Page 17 of Clashing With The Grumpy Wolf

"You're very kind," Kraxon responds with professional courtesy, though his expression reveals a hint of discomfort at the mention of his recent troubles. "If you'll excuse me, I have final arrangements to make for tonight's festivities."

As he walks away, I catch Courtney staring after him, her expression dreamy.

"We're here to plan a wedding," I remind her and wince at the harsh tone of my voice, "not get caught up in a romance with the groom's family. Plus, Kraxon Ashbane has enough complications in his life without adding a workplace flirtation to the mix."

“You're right.” Courtney sighs, reluctantly tearing her gaze from his retreating figure. “Sorry. It's just… dragon guys are so…”

"Dangerous," I finish for her. "Focus, Courtney. We still have the gift registry to finalize. Just send the files to me as soon as you get to your room."

She nods, though her eyes dart once more down the hall where Kraxon disappeared around a corner. "Right. I'll get on that right away. Anything else?"

"That's all for today. Get some rest. Tomorrow will be busy with the rehearsal preparations."

After Courtney leaves, I continue to Silverine’s office alone, exhausted from the day's nonstop challenges. All I need is to drop the finalized seating chart notes, and then I can finally retreat to my guest suite and lay my head down for the night. The evening light has faded, leaving the room in twilight shadows when I push the door.

The door is already unlatched.

Something feels off immediately. My gaze darts around, taking inventory. Nothing seems obviously out of place, but my heart is still heart in a frenzy and I can’t shake the feeling that the sky is about to fall on my head.

Then I see it. The secret door stands slightly ajar, revealing the hidden safe.

My heart begins to pound as I cross the room. With trembling fingers, I pull the door fully open, my breath coming in short, sharp gasps. The panel slides away easily, revealing the safe behind it.

The safe door is open.

"No," I whisper, a cold wave of dread washing over me. "No, no, no."

The velvet box lies inside, its lid askew. I drop to my knees, already knowing what I'll find. Or rather, what I won't find.

The priceless Draak matriarch tiara is gone.

Chapter 6

Adrian

Iglareatthepapers spread across my desk, each one offering nothing but frustration. As predicted, I didn't sleep a lick last night and by the look of things, tonight may bring me the same luck. My mind wouldn't stop replaying my encounter with Jennifer Fangsworth, then circling back to another woman I would rather not think about. Another woman who made my blood boil and my wolf’s mood turn fierce and longing at the same time.

And now this.

The theft of the Draak matriarchal tiara is the worst in a pile of worst-case scenarios I would rather not think about. And what's equally frustrating is that hours later, I'm drowning in preliminary reports that tell me almost nothing.

My deputies and I spent the evening and well into the night combing the crime scene like we were looking for a needle in a haystack and we got nothing in return for our efforts. All we have to go on is an empty safe, an unlocked door, and not a single useful clue. No fingerprints, no footprints, no signs of forced entry.

And no witness thanks to a clever hack in the video surveillance system. At least I’ve already ordered a full background check on all the staff. It won’t be done for a couple of days, but it’s a start.

Just a missing priceless dragon artifact and a wedding teetering on the edge of disaster.

The clock on my office wall reads 10:47 p.m. The rest of the station is quiet, with only the night dispatcher's soft radio chatter filtering in from the front desk. I rub my eyes, willing the pounding headache behind them to subside.

My phone buzzes, Percy Ashbane's name flashing on the screen. I consider letting it go to voicemail since our last three conversations have been increasingly tense and I have nothing new to tell him, but duty wins out.

"Wolfsbane," I answer.

"Any progress?" His voice is strained, the usual carefree tone buried beneath layers of stress.

"Nothing new." I shuffle through the reports again, searching for something I might have missed. "My deputies interviewed the entire family and every staff member that was on duty that day. We'll comeback tomorrow to continue the interviews, but with the security system hacked, it could be a long process before we gather any meaningful information."

If ever. Whoever did this knew what they were doing and I'm not discounting the possibility that we may never recover the tiara. Not that I would tell any of this to Percy.