She rubbed her arms, her gaze seeking Duncan. He stood near the buffet table with three other men. Given the similarities of their features, it wasn't much of a guess to say two were his brothers and the other his father. And it was easy to see where the sons got their looks. Even though his hair had long gone silver, the Sinclair pack leader was a picture of male perfection.
From all reports, the sons had learned their wild ways from their father. While all four had been born by one woman, Zeke Sinclair never committed himself to her, preferring to chase the tails of many during the moon dance.
Her gaze slipped to Duncan. Would he chase other wolves during this moon phase? While sanity suggested it would be good if he did, some small part of her reacted almost hostilely at the thought.
Which was totally, utterly insane. She'd come here for one reason only — to catch a murderer. What Duncan did or said during the next few days didn't really matter in the scheme of things — particularly when he'd made it so clear he was only after one thing from her. At least if he was with other mates, she'd have more time to investigate. Which is exactly what she should be doing right now.
Tearing her gaze away from him, she scanned the room again. She saw a mask that was familiar, and surprise rippled through her. Betise hadn't mentioned that she'd be attending the dance this week, and Neva wasn't sure whether to be happy about seeing her or not. While Betise was a regular customer at the diner, she very rarely spoke to anyone but her and Ari. The chance of Betise mentioning Neva's presence here at the mansion were slim.
Even so, she briefly thought about retreating to the shadows and keeping out of sight. But if anyone would know the secrets of this place, it would be Betise. She'd certainly proven a reliable source of information so far.
The blonde wolf was dressed in what looked like a dozen gauzy veils, and every movement revealed glimpses of flesh. She was talking to the man Neva had seen Duncan with last night. Even as Neva watched, the man made a chopping motion with his hand then walked away. What Neva could see of Betise's expression was savage, to say the least.
If that look was anything to go by, it probably wasn't the best time to be asking Betise about the Sinclairs and that man, but right now, Neva had little choice. She might not get a second chance.
She took a deep breath, then headed back into the crowd. The sensual beat of the music was accompanied by sighs of pleasure and the slap of flesh against flesh. Revulsion stirred, yet the fever rose in her blood, and the deep-down ache Duncan had started only minutes ago became fiercer. She might hate this sort of wanton, exhibitionist behavior, but the wildness within hungered to join them. Hungered to become part of this lusty, sweating crowd.
She definitely wasn't that different from any of those here tonight, no matter what her parents might have taught her over the years. High ideals meant little in the heat of the moon, it seemed.
She finally broke free of the crowd and saw Betise heading for a side exit. She followed, breathing deeply the crisp night air before she called out to the other wolf.
Betise swung around, and surprise flitted across her hard features as she took off her mask. "Neva. I didn't expect to find you here tonight."
Neva shrugged and stopped several feet away from the other woman. "If I had any choice, I wouldn't be." Though perhaps sense would have been a better word to use than choice.
Betise frowned. "Why not?"
"Apparently I agreed to some form of ancient binding without even realizing it, and now I'm stuck here for the remainder of this moon phase."
Betise's pale eyebrows rose. "Duncan did a moon binding with you?"
"Yeah. What a bitch, huh?"
"I guess it is if you don't want it." The slight edge in Betise's voice suggested a binding was something she certainly wouldn't have minded.
"Well, I don't, believe me."
Betise smiled. It never reached her silvery green eyes, and the thick sensation of envy briefly stung the air. "Being bonded to Duncan the rest of this phase will be a pretty amazing experience."
Amazing was certainly one word that could be used to describe what they'd shared so far. Harrowing was another. So was life-destroying. And it was all self-inflicted. No one had forced her into this situation. She'd stepped into it with her eyes wide open.
She raised an eyebrow. "I take it you've danced with Duncan?"
"In times past." Betise waved a hand toward the distant fountain. "I need to cool down. You want to walk with me?"
Neva nodded and fell into step beside the older wolf. "When was this?" She kept her voice carefully neutral, even though she was desperate to know.
The moon and this place were making her insane, for sure.
"Before he left to go to Denver. He and I were an item for the last year he was here." Betise sighed again. "We were planning to perform the moon ceremony. We wanted to start a family."
Something twisted deep inside Neva. The moon ceremony was a life-bonding ritual that was performed the night before the full moon — and one that was only ever performed between soul mates. But if Betise and Duncan were soul mates, why was he with her rather than Betise? "So what happened?"
"I don't know. He disappeared for several weeks, then ended up in jail down in Denver. By the time I got down there, he'd been released and I lost track of him again."
"And you never tried to find him?" If her soul mate had disappeared, she would have moved Heaven and Earth to find him again.
Betise's glance was dark. "Of course I did. But by the time I did, a couple of years had passed, and he wanted nothing more to do with me. I still don't know why."