Page 7 of Alpha Wolf (Return To Fate Mountain #6)
Chapter
Six
Valeria’s bear snapped to attention as she flipped on her emergency lights and made a quick U-turn.
The dreamy fog of mate bond anticipation evaporated, replaced by the sharp focus required for an emergency response.
She pressed the accelerator, racing through the mountain roads.
When she pulled onto Pine Ridge Road, she spotted the column of black smoke rising above the tree line.
The scent of burning wood hit her enhanced senses before she reached the address.
Flames engulfed the single-story house, orange tongues licking through the broken windows while firefighters directed streams of water at the inferno.
The Fate Mountain Fire Department had responded quickly, but the structure was already a total loss.
Valeria parked behind the fire trucks and stepped out, her training taking over. Secure the perimeter, control access, document everything. She pulled out her notepad and began recording the scene. A black motorcycle sat at the curb on the sidewalk in front of the burning house.
Her heart stuttered as she recognized it as one of the motorcycles parked outside Steel Protection yesterday.
The rider stood with a cluster of neighbors, gesturing toward the flames with obvious concern.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing dark jeans and a leather jacket, radiating controlled danger.
Valeria moved closer, alarm bells going off in her head. Steel Protection showing up at another incident couldn’t be a coincidence. The neighbors were talking rapidly, their faces pale with shock.
“We called 911 the second we saw smoke,” an elderly woman was saying. “Poor Becca. I hope she got out in time.”
“Officer, this is just terrible,” the husband said, turning to Valeria. “Did Becca get out?”
“I just arrived on the scene. I’ll be taking statements from everyone.”
The Steel Protection rider turned toward her, and Valeria’s world exploded.
Mate. Mate. Mate.
Recognition of her inner grizzly hit her like a lightning bolt straight to the chest. Dark hair, serious eyes, strong jawline.
The professional headshot from mate.com didn’t do justice to his physical presence, the way he commanded space without trying, the alpha energy that made her bear sit up and take notice.
Alpha Wolf. Her fated mate. Standing at a crime scene. Her knees went weak.
Mate. Mate. Mate.
Her bear roared, demanding she run to him, claim him, complete the bond that had been pulling at her since the night before last. Every cell in her body screamed that he was the missing part of her soul. But he was also a suspicious operative she’d been ordered to watch.
Alpha Wolf’s expression shifted from professional concern to wonder to something that looked like hunger. He took a step in her direction. “Rookie Bear?”
The neighbors turned to stare. Other officers were arriving at the scene.
Valeria’s radio crackled with updates from dispatch.
The entire world was watching, and she couldn’t breathe.
Her training kicked in like a life preserver thrown to a drowning woman.
Officer Reynolds. Professional duty. Crime scene protocol.
She forced steel into her spine and ice into her voice.
“Sir, I need you to step back from the scene for safety.” Her voice came out steady and professional, giving no hint of the chaos erupting inside her chest.
“But you’re...”
“I’m Officer Reynolds.” She clutched her notepad with trembling hands. “You need to give a statement about why you’re here.”
Her bear whimpered, but Valeria forced herself to treat him like any other witness. She led him away from the cluster of neighbors, hyperaware of his presence, his scent, the way her body wanted to lean toward his.
“State your name and business here,” she said, pen poised over her notepad.
“Dominic Steel. I had a nine AM appointment with Rebecca Matthews about protection services.” His voice carried an edge of hurt that made her chest ache. “She called yesterday. She was concerned people might want to hurt her.”
Valeria wrote down his statement, fighting to keep her handwriting steady. The mate bond pulled at her with increasing intensity, but she couldn’t acknowledge it. Not when he might be connected to whatever had happened here.
“She was concerned people might want to hurt her? Who? Why?”
Dom’s tone became more professional, matching her distance. “She wouldn’t give details over the phone, insisted on meeting in person.”
“And you arrived to find the house on fire?”
“Yes. The neighbors called it in just before I got here.” Genuine concern filled his voice. “Rookie Bear. Don’t you recognize me?”
“Just answer my questions.” Ice coated every word.
Dom’s face closed off, professional mask sliding into place.
He provided his contact information, cooperated with every request, and offered Steel Protection’s services for the investigation.
When she dismissed him, he walked away without argument, but she felt his confused hurt like a knife between her ribs.
Valeria forced herself not to watch him go, focusing instead on the scene.
Fire Chief Ash Bright directed his crews as flames roared through the collapsed roof, sending sparks high into the morning sky.
The windows had blown out, and orange fire licked hungrily at the empty frames.
What had once been walls now stood as blackened skeletons, barely supporting the structure as it crumbled inward on itself.
One of the neighbors approached Chief Bright, desperation clear in her voice. “Can you get inside? Is Becca okay?”
Chief Bright shook his head grimly. “Structure’s too compromised. We can’t risk sending anyone in while it’s burning like this. We’ll have to wait until it’s safe. There’s a chance she already got out.”
The firefighting operation continued for hours.
Valeria worked the perimeter, controlling access and documenting everything while fighting to keep thoughts of Dom out of her head.
By afternoon, the flames were finally extinguished.
Steam rose from the charred ruins as firefighters began the careful process of searching for victims.
“Body in the bedroom,” Chief Bright reported to first responders. “Female, appears to be the homeowner.”
Firefighters removed the body and carefully placed it on a gurney.
The medical examiner, Dr. Vera Kent, arrived at the scene moments later.
She was a no-nonsense woman whose weathered face suggested decades of examining the worst of humanity.
Valeria watched from the perimeter as Dr. Kent conducted her preliminary examination.
“Cause of death was a gunshot wound to the back of the head,” Dr. Kent announced. “Close range, execution style.”
Murder. Not a tragic accident, but a cold-blooded execution. And Dom had been on the scene.
Her brother Gabriel arrived as the scene transformed from fire investigation to a homicide case. Valeria briefed him on the timeline and witness statements, trying to keep her voice steady as she described Dom’s convenient arrival.
“Protection services appointment minutes after the neighbors report the fire?” Gabriel’s skepticism was obvious. “That’s quite a coincidence.”
“He does run a legitimate protection company,” Valeria said, hating how defensive she sounded.
“It establishes an alibi,” Gabriel replied. “Classic move to appear at the scene as some type of help.”
With a heavy heart, Valeria searched the debris for any evidence that might have survived the fire. She found a notebook half-buried under debris from the collapsed porch roof. The spiral binding was melted, most of the pages reduced to ash, but several fragments remained partially readable.
She studied the surviving text.
“...organized criminal group...” was clearly visible on one page.
“...intimidating local businesses...” appeared on another.
“...protection racket...” concluded a third fragment.
“Gabriel,” Valeria called, her voice tight.
Gabriel approached, taking the evidence bag with professional care. His expression darkened as he read the fragments.
“She was investigating some kind of organized criminal group,” he said grimly. “Protection racket, intimidating businesses.”
“Whoever killed her wanted to silence her,” Valeria finished, the words tasting like ash in her mouth.
“And Steel Protection showed up right when she was killed.”