Page 42 of Clashing With The Grumpy Wolf

I debate about telling her my suspicions but quickly decide otherwise. Courtney is her assistant and Julia trusts her. I don’t need to put her in the awkward position of thinking her employee is a criminal.

I glance at my watch. It’s still early morning. Maya won’t be going to the station for another hour or so. I’ll give her a call then so she can further dig into Courtney.

In the meantime, I’ll go over the evidence gathered so far. One more time.

I begin the tedious work of reviewing patrol logs from private security, reading witness statements from staff I’ve already read, looking at crime scene pictures. It doesn’t matter. I reread and rewatch it all.

My deputies were thorough and precise, but there isn’t much to go on. I don’t have a single solid clue to push my investigation forward.

There has to be something leading up to the moment the security system went dark. It just has to be there.

I rub my eyes, fighting the mix of emotions churning inside me: protective rage that someone locked Julia in that cellar, frustration at the continued mystery, and a bone-deep determination to solve this before anything else can threaten her.

My wolf stirs at the thought of Julia in danger, but I push it down. I need a clear head to solve this crime.

The thief not only had intimate knowledge of the manor’s security system but was on-site both on the day of the theft and yesterday. But it doesn't make sense. Why would a thief stay at the crime scene after stealing something so valuable?

Unless they had no choice. Unless they had to maintain appearances.

I adjust in my chair, pulling up archived security footage from the manor. All my deputies and I have scoured the endless footage for hours without finding anything worth looking for.

It’s a waste of time. Still, I settle down to watch the time-stamped footage. Again.

I cycle through the feeds, looking for the window of time just before the theft, just before the system was compromised. I know there is something there that will give me a clue.

I just have to find it.

The manor is so vast and every corner of it is covered by camera footage. It’s like looking for a teardrop in the ocean. Most of the footage shows nothing unusual, just staff moving efficiently through the halls, wedding vendors setting up displays, the occasional guest wandering where they shouldn't be.

Then I see it.

In the final segment before the camera feed goes dark, a tall figure walks purposefully down the corridor toward Silverine’s office. His movements are confident, unhurried, as if he belongs there. He glances up once, directly at the camera, and I freeze the frame.

Kraxon Ashbane’s golden gaze looks back at me, in all its dragon glory.

A stone settles in my gut as I stare at the dragon’s face, frozen on the screen. I lean forward, studying the timestamp. Kraxon was in the hallway exactly three minutes before the system went offline.

What are you doing there, Kraxon?

The floorboards creak and I turn around to see Julia walking up to me, her hair in disarray and her cheek marked by a pillow crease. In her hands, she carries another mug of coffee, softened with a dash or two of milk. My wolf surges at the sight of our mate, a wave of possessive affection making my chest rumble with a deep purr.

“Now, that’s quite a greeting, Sheriff Wolfsbane.” Her lips lift into a sassy smile and I’m stricken by the cheer perfection of her face. “I didn’t know wolves could purr.”

“There’s a lot you still don’t know about wolves.” I gently guide her onto my lap and she sits there as my wolf drinks in her presence, the beast content like never before. “And I look forward to teaching you all of it.”

She turns to me and leans in, her lips closing on mine. I close my eyes as she kisses me with a heart-wrenching confidence, her soft lips massaging mine. Her tongue pokes out and I eagerly open my mouth to her exploration, allowing her to take the lead. She tastes like coffee and milk, like sweet, lazy mornings.

All the sweet and slow mornings I want to share with her. Every single morning for the rest of my life if she will let me.

When she pulls back, her face is flushed and her eyes shining.

“Is that Percy’s brother?” Julia says as she turns to my laptop. “When was this?”

“On the day of the theft,” I answer as she nods.

“Yes, I saw him in the hallway on my way to Silverine’s office.” Julia nods as she turns to me. “It’s all in the statement I gave to Deputy Chemko.”

I frown as I lock my gaze with hers. Something nags at me from that place where my best instincts are and I turn to my laptop, Julia still on my lap.