He felt rather than saw his brother's frown. "From the red pack — why?"
"Then her attacker is silver — unless you were in hunter form when you came here."
"No. But you were."
"I shifted before I reached the body. I doubt this is from my coat."
"It was one of our own?" Shock cracked his brother's deep voice.
"This hair would suggest so."
"It could be a plant."
"Could be." Though he very much doubted it. The rangers already knew it was a silver wolf behind these attacks. Planting one hair didn't make any sense — even though a similar clue had been left at each of the other crime scenes.
René cleared his throat. "Do you know this is the fourth attack in as many weeks?"
"Yeah, I'd heard as much." He rose and studied the trees around them. There were three trails from the gate, but all of them led to Ripple Creek. Had the killer continued on to town, or had he simply turned back around and rejoined the dance? There were plenty of fountains inside the grounds where a bloody wolf might wash — though if he were one of their own, slipping unseen into the mansion was a simple matter. Every Sinclair in the pack knew the locations of the secret passages — and there was one near every gate.
"We'd better get the rangers out here."
René grunted. "Damn horrible way to end the night's dance."
Duncan raised an eyebrow. "That's the first time anything has stopped you enjoying the moon fever."
"Yeah, but this is the first time I've seen one of my chosen mates dead." He shrugged. "But then, I haven't the tasty morsel waiting for me that you have."
A tasty morsel whose delights he could not enjoy again for a while yet. He had every intention of being here when the rangers arrived. "Go call the cops. I'll go tend to my morsel."
René stepped around the body and clapped a hand on Duncan's shoulder. "Don't take long. I want you to back up my story, or the rangers are likely to throw my tail in jail. They're desperate for a quick arrest on this one."
"Even rangers can't convict without evidence." Though he'd known one or two in his time who were certainly willing to concoct it.
He returned through the gates and headed for the pavilion. Jasmine stirred the air, and he stopped abruptly, his gaze roaming the trees. She'd been here.
Listening. Watching.
Why?
He remembered the fear in her eyes, the uncertainty. Remembered thinking she was not the usual type of woman found at these moon dances.
Why had she been around the west side of the mansion? It was far away from the dance, and generally considered out of bounds for all but those belonging to the Sinclair pack.
Something clenched deep in his gut. Disappointment, perhaps. Certainly anger.
He was being played.
Someone obviously suspected why he was here. What better way was there to keep an eye on him than to offer something even his jaded tastes could not resist? Neva was alluring, sensual, a wolf in the full peak of her sexual prowess, and yet oddly, almost innocently, unaware of that fact.
Anger surged through him. He'd taken the bait without thought. Moons, what a fool.
Still, it was a game that worked both ways, now that he was aware of it. Over the next couple of days, he could push their union to the extreme and wait for her to reach the breaking point. She would break, of that he was sure. Their one brief mating had confirmed that while she wasn't innocent, she was certainly inexperienced. Sooner or later she'd go running back to whoever was behind this, desperate to end the charade. And once she did, he'd have a suspect to follow.
He took a deep, calming breath, then continued on through the trees.
She was waiting near the pavilion steps, but her welcoming smile faded as he approached. He swallowed his anger, knowing he had to be careful. The Sinclairs might be strong telepaths, but the golden pack far outstripped even them. He couldn't give her the slightest hint he knew her game — not yet. Not until he'd made her desperate enough to run back to the man behind all this rather than away from them both.
And he had to admit, he was rather looking forward to the task. René was right — she was an extremely tasty morsel. He wondered what she was being paid to seduce him. It had better be a lot, because she was certainly going to earn her money over the next couple of days.