Chapter 29

Erin’s POV

I watched as Gavin left the hotel suite; he looked as if nothing had only moments ago. Meanwhile, I looked shameful.

I was shameful.

I almost made a terrible mistake; how was I going to explain any of this to Henry? I hated keeping things from him.

I looked at the screen of my phone that has fallen to the ground and frowned as I saw there were 5 missed calls from Henry.

My heart squeezed painfully in my chest; he must have been so worried about me since I left. I didn’t tell him where I was going other than to get some air.

That was hours ago.

It was so late now; he was most likely in bed.

There were also a few missed texts from him as well.

“Where did you go? We aren’t finished talking.”

“Erin, come on. Come home… please?”

“I’m sorry for raising my voice. Can’t we talk about this? Ignoring me isn’t the answer.”

“Erin, I’m starting to worry. It’s been over an hour. Please come home!”

“There was another murder. I need you to come home. I’m worried.”

I fell back onto the bed feeling dread consuming me. His last text was sent a few minutes ago. The others were sent hours ago. This meant he was still awake and he was aware that someone else was dead. Someone that belonged to Gavin’s pack.

This made Gavin look worse in the eyes of Henry; except this time, I knew for a fact that Gavin was innocent. But I couldn’t tell Henry that.

I couldn’t tell him that I was with Gavin at the time of this murder.

What was I going to do?

“Well, for starters. We should probably get home and face the music,” Emily suggested. “He’s very worried.”

Emily was right; I couldn’t wait around any longer and get lost in my mind.

I finished fixing my hair and left the hotel suite. I couldn’t return here; this had to be the last time I got mixed up with Gavin.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Emily teased.

…

Henry was pacing back and forth in the living room when I entered the house. As soon as he saw me, I saw a flood of relief flooding his features, but that worry never left his eyes.

“Where have you been?” He asked, rushing toward me with open arms.

I allowed him to enclose me in his embrace, holding me tightly.

“I’m sorry,” I breathed to him. “I went to Kelsey’s and fell asleep.”

That was a lie; that was such a lie.

“Do you have any idea how worried I was?” He asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you,” I say in return, staring at the ground in shame.

I was consumed with guilt. I hated lying to him but lately, I’ve been feeling like I couldn’t tell him the full truth. We might have been together because of an agreement we made a few years ago, but he was still kind of my husband. I made a commitment to him. I vowed to him to be faithful and honest, and I was breaking both those vows.

Henry was smart though and he knew I wasn’t being truthful. He knew when people lied to him.

“Did you get my messages?” He asked, eyeing me carefully.

“Yes,” I answered. “There was another murder.”

“It was someone in Gavin’s pack, Erin,” Henry said, his face serious. “Do you need any more proof that he’s the one responsible?”

How was I going to tell him that he wasn’t responsible?

“It wasn’t him,” I tell him, trying to keep my tone even. “I can’t really explain how I know this, but I know it wasn’t him.”

Henry pressed his lips together firmly with the look of disbelief crossing his stern features.

“You can’t be serious. You’re still choosing to defend him when the evidence is right in front of your face?”

“That hardly counts as evidence. Just because it was one of his pack members,” I said, shaking my head. “Why would Gavin want to hurt someone in his own pack?”

“Because he’s dangerous, Erin,” Henry said, releasing his hold on my arms. “How can you continue to defend that monster?”

“He’s not a monster,” I said, my tone hardening.

Henry looked like he was about to say something, but then he changed his mind. Instead, he stared at me for a short while before disbelief crossed his face.

“I see,” he said, taking a step away from me. “It wasn’t Kelsey you were with. It was Gavin.”

“What? How did you draw up that conclusion?”

“It’s the only reason you’d still think he’s innocent. Because you were with him at the time of this murder. Am I right?”

I said nothing at first; I didn’t want to deny him or lie to him anymore. He didn’t deserve that. My non-response only caused a wave of sadness to cross his features. He stared around my face for a moment longer before dropping his gaze to his feet.

“What was the point of all of this if you were just going to run back to him anyways?” He asked; there was a pain in his voice.

“It’s not what you think,” I try to say, keeping my tone low and soft.

“No? Then what is it, Erin? Because from my view, it seems like you’re still in love with him. Every time I turn my back, it seems you run back to him…”

“It’s not like that…”

“Then what is it?” Henry asked, meeting my eyes. “You tell me what it is; I told you what I think it is, so correct me.”

I was quiet for a moment as I tried to figure out what to say to him.

“Gavin was an important part of my past. Now that he’s back, I’m trying to figure out and cope with these feelings. But I have no intentions of getting back with him. That’s what I went to tell him. Gavin was a part of my past, but Henry, you are a part of my future. You are my best friend, you are my partner, and I love you.”

I touched his bicep as I spoke that last part; he stared into my eyes for a moment longer.

“Then let me mark you.”

…

Gavin’s POV

“Did we see anyone of suspicion in the pack?” Gavin asked as he stared around the unrecognizable and charred body of the victim.

“No, Alpha,” Seth said. “Nothing unusual. But like the other victims, this one has the same fire damage. It seems whomever the criminal is, used some kind of fire ability.”

“So, it is somebody with abilities then,” Gavin said, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. “It could be anybody.”

The only thing that distinguished who the victim was, was a necklace that seemed to survive the burning. It was found wedged in her chest.

“Oh, my goddess!” A familiar cry pierced through the night as Susanna ran toward the victim.

Tears stained her face as she stood beside Gavin, crying into her hands.

“Noooo! Alice…” she continued to cry.

Gavin stood by her, a mournful look on his face.

This victim just so happened to be Susanna’s best friend.