MY MATE IS A SCAMMER

*CHAPTER 2: THE FIRST MEETING* I expected a criminal. A woman in handcuffs. Shaking. Begging. I did not expect her. Margaret Kyle walked into my interrogation room wearing ripped jeans, a black hoodie, and sneakers. Her hair was in a messy bun. No makeup. And she looked... exhausted. Like she hadn’t slept in days. Two of my guards stood behind her. She didn’t look at them. She didn’t look at me. Her eyes were on the floor. “Leave us,” I told my men. Damien hesitated. “Alpha, she’s dangerous—” “Out.” The door closed. Now it was just me. And her. And the mate bond pulling at my chest like a rope tied around my heart. She finally looked up. Brown eyes. Big. Tired. And when they met mine, she gasped. Because she felt it too. “You,” she whispered. I leaned against the table, arms crossed. My wolf was going insane. Mine. Mine. Mine. “Me,” I said. “You stole ₦280,000,000 from my pack, Ms. Margaret She flinched. “It wasn’t me,” she said quickly. Too quickly. “I mean— I did it. But I had to. My brother—” “Is dying,” I finished for her. Damien’s report was thorough. “Leukemia. Hospital bills. ₦30,000,000.” Her face crumbled. “How did you—” “I’m an Alpha, Marg. I know everything that happens in my territory.” She laughed, but it sounded broken. “An Alpha. Of course. The Moon Goddess really has jokes.” My jaw tightened. “You scammed us.” “I know.” Tears filled her eyes but she didn’t let them fall. “And I was going to pay it back. Every kobo. I swear. I just needed 3 more months—” The mate bond surged. I could taste her fear. Her desperation. Her guilt. And underneath it all... something else. Hope. My wolf wanted to go to her. To touch her. To claim her and fix everything. My brain wanted to throw her in a cell. “Why did you stop?” I asked. My voice was lower now. Dangerous. She met my eyes again. “Because the day I transferred the last payment... I saw your face on the news. Alpha Kael Blackwood. And I felt this.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “Right here. Like I was being ripped in half.” The room went silent. The Moon Goddess didn’t make mistakes. She gave me the one woman who betrayed me. And she gave her the one man who could destroy her. I stood up and walked to the door. My back was to her. If I looked at her again, I wasn’t sure what I would do. “Guards,” I said. “Take her to the east wing. Guest room. Not a cell.” “Alpha?” Damien’s voice came through the door. “She’s my mate,” I said, and the word tasted like ash and fire. “But she’s also a criminal. She doesn’t leave this house. Not until I decide what to do with her.” I opened the door and walked out without looking back. Because if I did, I knew I’d kiss her. And I wasn’t ready to forgive her yet. *[END OF CHAPTER 2]* _He caught the scammer. Now he has to live with her.