Rille (Tribes, Book 2)

Chapter 28

Preston had no doubt who had done it, but he needed to know their specific plan in order to counteract it. Otherwise, he never would have sent Brielle out on her own. Even sending Shaw with her didn't seem like enough protection. Not when the Bowyers always had a plan.

A plan that Preston had every intention of destroying before it could begin.

They had touched his mate, which gave him every excuse to turn on them. No one could fault him for protecting what was his.

Preston turned back to Artur, his gaze as icy as his feelings toward the man. "Explain."

"What is there to explain?"

"Brielle was fine until we arrived at your home. A coincidence?"

Artur shrugged. "Perhaps she wishes to frame my family for things we have not done."

Brielle was petty, but she wouldn't frame people. Even if she had, Preston would take her side. A growl resonated out of Preston's chest, a protest that Artur would even suggest such a thing.

"Choose your next words carefully."

Artur's lips ticked up into a barely-hidden grin. "I would like to remind you, Alpha, that we are in front of Tribe Rille's most influential elders and families."

A threat? Perfect. Preston knew what to do with things of that nature.

He took a step closer so that his words reached only Artur's ears. "I would like to remind you of the same, and I will repeat my question only once. With what did you spike Brielle's drink?"

Artur's face turned a shade of white so translucent that he might have been misconstrued as a ghost. Both he and Preston knew what it meant to lie to the elders, let alone the influential families. If Preston tested Brielle and found anything in her bloodstream, Artur's denial would land him on the bad side of the people he needed to trust him the most.

Preston hammered the nail into Artur's coffin. "Be honest, and I won't tell the others what you've conspired today."

Men like Artur cared most about their reputations. With a bloodline so pure, Artur couldn't let anyone know about his nefarious dealings behind the scenes. It would make them a less suitable candidate to join the Stryker family. Not that there was any chance of that happening, in the first place.

Artur pressed a palm to his sweating forehead. "It... it was Ava. Ava will know."

Without a farewell to the elders, without a single thought except Brielle's safety, Preston spun on his heel and marched out of the grand ballroom.

Tracking scents was a basic cognitive function for wolves, one which Preston used to trace the direction that Brielle had gone. Down a side hall, past a half-dozen closed doors. Preston found Ava outside the doors of the room at the far end of the hall.

"Preston." Ava shuffled toward him as he neared.

Preston held out a hand to keep her at bay. "Let's go inside first."

Ava's acquiescence should have tipped him off, but Preston so fully expected Brielle to be in the room that he didn't think to question Ava's behavior. Only when the doors clicked shut behind them did Preston realize his mistake.

The room sat empty. No Brielle. No Shaw. Only an overwhelming amount of Brielle's scent. Ava had used one of her tricks on him, and he had fallen for it.

Preston turned in a circle so slow that it should have warned Ava about the fury welling in his veins. "Where's my mate?"

"I wanted to talk for a minute." Ava had never been good at reading social cues. Why would she start now? "Just the two of us."