Page 24 of New Blood (Werewolf Alliance #1)

J ude held the door open for Violet and entered the alpha’s office behind her, before pulling the door shut.

The room was wood-paneled from floor to ceiling.

An old, heavy oak desk stood in front of the tall double windows looking out onto the meadow behind the mansion.

There was a comfortable reading nook with an old leather chair and an ottoman to rest one’s feet.

Family photos stood on bookshelves, on side tables, and even on the desk itself.

“I’ve printed all the reports out for you,” Violet started, sounding eager and chirpy.

“I appreciate it,” Jude replied. “How long have you been keeping the books for the businesses?”

“About five years now. Aunt Clarice did them before me, and I helped her, but when she died…” She sighed. “That’s when I took over, since she’d trained me, you know?”

Jude pointed to one of the photos that showed William with Flora, another woman, and another man. All of them were at least twenty years younger. “Is that Clarice?”

Violet nodded. “Yes, and that’s my dad.”

Jude recognized the family resemblance between William and George before looking more closely at Clarice. She was more beautiful than Flora in the photo, though Flora definitely looked pretty back then.

“They look very happy.”

Violet smiled, nodding. “And to think that Uncle William could have been my dad.”

Confused about the comment, Jude wrinkled his forehead. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, my mother dated William first—before he met Clarice. He fell in love with her instead and broke it off with Mom. Soon after that, Mom met William’s brother, my dad. So it all worked out perfectly.”

That was indeed a surprise to him. That detail hadn’t been in the file the Werewolf Alliance had on the Gallagher pack.

“Interesting,” he mused. “And your Aunt Clarice. She died five years ago?”

Violet nodded, her face turning somber. “She was still so young. It was tragic.”

“Every death is tragic.”

She looked to the door, then lowered her voice. “She took her own life. Wolfsbane.”

Stunned, Jude registered the information. Wolfsbane was one of the few substances to effectively poison a werewolf and bring about death within minutes. It was easy to come by and most likely grew somewhere on the estate.

“What happened? I mean there must have been a reason for her to commit suicide.”

Violet shrugged. “I don’t know why. Nobody would talk about it. Uncle William shut down, and Mom didn’t tell me anything either. I figured maybe she was depressed. Not that I saw it, but people often hide what’s really going on inside them.”

“You had a good relationship with your aunt?”

“Oh, yes. She was great. I could tell her things I couldn’t tell my mother, and—” She put her hand over her mouth. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Please don’t tell my mother. She doesn’t know that I went to Aunt Clarice rather than to her when I needed advice.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

He had no intention of mentioning it to Flora. Besides, it was old news. However, the fact that Clarice had killed herself was peculiar. Why would the mate of a powerful alpha choose to end her life when she seemingly had everything: love, power, family?

Since Violet was very talkative right now, he used the occasion to get more information about the family.

“Did your aunt and uncle have a good marriage?”

“I’m pretty sure they did. I mean, they didn’t argue any more than other couples. That’s normal, right? Every couple fights occasionally.”

Jude nodded, even though he didn’t agree.

He’d never seen or heard his own parents argue.

They were in sync with each other, understanding each other on a deeper level, where superficial, unimportant stuff didn’t matter.

That’s the kind of relationship he’d always dreamed of.

However, knowing that his duty was to mate with Eve, he couldn’t imagine having that kind of relationship with her.

She seemed the type who argued about the tiniest thing and wouldn’t let it rest until she’d won.

He pushed the thoughts away, knowing that being reminded of his impending union with Eve only put him in a bad mood.

“Yes, all couples fight sometimes. It’s normal. But tell me about your dad. When did he die?”

“Eight years ago. It feels like yesterday and an eternity ago at the same time. I know that sounds strange, but that’s what I feel. I miss him.”

“I understand completely. He must have been a good father. How did he die?”

“Helicopter crash.” Violet sniffled. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I shouldn’t have dredged up those memories. If you need a minute, I can wait before going over the reports.”

“No, no.” She placed her folders onto the desk. “I’m fine. We can do it now.”

“Okay.” He motioned to a chair in front of the desk for her to sit, while he stepped behind the desk and took a seat in the comfortable office chair.

She handed him one set of printouts before sitting down. “The first page is a consolidated view of all Gallagher businesses.”

Jude glanced at the summary, which showed a profit and loss statement, as well as a balance sheet with all assets, including the cash position of the pack.

“The businesses seem to be doing well,” he commented.

“They are,” she agreed, before she elaborated.

Her voice was different now, all business with a tone that showed that she took pride in her work.

While he listened to her go over the figures for each business, his thoughts drifted back to Clarice Gallagher and her untimely death.

The more he thought about it, the more it disturbed him.

Had she suffered from depression like Violet assumed?

Something didn’t add up.