79

“What are you going to do?” Leanna steps in my path. “Wherever you’re going, you’re not going by yourself! If the shifters are able to mask their sent, 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.

Leanna’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, Cedric.”

“Our son,” I correct her firmly, admiring her preparedness. I don’t know what a safe room is, or a motion sensor, but Leanna 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 Leanna, 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 Leanna 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, Leanna 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 did disappear. However, my sense of smell is strong, as is my memory. I still remember where each body dropped.

I sniff each spot, and Leanna watches me. She has shifted back now and is standing with her arms crossed over her chest in a manner similar to my own.

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

Leanna 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.”

Leanna’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.”

Leanna 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’ve 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, Leanna.” 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.”

Leanna 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, Cedric. 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 Harriet 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 Leanna? “You expect me to let you roam around while there is a possible threat to your life?”

My lips curl in a snarl, and Leanna 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.”