Crossed Fates by Lexi C. Foss

Makayla

Where am I?I wondered as I stared at the pale ceiling above me.

My nose twitched, the scent of trees and man overwhelming my senses.

The memories of yesterday, or maybe two days ago at this point, all assaulted me at once.

I palmed my eyes, groaning as my limbs protested any and all movement. Probably because I hadn’t slept in… well, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d experienced such a thorough night’s rest. Lowering one hand, I peeked at the windows, noting the late afternoon sun.

Yeah, I’d totally slept for at least twelve hours.

And now all I wanted to do was sleep more.

Coffee,I decided, rolling onto my side. Coffee is good. Coffee is God. Coffee is life. Yes, coffee.

I tumbled off the mattress onto my bare feet. The sweatpants Alaric had given me were at the foot of the bed. I left them there in favor of just wearing his T-shirt. It smelled like him. Unlike the pants, which smelled like another woman.

I didn’t want to know.

Because I wasn’t supposed to care.

And coffee is all that matters anyway,I decided, stalking out into the hallway while tugging the T-shirt down over my thighs. It covered my ass. It’d do just fine.

I yawned, then finger-combed my hair, fully aware that I probably resembled hell turned over. Good thing I don’t care, right? I reminded myself. Again.

I’d decided last night that not caring was the best medicine for this lust brewing between me and Alaric.

If we fucked, who cared?

If we didn’t fuck? Also didn’t care.

Care. Care. Care. Yep. Going to repeat that alllll day. Wait, don’t care. Two words. Damn it.

With a shake of my head, I continued forward, only to pause as Alaric said, “She’s not from our world but from a different realm.”

My brow furrowed. Excuse me?

Just whom did he deem acceptable to share that secret with? I mean, sure, I hadn’t expressly stated not to broadcast my status as an out-of-realm visitor, but as my supposed mate, he should know that information was highly confidential.

“She has a ring from a witch,” he continued, causing the hairs along the back of my neck to rise. “That’s how she comes and goes.”

With a growl in my throat, I stomped forward, ready to give him—and his unsuspecting company—a piece of my mind, only to freeze as I realized said company was Alaric’s father.

Oh.

Ohhhh.

Yeah, okay. I could see why he, uh, felt it was okay to share my secret.

I’d have done the same with my alpha.

Clearing my throat, I tugged at the T-shirt flirting with my thighs and tried to force a smile. “Hi.” Lame-ass greeting, but whatever. “I just want some coffee.” And then a shower, and a shovel, and a grave, and then I’d just make myself right at home.

Alaric stood in his kitchen with his father at the stools on the bar side of the counter. His dad looked at me with interest, noting my bare legs, then glanced questioningly at his son.

“As I said, she’s not from here,” Alaric continued.

Do women in this universe never walk around half-naked? Just curious...

“I see,” his father replied, staring between us. Then he arched a brow at his son. “Well, don’t just stand there. Get the woman a coffee.”

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. My savior.

Alaric grunted and went to work preparing me a mug.

However, Alpha Hawk faced me, his expression serious. “Makayla,” he said, his tone sending a smattering of goose bumps down my arms. Absolutely an alpha, I thought.

“Alpha Hawk,” I returned.

His lips twitched. “Not according to my son. He says Hardt’s the new acting alpha.”

Alaric grunted again.

“You’re alpha to me,” I clarified. “I won’t be using the same designation for Beta Hardt.”

Hawk grinned. “Oh, I think you’ll fit in here just fine, Makayla.”

I merely smiled, not committing to a damn thing. Because I still don’t care, right?

Alaric set a mug on the counter for me. “Any cream or sugar?”

“None,” I replied. I needed it black and heavenly today. Or this afternoon. Or was it early evening? I glanced out the windows of his living room and frowned. Maybe early evening, then. Rather than overanalyze it, I walked over to the counter, prepared to take my coffee and leave.

But Hawk had other plans for me.

“I’m sorry for what I said to you yesterday,” he said, his tone solemn. “I shouldn’t have implied that you weren’t welcome in Tyler’s house. There’s no excuse for it. You’re Alaric’s fated mate, which makes you pack, even if you’re from another realm.”

I swallowed. Operation Do Not Care is failing. I repeat, Operation Do Not Care is failing.

I tried to smile, to accept his apology and move on, but one look at the grieving alpha had me parking my butt on the stool beside him with a demure nod. “It’s okay. Yesterday was… stressful for all of us.” I crossed my legs and did my best to keep the shirt covering all my intimate bits. Really should have worn the sweatpants, Makayla. Jealousy is green, not naked.

Hawk looked meaningfully at his son. “Ric, why don’t you run home and get some clothes from your mom? She’s about the same size as Makayla, so it’ll be a good fit.”

Alaric stared at him for a long moment, then sighed. “All right.”

I glanced between them, somewhat amused by the subtle alpha dominance undertones of their little exchange. Alaric wanted to refuse, probably because his father had issued it like a command. But he wouldn’t because he clearly respected and deferred to the older alpha.

And yet, I sensed that his wolf would win in a fight.

Had it been this way between Alaric and Tyler, too? An obvious victor, yet Alaric had always submitted out of respect and love for his family?

“I’ll be back,” Alaric said, walking toward the door in a pair of jeans and nothing else.

I admired his ass on the way. Because I could. Because I wanted to. Because those jeans were tight and practically molded to his backside. And because… mmm.

I distracted myself with some coffee but noticed Hawk’s amused glance. He’d totally caught me ogling his son. If he expected an apology, he’d be waiting for a while. Besides, he was a big part of the reason for Alaric’s looks. He’d clearly given his son the sculpted cheekbones, pretty blue eyes, and chiseled jaw structure. The fitted sweater and jeans suggested they shared a similar physique, too. His hair was a bit lighter than Alaric’s darker strands, but overall, they very much resembled each other.

Like father, like son.

Something that became increasingly evident as Hawk studied me with a shrewdness that rivaled Alaric’s.

“I’m going to need more coffee before the questions start,” I said, moving off the stool to top up my mug.

Hawk chuckled. “About the realms? Nah. I don’t have any questions. Although, I’m sure Nathan is worried about his missing packmate.”

I froze with my hand on the handle of the coffee maker. Alaric must have told him about my job, I realized, relaxing a fraction. “Uh, Nathan’s used to me wandering off.”

“Sounds like me with Alaric,” Hawk replied, watching me as I poured more steaming liquid into my mug. I turned toward him and topped him up as well, then returned to my stool. “Although, E.V.I.E. is a bit different from KBO Consulting.”

Okay, that detail was something I hadn’t told Alaric. I looked sharply at Hawk. “How do you know that?”

Rather than answer me, he pushed a set of files toward me. “I brought this over for Alaric to review. It’s some details on the poisoning cases from the other packs. I assume you’ll be working together on this?”

I studied his features. They gave nothing away. And the look in his eyes told me he wouldn’t tell me anything, either.

My jaw ticked.

He just took a long sip of his coffee, saying nothing and everything at the same time.

This was no ordinary alpha. But I should have anticipated that with him being Alaric’s father.

How does he know about KBO? I wondered, unable to stop myself from replaying his statement on repeat in my mind.

“Do you know Nathan?” I demanded. Nathan knew about the alternate realms, but he’d never mentioned knowing the Silver Lake Alpha.

“Let’s just say we share a mutual friend.” He slid the folders closer. “I’ve already skimmed a lot of the details. Nothing jumped out at me as important, but maybe you’ll notice something I didn’t. There are some surveillance images of the lunch, too. I suggest you and Alaric review all of it for clues that the others may have missed.” He finished his coffee and stood to stretch. “Alaric said you were taken by the hybrid and overheard a conversation. Anything else important that I should know?”

I wanted to ask him the same damn thing, but I knew better than to engage an alpha in a game of wits. He’d win purely because he designed the rules, not me.

Rather than try, I considered Vex and his conversation. Then I frowned, recalling something I’d tried to tell Alaric yesterday and failed to because of his aggression outburst. “The hybrid, Vex, sent a shifter to deliver information to the boss. The shifter’s name was Neo. Bitten breed. Short, scrawny little thing for a wolf, but definitely a wolf nonetheless. Sound familiar?”

Hawk frowned. “No, but I’ll put out a search for all Neos in the region, see what photos I can gather for you to review.”

I nodded. “He’ll be easily recognizable.”

“Good.” He tapped the files. “This is sensitive content. Alaric’s strong; however, he may need a moment to process it.” His blue eyes held mine. “Don’t go easy on him, Makayla. But don’t go hard on him either.”

A chill graced my spine. “Alpha Hawk…”

“I know you’re going to tell me that your kind don’t do fated mates and that you’re going back to your home realm,” he said softly, his expression knowing. “But I think fate works in mysterious ways.”

He stood, then leaned against the counter beside me, his sapphire eyes reminding me so much of Alaric’s.

“Two lone wolves,” he mused. “Both forced into a situation where they have to work together, doing what they do best—tracking down assholes who deserve punishment. That’s not a coincidence, Makayla. Nor is it a coincidence that Alaric’s here now. He was always meant to lead this pack. I only wish it hadn’t required me to lose a son for my other one to finally realize his destiny.”

I swallowed, unsure of what to say to that.

“But as I said, fate works in mysterious ways.” His smile was sad. “Guide him, Makayla. You’re here for a reason, too. Together you’ll figure this out.” He pushed away from the counter, heading toward the hallway, then paused to say, “And I’ll have Jude tell Nathan you’re safe. If you were my wolf, I’d be worried.”

Jude? As in the head of E.V.I.E. Jude?I wondered.

But Hawk was already on his way out, leaving me to throw wordless questions at his back.

I looked down at my ring, debating using it to flash home to demand some of those answers from Nathan. However, if I did that, he wouldn’t just let me turn around and head back.

And now wasn’t the time to leave Alaric alone.

He needed my help with this case.

I looked at the files, somewhat mollified by the distraction, and flipped the page. Let’s see what you know.