The Alpha Wolf's Secret Baby (Wolves of Anchorage 3)

Tristan

The female shifter in his arms said nothing.

This had to be Violet.

It had been seven years. Seven long years since he had seen his mate, but he had not forgotten the way she felt in his arms.

She stared at him blankly. "No. I don't know what you're talking about. My name is Jennifer."

He sighed. He couldn't stay and argue with her or ask if she had a twin.

There were still two humans inside that burning building, and he had to get them out.

He put her on the ground, on her feet, hoping she could stay upright. “Stay there. I'll be right back.”

He went inside and located the missing couple. He tucked one underneath each arm and hauled them out. He was a big guy, and they were both slender, so no explanations would be needed about how he could get them both out at once.

The medics had arrived by then, so he left the humans with them. He went straight back to the female who looked just like Violet.

"Are you okay?” he asked her. He could hardly hand her over to the human medics. But if she was injured, he could take care of her himself. He kept supplies in his bag that could be used for shifters. "I have a few potions tucked in here."

"I'm fine. I breathed in smoke, but I didn't get burned at all."

"Can you tell me what happened?" he asked.

Sometimes shifters were more reliable witnesses than humans. Simply because they could hear more, smell more, and see more. If there was an intruder, she was more likely to know about it.

Once she was a little more comfortable talking to him, then he could try to figure out why she looked like Violet, why she felt like Violet.

"No. I thought it came from the other side of the woods, but I’m not sure. I didn’t smell a leak of any kind.”

"We’ll make sure and check that out. Can you tell me where you were when the fire started?" he asked.

"I was asleep in my room. Is this an official investigation, or can I go?"

"The sheriff will want to talk to everyone who's up for it. But that doesn't have to be tonight. The sheriff will also probably help everyone find a hotel for the night. It's a small town and they all look out for each other."

"As you know, I don't need a hotel. And I wasn't here with the humans. Thank you for saving my life."

“Wait," he said. He reached for her arm but didn’t touch her. “I wanted to see you again. When I'm not working or in the middle of a crisis."

"Sure. I work for them." She pointed at the smoldering building. “I'll be back to help clean up.”

He did not want her to go. Everything inside of him was screaming at him not to let her go. But he could hardly hold her hostage.

“I’ll find you tomorrow,” he said.

He took a brief second to watch her walk away.

Then, she disappeared into the tree line.

He knew he was right. That was her. That was his mate. He wanted to run after her. But he couldn’t abandon his duty.

He would find her tomorrow.