“Lucy, we need to—oh.”

I broke from the kiss and blinked open my eyes to find Reagan hovering in front of the door, arms crossed and her alpha stare in full swing. The sight tickled me pink—as though she were some mama bear about to defend her cub. The thought was downright hilarious, and I burst out laughing.

Wiping tears from my eyes, I gestured toward her. “Leif, meet Reagan. My best friend. Reagan, this is Leif.”

She didn’t budge from the door. Instead, she trained her unflinching gaze on him. “I thought you were supposed to be talking. I hate to rush you, but we have places we need to be.”

Heat rushed through my cheeks. “Right. Sorry. Shall we go inside, then?”

She shook her head. “Gabriel just called. He needs Jerrik and me at the scene immediately. The police have finished, and the coroner is waiting for us now. I’m afraid the reunion will need to wait for another night.”

“Probably for the best,” I commented. Who knew how Leif and Jerrik would react to seeing each other again. It certainly didn’t seem like the sort of situation that would blow over in a few minutes.

“What scene?” Leif demanded.

Reagan lifted her chin. “Not your concern. Lucy, you’re coming with us.”

“What?” A murder scene was the last place I wanted to go.

“We don’t know anything about him.” She waved a hand toward Leif. “We know he’s here to find Jerrik, but not why. And we don’t know how you fit into all this. No way in hell I’m leaving you alone with him.”

I snorted. “You think he’d hurt me? After what you just walked in on?”

“I don’t know what to think. That’s the point. We don’t know him.”

“Reagan.” I rubbed the back of my hand against my brow. “I’m not a child. I can take care of myself.”

Her fiery glare turned to me. “I know you’re not a child. But—”

“And I’m certainly not going to follow you to a murder scene. What good would I be?”

“A murder scene?” Leif’s gaze danced between us.

“Lucy, I’m not leaving you here alone with this guy! And I can’t stay here. Gabriel wants us to try and track these vamps down tonight, so—”

“Exactly! I would only get in the way!”

A deep growl scraped past Reagan’s lips. “Stop being so stubborn.”

“I’m not the one being stubborn here!”

“Whoa! Time out.” Leif stepped between us, hands raised. He shot Reagan a glance. “Did you say vampires?”

“Back off,” Reagan snarled. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“Unfortunately, it has everything to do with him,” Jerrik’s deep voice interjected.

Everyone froze. Then, slowly, Leif turned, his hands clenched into fists. I shot Reagan a panicked stare. No way this would end well. And an all-out brawl in front of my neighbors was the last thing we needed, especially when a crime scene awaited us. My neighbors knew I was a werewolf, but I fought hard to keep my dark side hidden from them. A battle of the alphas would destroy the peace I’d worked so hard to cultivate.

“All right,” I murmured, hands raised peaceably. “Everyone remain calm. This isn’t the time or place to fight.”

“Who said anything about fighting?” Jerrik asked.

But he wasn’t the one who worried me. Leif’s entire body vibrated with energy, his hands flexing as he glowered at Jerrik.

“I’m serious.” I laid a hand on Leif’s shoulder, not to restrain but to offer comfort. “Absolutely no fighting. This is my home, and I won’t see it destroyed over some pissing contest.”

Leif’s muscles bunched. “Pissing contest? Do you have any idea what he did?”

“No, but this isn’t the time—”

“He murdered his son!” Leif snarled, his accent thickening. “A boy I thought of as my own. He slaughtered our village. Turned me into this. Then he ran.”

My fingers flew to my parted lips. Holy shit. Reagan had said Jerrik had a complicated past, but this…

“It isn’t that simple,” Reagan said.

“Yes, defend him.” Leif stole toward the steps, his body rippling with tension. Reagan matched his movement, prepared to intervene should he suddenly attack. “He destroyed everything and everyone in sight. I still hear their screams to this day. But none so clearly as Baldr’s. Your son trusted you! And how did you repay him?”

“Leif…”

Rage contorted his face and brightened his eyes. “I was the only one who survived, and it wasn’t until the next full moon that I realized why. The others you massacred, but me…me you cursed.”

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of Baldr.” Jerrik bowed his head, his voice quiet. “Or wish that I could change what happened. But newly made werewolves are volatile. Especially ones bitten and not born. You can’t tell me you didn’t have the same problem.”

A bark of laughter exploded past Leif’s lips. “I was trapped in the middle of nowhere. With no way home. No crew to man my ship. And no one to help me through my first change.”

“I didn’t have anyone either,” Jerrik offered. “If I’d known you’d survived…”

“Don’t.”

“Leif, look at me.” I took his hand and squeezed. I waited until his burning gaze found mine before I continued. “I can’t imagine what you went through. What both of you went through. These sorts of stories are why Gabriel outlawed forcibly changing people. Werewolves are the most dangerous of creatures. Those who haven’t a clue what’s going on always lose control. You were out in the middle of nowhere, with no one left to hurt. Jerrik wasn’t so lucky. But believe me when I tell you it would have been a completely different story for you if someone had been there.”

His mouth thinned. “If you expect me to forgive him…”

“I would never ask that of you. I barely know you. But I know Jerrik. And I know the kind of person he is. I know that he saved Reagan’s life, that he loves and cherishes her. He’s carved out a life here. If anything ever happened to him, she’d be devastated. Destroying him means destroying my best friend as well. Two lives instead of one. Is that what you want?”

Gold swelled in his eyes. “That’s low.”

It was, but right now I didn’t have any other choice.

Leif closed his eyes and drew in a long breath. “Fine. I won’t hurt him.” His eyes opened, and he pinned me with a severe stare. “For now.”

“Good,” Jerrik chimed in. “Because we have bigger issues to contend with, like vampires. Don’t we, Leif?”

I turned my attention to Jerrik. “What does Leif have to do with the vampires?”

Jerrik fished his cell phone out of his pocket and held it up for all to see. “I was curious. So, I did some research. Information is key, after all. Turns out, Leif Erikson is quite the renowned hunter overseas. Most have come to know him by his other name, though. The blood wolf.”

“Blood wolf,” I repeated. “Like how you’re known as the shadow wolf.”

Jerrik inclined his head. “Except, I kept my real name a secret. Leif never was the humble sort.”

Snarling, Leif lunged toward the stairs.

Without thought, I threw myself between them and slapped a hand against Leif’s chest, his elevated body heat warming my palm. “What’s he talking about?”

“He’s talking about vampires,” Leif grumbled. “Back home, people pay me to hunt them down. And they pay me well. Those damn leeches are like the plague. When Gabriel drove them out of North America, they returned home, to the Old World, where they resumed their favorite pastime. So, I started hunting them down, and I made a name for myself. Over the years, people began calling me the blood wolf—a name to symbolize who I am and what I do. I never needed to hide my identity, though. Everyone already knows who I am.”

“Okay, so what does this have to do with anything?” I asked.

Reagan relaxed her stance. “Gabriel always taught me never to believe in coincidences. Leif shows up, and a few weeks later, we have vampires? What are the chances of that?”

“Slim to nil,” Jerrik commented.

Leif’s gaze leapt between the two of them. “Wait, you’re blaming this on me?”

“No one is blaming anything on anyone. Right?” I threw Reagan a hard stare.

“Not blaming, no.” She walked to the nearest chair and dropped onto it with a heavy sigh. “But we can’t pretend the two aren’t related. Centuries passed without us hearing about a single bloodsucker, and then right after you fly in, we have our first death. I can’t ignore that. So, tell me, Leif. If the vampires had received word that you’d left the country, would they have followed?”

Understanding dawned. “You think they’re here for him?”

“They came for a reason,” Reagan replied. “And he’s the only link. Leif isn’t on his home turf. Could be they think this is their best chance to kill him. But now they’ve killed one of ours. Which means, I can’t keep his presence a secret from Gabriel.”

“Reagan…”

“I’m sorry, Lucy. But this is out of my hands now. Marie is dead, and it’s our job to track down the murderers. You know how this works. I have to tell him.”

“You don’t actually believe Leif had anything to do with this, right?”

She lifted her head, her mouth a grim slash.

My shoulders slumped. I understood her logic—I truly did. But a part of me wished she weren’t so damn loyal to her father all the time. “Can we at least keep the rest of this a secret for now? I’m not ready for the entire pack to know I’m pregnant yet.”

She nodded. “I can do that. It’s not relevant to the vampires or Marie’s death. But you have to know you won’t be able to keep this a secret for long. Your scent won’t be the only thing that changes.”

“I know.” I released a long breath. “So, what now?”

Reagan and Jerrik shared a fleeting glance, then Jerrik nodded and started toward the car.

“We’ll bring Leif to Gabriel, but we need to check out the crime scene first. So, he’ll come with us, and then we’ll go see Gabriel afterward. I don’t want either of you to get your hopes up, though. Gabriel made an exception for Jerrik because of everything he did for me. I can’t imagine Gabriel will be quite as forgiving with Leif.”

I wrapped my arms around my midriff and contemplated her words. Leif and I might have only spent one night together, but the thought of Gabriel exiling him—or worse—made my stomach twist. Reagan was Gabriel’s one shining light amidst an ocean of darkness. She was his daughter and heir. I was nothing more than her best friend. He cared for me, as any alpha did for their pack, but nothing more. Without a doubt, I knew he wouldn’t take my feelings into consideration, not like he had Reagan’s.

“Let me help,” Leif suggested. “I know you don’t trust me, but you need me. It’s been a few centuries since Gabriel drove out the vampires, meaning you’ve never seen one. You have no idea what they’re capable of or what one even looks like. I’ve been hunting them for centuries.”

Hope bloomed in my chest. If Leif proved useful, maybe I could convince Gabriel to let him stay. I froze and blinked down at my feet, confused by my own thoughts. He’d said we were mates, but that didn’t mean he intended to hang around. Maybe he had every intention of returning home to Norway. It wasn’t like we’d had a chance to discuss this, after all.

“No,” Reagan said, her voice pulling me from my thoughts. “You’re right. I don’t trust you. And I make it a rule not to work with people I don’t trust.”

“Reagan—”

“I said no, Lucy. Once Jerrik and I are finished investigating the scene, we’ll escort him to Gabriel. Until then…” She rose, dusted off her backside, and faced Leif. “You’ll remain on your best behavior and keep your nose out of our business.”

I bit my tongue to keep from saying something I’d regret. I understood Reagan’s logic, but it was flawed. Leif had spent his life hunting vampires, whereas we’d never so much as crossed paths with a single one. I knew Reagan, though, and I knew pushing the matter would only force her to dig in her heels.

“You know, I haven’t done anything to warrant this mistrust,” Leif responded.

“Really?” Reagan straightened to her full height and stared him in the eye. Hell, even I flinched at the anger burning in her gaze. “You came here to hunt down my fiancé. And on the heels of your arrival, one of our pack mates is murdered by vampires. You might not be responsible but seems to me they’re here because you are. That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, Mr. Erikson.”

“Reagan…”

“I’m sorry, Lucy, I am. I know he’s the father of your child, but that means nothing to me right now. If he wants me to trust him, he needs to prove that I can.”

And on that note, she turned and strode toward the car.

I blew out an exasperated breath and dragged my hands through my hair. “This was not how I anticipated tonight going down.”

Leif hummed under his breath, then shot me a glance. “No one died. So, at least there’s that.”