The day had taken its toll and while Clyde had used his hosts’ distraction to search the rest of the house—or at least what remained accessible to him—for any signs of his suspect, he’d come up dry. If Betty had been living there, they’d done a thorough job of erasing her presence. Not that it meant she wasn’t staying elsewhere within the pack.

Clyde had finally gone to sleep, telling himself that he would explore a bit in the morning when the shops in town were open. He ended up sleeping until the sun came up, surprised at how easy it was to get eight hours when he usually struggled to get four at a time in his own apartment.

He felt along the end table for his glasses and washed up a bit before heading downstairs. He could hear sounds in the kitchen and planned to slip out while his hosts were having breakfast, getting in at least an interview or two with the locals before they noticed his absence.

“Going somewhere?”

Clyde froze as he heard Jason’s voice from the hallway behind him. He turned to find the Alpha watching him in a way that made it clear his mate’s good faith was not mutual.

“I figured I’d disturbed you enough without interrupting your breakfast,” he said carefully, taking a small step back toward the front door. Not that he’d make it if he ran. He was fast, but Jason had a foot of height on him at least, and a team of shifters at his call.

“What’s the rush?” Jason took a step closer. The humorless expression on his face said he was more than willing to call the omega’s bluff.

Clyde decided to stand his ground, since there really was no other option. He folded his arms, and the Alpha seemed surprised he was willing to meet his gaze. “You made it pretty clear I wasn’t welcome here last night. Why the change of heart?”

Jason blinked. Something told Clyde he wasn’t used to having the tables turned on him. After staring at Clyde for a moment, he let out a heavy sigh. “Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot. I don’t make a habit of welcoming outsiders. Especially not ones the Tribunal sends to manipulate me.”

“Manipulate you?” Now it was Clyde who was at a loss.

“Come on, I know they don’t usually send omegas to do their dirty work. Not work this dirty, at any rate.”

Clyde narrowed his eyes. It was pretty much the same thing Kade had told him, but there was something about this Alpha’s delivery that rubbed him in all the wrong ways. “Excuse me? I’m an agent of the Tribunal. There’s no distinction between me and anyone else.”

“Kade saw your badge,” he scoffed. “You might technically be an agent, but they don’t often send out Mediators on murder investigations, do they?”

Clyde’s jaw tightened. Jason had called his bluff, and the smug look on the Alpha’s face said he knew it, too.

Jason’s gaze softened. “I didn’t mean to offend you. That’s the exact opposite of what I was trying to —“ he broke off, making a sound of pure frustration as his hand swept back over his buzzed hair. “Look, there’s something you need to —“

Three sharp knocks at the door immediately followed by a flurry of doorbell rings seemed to take Jason by surprise as much as Clyde. “What now?” the Alpha growled, stalking over to answer the door. A nervous-looking omega with long, blue-gray hair tied back in a thick braid that hung over her shoulder stood at the door, huddled under a patterned shawl.

“It’s Betty,” she cried sharply. “She’s in labor, and I thought you’d want to know.”

In the span of a single second, horror, shock and worry flickered over the Alpha’s handsome face. He looked at Clyde and for a moment, an understanding passed between them. The truth was out, and while they’d both known it from the beginning, the little song and dance of Jason and Kade trying to cover it up while Clyde tried to uncover it was over.

The cat, as they said, was out of the bag. The problem was that it had claws and it was pissed.

The woman at the door looked worriedly over at Clyde, as if she’d just noticed the other omega’s presence. “Oh, dear. Was he —?”

“It’s fine, Nellie,” Jason said, his teeth shut tight. He turned to face Kade. Clyde hadn’t even heard the Alpha come in, but from the look on his pale face, it was clear that he had heard enough. “You know what has to be done, right?”

Kade’s mouth pressed into a somber line and he nodded.

Without another word, Jason turned and slammed the door behind him. Clyde turned, still processing what had just happened, only to find Kade standing right before him. He barely had time to glimpse the object in his hand before Kade grabbed him, pulling him up against his athletic chest.

“I’m sorry.” There was genuine sorrow in the Alpha’s voice, which was probably what disturbed Clyde far more than the sharp pain of the needle going into his neck. He gave a startled cry and staggered out of Kade’s grasp only to have his legs give out, as if someone had just slung a corded weight around them. Kade caught him before his head hit the ground, and the last thing he heard before falling unconscious was the Alpha murmuring, “I wish it hadn’t gone this way.”