liked his human side. He might be the true alpha, but this made him approachable. Maybe that was what really made him a true alpha. He was likeable, approachable, yet much sharper than other alphas.

Max stuck his phone in his pocket. “Ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

They climbed back down and headed back to Sally’s house.

“What is he like?” asked Jacques.

“Who?” asked Max. “Patrick? We grew up together, me, Patrick and Catherine. We were always together, getting in trouble and making our elders pull their hair out. We didn’t know that I would be this alpha everyone thinks I am. They know me for me, not someone to fear or to idolize. I can be myself with them. That’s why I worry about Catherine. She’s as close to me as my sister. I want her happy and safe.”

Jacques wanted that too.

Max let his comment hang. Jacques knew he had to look at what he wanted with Catherine. If Sally had tried this, he would have read her the riot act. Why was he allowing Max to do something he wouldn’t tolerate from anyone else?

Alicia came out of the house when they got close.

“She’s been on my phone from the moment you turned on that stupid antenna. Her brother called and has monopolized my phone since. You’d think they hadn’t seen each other in months.” She wrapped her arms around Max. “You sure putting an antenna here is a smart idea? Catherine won’t get a thing done if her brother calls her all the time.”

“He just misses harassing her at the drop of a hat. I’m pretty sure once she yells at him for annoying her too much he’ll stop.” Max pulled her into his embrace. “My goal was to be able to communicate with Catherine and to give her access to her files.”

“Ha! The truth comes out! You don’t want her monopolizing my time.” She gave him a quick hug.

“What?” He pressed his hand against his chest in mock shock. “You think I did this so she’d stop asking you to get things for her?”

“Maybe a little bit.” She smiled up at him. “But I know you have her best interest at heart.”

Catherine came out of the house and handed Alicia’s phone back to her. “Sorry. I think my brother is freaking out a little with the baby’s birth.”

“This is his first child.”

“I know, but he’s acting like he’s the first one to ever have one and has no clue what to do.” Catherine laughed. “I hope it’s a girl and I can’t wait ‘til she comes of age. That will really drive him crazy.”

“Be nice,” chastised Alicia.

“He’s going to call you again and it will be within fifteen minutes,” predicted Catherine. “You’ll say the same thing when he calls you three more times because I haven’t gone back to Jacques’ house to get my phone.”

“When are we expected to go back to your town hall?” asked Max.

“We use Sally’s restaurant for occasions such as this.” Jacques checked his watch. “We have about two hours before we need to be there.”

“Do you want to change?” Catherine asked Alicia. “You can borrow something from what I brought with me.”

Alicia looked at Max. “If my mate can’t change his clothes then I won’t either.”

“I might have something he can wear,” volunteered Jacques.

“Thank you,” said Max. “We thought we’d come in, hopefully get permission, put up the antenna, and head back home. Your father offering the chance to stay and get to know your people was a welcomed surprise.”

“We are normally better prepared than this,” said Alicia.

“Would you like to come over and pick out something or do you want us to bring clothing here?” asked Jacques. He wasn’t sure what the protocol was on this.

“You can bring something here. Catherine knows what I normally wear and knows my size.”

He nodded and escorted Catherine out of the house.

“Don’t forget your phone,” Alicia reminded them.

***

The walls of the restaurant were lined with tables piled high with food.

“How did they pull this together so fast?” Alicia asked Max quietly.

“Werewolves are quite resourceful.” He slipped an arm around her waist. “I’m sure they were planning this from the moment they found out we were here.”

Catherine came in with Jacques and she did her customary bow when she saw them. Jacques watched her for a moment before he followed suit.

Alicia wondered if there was something happening between Catherine and Jacques. Her phone beeped.

What does he look like? The text was from Stacey.

Alicia knew she had to do this without being caught. She saw Jacques and Catherine talking quietly together and she held her phone near her hip and snapped a few shots, hoping she framed it right.

She slid through the images until she found the one that told the story she was seeing. Alicia sent it with the phrase, a picture paints a thousand words. The image was Catherine and the sheriff standing close together. They weren’t touching but the way they looked at each other showed they couldn’t wait to be alone with each other.

Her phone buzzed again, and she saw two words. Oh my.

“What are you doing?” Max asked softly in her ear as he came up behind her and slipped his arms around her.

“Giving Stacey an update.” She slipped her phone back in her pocket.

“I’m not following.”

“She wanted to know what has caught Catherine’s attention.”

“Ah.” He pressed a kiss against the side of her head. “Are you playing matchmaker?”

“Wouldn’t dare.” She tilted her head up so she could smile at him. “But Stacey would have kept texting me if I didn’t send her something.”

“Oh sure, blame the pregnant lady.”

“And if she had asked you instead of me? Would you have denied her?”

He laughed at that. “I know better.”

“Okay then.”

“I’m going to speak to Jacques’ father. Did you want to come with me?”

“No.” She turned and placed her hand on his chest. “I know you need time alone with him, and I need to prove what a good mate I am for you. I’ll go talk to Sally. See what I can learn.”

Max gave her a quick kiss before leaving her side.

Alicia walked over to the bar and ordered a glass of water.

“Water?” Sally gave her a shocked look. “With all that wonderful whiskey Max sent?”

Alicia laughed. “I didn’t realize my mate did that. He sent it down for Catherine, didn’t he?”

Sally nodded. She pulled out an old-fashioned glass and poured about two fingers. “Ice? Water?”

“Straight.”

“A girl after my own heart.” Sally poured herself a glass as well. “So what do you think about Catherine and Jacques?”

“They have no idea how everyone else sees them, do they.”

“Nope. They think they’re being sly.”

“I really think they’re lying to themselves.” Alicia took her phone back out and pulled up the picture she sent to Stacey. She handed it over to Sally.

“That does say it all, doesn’t it?”

“I can’t believe they honestly think they can walk away from each other after they solve the murders.” Alicia took her phone back and slipped it back into her pocket.

“They think they’re using each other,” said Sally. “I know Jacques doesn’t think he’s worthy of a mate.”

“And Catherine never knows if someone shows her attention because they are interested in her or just want to use her to get close to my mate. Jacques is safe. She knows he has no designs on wanting to use her to get to Max.”

“How do we make them see what we see?” asked Sally.

“You’re asking me?” Alicia looked at her. “You’re the seer.”

“You’re Catherine’s best friend. You know her,” said Sally. “I know Jacques. Help me make them see the truth.”

“You’re right,” said Alicia. “The first thing is you can’t push her. She puts on the brakes when you do that.”

“He’s the same way. It has to be his idea, or he’ll find ways to get out of it.”

“Typical alpha,” commented Alicia. “What if we do the opposite? I know Catherine wants to be there for the birth of her brother’s baby.”

“You mean talk about life after the other is gone?” Sally thought about it. “Not sure if that will work either.”

“You two hiding over here so you don’t have to share the whiskey?” asked Catherine.

“No,” said Alicia.

“Yes,” said Sally.

That made them laugh.

“How are you doing?” Catherine asked Alicia.

“I’m getting used to the sidelong stares. The little human who used the Tears. I draw attention.”

“You really used them?” asked Sally.

“Yes. Would you like to see the Tears? I always have them with me.”

“Really?”

Alicia pulled the necklace she had created for the Tears from another pocket. Normally she would have worn it but it would have shown too much in the dress Catherine lent her. The white diamonds glittered in her hands. She held them out to Sally.

“I thought they were supposed to be red, like blood.” Sally took them in her hands and gasped as they changed color.

“Yeah, that gets everybody.” Alicia grinned. She took them back and they turned white again. “That’s how you know they really work. I used them and can’t use them again. That’s why they’re white for me. If you’ve never used them, they are red.”

“Amazing.” Sally brushed a finger against one of the stones. “It’s warm. Is that normal?”

Alicia nodded as she smiled.

“Anyone can use them?”

“Not real sure. I was able to use them, and I know you can’t force anyone to use them against their will.”

“Huh.” Sally looked at her. “So how does it work?”

Jacques walked up to them.

“Um, the Tears have to agree.”

“Excuse me?” Jacques found the necklace in his hands. The white stones that Alicia held changed colors as he held it. The soft rose color surprised him. “I thought they’re supposed to be blood red.”

Catherine took the necklace from him, and he watched as the rose color deepened.

“Now that was interesting,” Alicia took the stones and slipped them back into her pocket. “I have one question. Who’s the girl?”

Jacques turned to see who she was looking at. “Oh, that’s Isabella, the doctor’s daughter. I can go talk to her.”

“That’s okay. I see this a lot. Max is a force to be reckoned with.” She downed the rest of her whiskey then went and stood next to the young girl.

“He’s breathtaking, isn’t he?”

She jumped when she heard Alicia’s voice beside her. “He is. I’ve never seen anyone so captivating.”

“That’s my Max.” Alicia smiled when he looked her way. He winked at her before going back to his conversation. “He has that effect on people.”

“Is that the reason you call him the true alpha?” The young girl looked at her. “Because he has this aura about him?”

“Max is a born leader. If you put him in a room of leaders, they will turn to him naturally. It’s the same with alphas. Even though they lead their own pack a man like Max is one that has the best ideas or knows the best way to do something.” Alicia looked at her. “Most alphas snarl and growl at each other when they come face to face, but they don’t do that to Max. They want to hear what he has to say.”

The young lady nodded. She stood there for a moment. “I’m Isabella.”

“Alicia Santos.”

“You’re the legend.”

“I am.” Alicia waited for her to say more. Max was her mate, and no little slip of a girl was going to try to come between them.

Catherine joined them. She didn’t say anything, but Isabella took it as a signal to go back to her friends.

“I was fine,” said Alicia.

“I know. I also know she was floundering and didn’t know what to do. She realized she had overstepped and didn’t know how to undo it.” Catherine handed her another drink. “I also know you needed a drink before you said something you didn’t want to.”

“So you rescued us both?”

“That’s the way I see it.” Catherine took a sip of the drink she brought with her. “Time for you to have a little fun.”

“Like you have been doing.”

A half-laugh, half-cough escaped Catherine. “Is that the way it looks?”

“You have no idea.” Alicia pulled up her phone. “Your sister-in-law wanted to know what caught your attention. I sent her this.”

Catherine looked at the picture. Good God, they looked like they wanted to devour each other.

“Stacey sent back two words. Oh my.” Alicia took a sip of her drink as well. “I figure your brother will be calling about this.”

“Thanks for the heads up. Although I could trounce you for sending that particular picture.”

“One, you know I can take you. Two, go to my gallery and look at the other pictures.”

Catherine flipped through and realized the one Alicia sent was the best of the bunch. They were also taken at different intervals. Was she into Jacques more than she realized? This was supposed to be fun, casual. Now she had to wonder.

“No comment, huh?”

“I didn’t realize…”

“Yep. I was the same way. Everybody knew but me. I think Max was in denial a little bit too.” Alicia paused for a moment. “I don’t think the Tears can help him.”

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry. I was thinking about your beau there and remembered the odd color of the Tears. Whatever is stopping him from shifting isn’t something the Tears can fix. I find that very confusing because I swear they said someone in this pack needed the Tears.”

“Hopefully, it will get clearer as time goes on,” said Catherine. “Jacques doesn’t like talking about it. What Sally told us is the first time I heard anything about what happened to him. He told me he could shift up to a point, but didn’t tell me anything else. I’m assuming it was when the young woman was killed.”

Max walked up to them. “Time to mingle ladies.”

“Yes, sir.” Catherine gave him a slight bow before leaving them alone.

“You know she’s going to end up at the sheriff’s side.”

“I know, but let’s see how long it takes her.” He slipped an arm around Alicia’s shoulders. “What did you learn?”

“The Tears can’t help him. Whatever is going on with him is manmade.” Alicia leaned into him. “I need more information but not sure where to get it.”

“Jacques’ father didn’t say a lot about what happened to his son, but he did say it was like a switch turned off. I also noticed he has a bump in his spine up by the neckline.”

“A bump? How do you know that?”

“When I slapped his back earlier.” He slid his arm around her waist. “I felt the bump.”

“Did it feel like scar tissue?”

He growled at her.

“Don’t get mad at me. I’m asking if the bump could be one thing, but Jacques thinks it’s another.”

“Something he would never question. You are pretty smart. I was thinking the same thing. I’d like to get him x-rayed to see what that bump is.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” She turned to look at him.

“Not sure yet, but you know me.” He gave her his heart stopping smile. “I’ll figure it out.”