“Who were you talking to?”

“My assistant manager. He’s going to Pike Place Market this morning to pick up some supplies and…oh, not like you need to know the details.”

“Yeah. Well, here’s how it’s going to go.” Lex kept his eyes on the road as he drove. “One of us, more probably, two of us, will be with you at all times while you are at the shop. I will drive you daily. This is not negotiable. You will not leave the shop without one of us accompanying you. You will not enter the shop until we have done a sweep and ensured everything is clear.”

“Yeah, yeah. Okay, Principal McGruff.”

Megan snorted laughter in the backseat and Lex cut his eyes to her in the rearview mirror but she studiously avoided looking up.

“I mean it, Nina. Now that we’re mated it’s going to be even more difficult for me to let go of you. I’ll be more protective. It’s biology. If we work together, we can make it easier. Come on, you seriously can’t…oh shit!”

Nina’s head came up and she saw the smoking ruin of her shop. Automatically her hand went for the door but Lex was quicker, hitting the automatic locks.

“No! Nina, I know you’re upset but you can’t charge out there.” Megan leaned forward and rubbed Nina’s shoulders, murmuring softly to her.

“I have to talk to the police.” Nina’s voice was flat. “Pull over here, there are plenty here now.”

Lex started to argue but met his sister’s eyes. Megan shook her head once, staying his actions. With a sigh, he pulled over in the parking lot of the bookstore next to the shop.

“Stay here until I get your door.” Lex slid out and surveyed the area as he walked around to let her out of the car.

He led her to the firefighters on scene, trying to stifle his alarm at how limp and lifeless she felt as she let him lead her around.

“Officers, my fiancée, Nina Reyes is the owner of this shop. What’s happened?” Lex asked as they got to the police line.

“Ma’am,” one of the firefighters said as he pulled off some of his smoke-stained gear, “it doesn’t look accidental.”

“Arson? Oh, of course! Because it wasn’t enough to burn down my house. Oh! Everyone is okay? Oh god! There was no one here yet? You see, for early deliveries on Thursdays, we’re often here at five. None of my employees was ins…” her voice broke and Lex pulled her to his side.

Megan stood discreet but alert at their back.

“No ma’am, the place was empty. Can you wait over there please?” The firefighter pointed at the corner. “I’m sure the police and the investigators will want to talk to you.”

Numb, Nina let Lex guide her to the corner to wait. She had to let the grief wash over her so she could get to the mad. Instinctively, she knew the mad would save her, help her get through.

Lex stood next to her, rubbing small circles over her back. She’d noticed that the wolves liked to touch at times of stress. She also realized that she’d have to stop thinking of it as things that happened to them because she was one of them too.

“When this is all over, I’m going to check myself into a hospital and have a heart attack,” she said tiredly.

“I’m so sorry, beautiful. We’re going to find who did this, I promise you.”

“Carter did this, Lex. Come on! You know it and I know it,” she hissed as she saw someone come over from the scene. It was the man who was investigating the fire at her house.

“Ms. Reyes. I wish I could say I was happy to see you. Do you happen to know anything about this?” Detective Stoner came to a stop in front of them.

“I wish I did. I was coming to my shop for the first time in a week.” Nina felt the anger and the frustration at not being able to tell this man the whole story. Lex had asked her to leave the details to the Pack and she’d agreed. She had serious misgivings at that point in letting the Pack handle it all, but she’d given her word so she kept the details to a minimum.

“No? No enemies? Someone you may have offended back in Ohio?” The detective asked the question with forced casualness but Nina had dealt with enough social workers and cops to know fishing when she saw it. She could also smell something acrid about him.

While Nina felt Lex’s arm tense slightly, she knew he’d not appear any different to the man questioning her.

“My crimes were stupid and petty and are over a decade old. I’m sure you also saw that other than juvenile records, I’ve been clean. Someone I cheated in some street dice game back when I was seventeen is not going to burn down my house and shop.

“Pardon me for doing your job and all,” because you’re not was the unspoken part, “but this is something a hell of a lot bigger than some crap I did a stint in juvie for a decade ago.”

“Hey, no need to get defensive. I was just trying to figure out who did this and why. Obviously whoever did this knows you or has some personal issue with you. It’s only logical to ask you if you had any information.”

“Do you think I would hide information for fun? That it’s so enjoyable having my entire life burn down around my ears, threatening my employees? You’ve done your homework so you know I came from nothing. I worked hard to build my business up, I want to catch who did this more than you do—I promise you that.”

Stoner held his hands up in surrender in the face of her anger. “I’ll be in touch. I take it you’re still staying with Mr. Warden here?” He nodded his chin toward Lex.