Chapter 62: A Lot To Lose

(LOCKE)

Corrine rubs a spot on her chest. “But I would’ve—We would’ve sensed it if somebody was tracking us.”

I mull over her words, and my voice is thoughtful. “My senses are sharper than yours. If there had been a shifter in the vicinity of the carnival, I would have caught their scent. I only smelled humans there. The only shifters were the four of us.”

Corrine gets to her feet, shaking her head. “I know what I saw, Locke. Those marks on his neck were unmistakable.”

I follow suit, standing up and watching her as she paces anxiously. “I’m not denying what you saw, Corrine. It is possible that the shifter who attacked your friend was able to mask his scent.” My mind is racing, and then I have an idea. There is something I need to verify, however. At the time, I didn’t pay much attention to that slight discrepancy. But now, I have to be sure. “I’m going to call Edgar over here to help Derrick keep an eye on you and Finn. I need to go check something.”

“What are you going to do?” Corrine steps in my path. “Wherever you’re going, you’re not going by yourself! If the shifters can mask their scent, they can ambush you. No. You’re not going anywhere without someone watching your back. I’m coming with you.”

“And leaving Finn at the house alone with Derrick?” I ask incredulously.

Corrine’s eyes are still moist, but I see the fierce glint in them. “You think you’re the only one who can arrange protection for Finn? After the attack on me, I put up security cameras and motion sensors all around the house. I keep them activated via my phone. If somebody so much as steps past a certain border around my home, I get an instant notification, and the palace guards are also alerted. I discussed this with Erik. Help will arrive within three minutes. There’s also a safe room in my basement. Finn and I know the combination, as does Maya. I know how to keep my son safe, Locke.”

“Our son,” I correct her firmly, admiring her preparedness. I don’t know what a safe room is or a motion sensor, but Corrine clearly believes in these things as security measures.

“You’re not going by yourself.” She grips my wrist, her eyes flashing.

There is fear in them. “I don’t want to lose you tonight, too.”

The words flow from her passionately, and a warmth fills my chest. “Are you concerned about my safety?”

A flush crawls up her face, and she swallows before turning her head to the side. “What if I am? I have every right to worry about you. You’re my mate.”

My lips curve, and I take her hand in mine, pressing my lips to her palm, my eyes on her. “Yes, I am. And you are mine.”

She doesn’t realize it, but she has finally acknowledged my role in her life. Not as Finn’s father, but as her mate.

Her cheeks are a bright red. “Let’s call Edgar and—”

I’m already shifting. Throwing my head back in my wolf form, I let out two short howls. A moment later, they are answered by three short ones.

I then glance at Corrine, who instantly understands what I’ve done. She shifts forms, too, and I take off. She follows close behind.

Our destination is in the city. To be precise, it’s the place where Corrine led her attackers that night. Since the woods are all connected, we can maintain our wolf forms the whole way there.

When we reach the clearing, Corrine pauses, giving me an uncertain look. I rub against her wolf comfortingly before making my way to where the enemy was killed. It’s been a while since the attack, and their bodies have disappeared. However, my sense of smell is strong, as is my memory. I still remember where each body dropped.

I sniff each spot, and Corrine watches me. She has shifted back now and is standing with her arms crossed over her chest like I am.

She doesn’t interrupt as I circle the two spots. I can smell the blood, but I cannot make out the scent. It’s not that there is no scent; it’s that the scent of the attackers in these two spots is so muddied that I can’t distinguish between human and shifter. If I weren’t focusing on it, I would not be able to catch it. It fades into the background too much.

I circle repeatedly, but no matter how many times I check, it is the same. I shift back.

Corrine approaches me now. “What were you searching for?”

“Take a look at these two areas. Two of the attackers died here. Tell me what you smell.”

She crouches to the ground and sniffs the spots. At first, she looks confused, and then a dazed look of understanding forms on her face, and her eyes lift to mine. “There are no wolf scents, if there were humans here, I would not be able to tell. But my attackers were definitely shifters!”

“They were,” I say darkly. “It seems you were right. The enemy has managed to come up with a way to mask their scents. This could be how they are managing to ambush your kidnapped victims.”

Corrine’s lips tremble for a moment. “They must have been following me all this time. They were probably waiting to strike, but they couldn’t find a time because you were always there. And if not you, Derrick.”

“If they were able to mask their scent, I bet they were able to get close enough to you to overhear your conversation with your friend,” I tell her. “I want to know what you talked to that man about.”

Corrine lets out a gust of air and begins to explain. Human police. Serial killers. Evidence lockers. Dead bodies.

By the time she’s done talking, the blood has drained from her face, and she whispers, her voice stricken, “This is all my fault. George said I could call him whenever I wanted to see the evidence. I thought I might find something. There must be something there that the shifters don’t want me to discover. That’s why they killed George. Without him, I don’t have access to that evidence.”

“These people definitely have some interest in you. The only way they would’ve found out about your conversation with George is if they had been tailing you for a while. That means you and Finn are not safe. They haven’t given up on you. You’re not safe in your home, Corrine.”

Fury fills me. I can’t protect her if I don’t know where the threat is coming from. Her house is directly across from a park that a lot of people visit. They could have been watching her for days, and I was none the wiser. “You can’t stay there. And if you think you can convince me otherwise, think of Finn.”

Corrine gives me a serious look. “I would never gamble with Finn’s safety. You’re right, there is a possibility that my home has been compromised. But I also need to conduct this investigation, Locke. That means I can’t go into hiding. I have to be out in the streets. I have to go places.”

“You will not go alone.”

She doesn’t argue with me, but I can tell that she’s thinking. “I have another solution.” I wait, and she takes her time before finally saying, “What if Sigrid looks after Finn, and the two of them stay in the palace? Neither of them leaves those secure grounds. That way, Finn will be safe.”

The royal palace is indeed the safest place for him, but what about Corrine? “You expect me to let you roam around while there is a possible threat to your life?”

My lips curl in a snarl, and Corrine gives me a sharp smile, her eyes angry. “No. I won’t be alone. You and I will stay at my house.”

“What?”

“These people are watching me, right? Let’s get them to think that we’re getting closer to the truth. When they begin to panic, they’re going to make mistakes.”

“No,” I refuse, immediately realizing her intention. “You are not using yourself as bait.”

“They killed my friend, Locke,” Corrine hisses. “A man who did not deserve to die. His wife is a homemaker. They have two boys in school. Their entire lives are about to fall apart. The man she loved is gone. Her sons have lost their father. She will now be living on a small widow’s pension. She has to raise two boys by herself. How is she supposed to do that? How is she supposed to work multiple jobs to pay off the mortgage on their house and cover her children’s expenses? How is she going to help them grieve their father? All of this is because I knew her husband had the means to get us closer to these individuals, and I asked him for a favor.”

There is a sheen of tears in her eyes.

I have watched many of my men fall, their families shattered as a result. A part of me has grown numb to it all. You can’t feel every death, every loss. It can drive one insane.

I can see my mate unravelling, and I take her in my arms, offering comfort. “Corrine, I can’t help with this grief. It is your own to bear. But it is misplaced. Nothing that happened was your fault. You couldn’t have anticipated any of this. However, I can help with one thing. Monetary help for your friend’s family. If you wish, I can set them up for life. They will never want for anything.”

Corrine pulls away and stares at me. “You would do that?”

I nod. “You are forgetting your status. You are the queen of the Northern Kingdom, Corrine. We have an abundant amount of wealth. You can do what you will with it. If it can help assuage some of this misplaced guilt of yours, I want you to help them.”

She lets out a shaky breath. “It won’t get rid of the guilt, but it will make me feel better. Thank you, Locke.”

She gets on her tiptoes and presses a kiss to my lips.

It’s a chaste kiss, but one that is more precious than anything. My ears feel hot, and I stare at her. I want to take her in my arms and continue. All the desires I’ve been trying to keep suppressed inside me want out. I have missed the taste of her lips, of her skin, the sounds she makes when under me. It’s been difficult to restrain myself, but I’ve had to.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Corrine asks. Her cheeks are flushed, but she looks happy. Just because I offered to use my wealth to help her friend’s family?

I can give her even more than that if she wants to support them. As long as she smiles at me like this, I will empty the kingdom’s treasury for her.

I have to tear my gaze away from my mate because this is not the time. “We have to go talk to Erik. And we should move Finn right away. I would prefer to hide him in the North, but I have yet to deal with the elders and our enemies over there. Erik’s palace is the only option we have at the moment.”

Corrine agrees and then glances at me, giving me a strained smile. “If Finn stays at the palace, I’ll have to be away from him. I don’t recall a time I wasn’t with him for even one night.”

I sense her uneasiness. “He will be fine. He’ll be in good hands. And we can see him every day if you need to. But for now, we have to secure his safety.”

She nods with a heavy sigh. “You’re right. Of course you’re right.”

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