Fighting Free

Ch. 6: The Unexpected Detective

Metztli pushed a few lost strands of hair behind his ear as he gave out a shaky sigh. He was sitting next to his sister on the loveseat in the apartment the Asher pack had given them. After the Alpha had agreed for Metztli to meet with Jane’s daughter, Eliza had dragged him back to the apartment to talk. She wanted some quiet and calm before the children were brought back by the rest of the Moon pack members from the reception hall.

It was an indicator to Metztli of how serious the situation was; if Eliza was willing to step away from her children in another pack’s territory, it had to be bad.

“I have never met a wolf that would lie about finding their Mate,” Eliza sighed.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Eliza, but I haven’t felt anything while we’ve been here,” he shrugged.

“Why would someone lie about something so big,” she asked, more to herself than to Metztli.

“Maybe the Luna is right. Do you think it possible for a wolf to lie about finding their Mate in order to gain rank in their pack?” He looked over at her, but she just shook her head.

“I can’t say,” she shrugged after a few seconds of silence. “We don’t know this pack or its members. So, who’s to say what they are capable of doing. Maybe… Since you have the Alpha’s approval, you could snoop a little and find out why they would lie.” She seemed unsure about her idea and stared at Metztli for a moment, letting him mull it over.

“If you’re asking me to play detective, I’m guessing you don’t believe what you said to the Alpha,” he asked with an eyebrow raised.

“That the Ixchele feel Mates differently? Yeah, I dunno. Only our mother could answer that. I was just trying to get him to back off of that poor woman.” Metztli understood how dangerous the situation could have gone for Jane, but the mention of his mother pulled his thoughts into a new direction.

“Do you think that it was different for our mother when she met your father?” It was a legitimate question that had roamed into his head.

“Um. I never thought too much about it.” She bit her lip, her mind turning stones over in her head. “Well, from the story I heard, she was at a restaurant with your father and you. My father saw her and knew immediately that she was his Mate. What stands out to me in the story is that she was able to leave the building with her small Ixchele family.”

“Why would that be strange?”

“A wolf, when they find their Mate, would have never walked out the room without them, but our mother did.” Her eyebrows shot up and she looked like she had just explained everything to him.

“Soooo, you do think it was different between our mother and your father,” he asked, obviously trying to understand her point.

“Maybe. Something happened between her walking out of that restaurant and happily jumping into my father’s car to leave with him in the parking lot,” Eliza shrugged. He had to agree with her on her point. He had heard the same story growing up and looking at it now, maybe Eliza was right. “Metztli,” she continued, “this is all speculation. I don’t know any more than you.”

“I know,” he nodded. She stood up and walked to the kitchenette, where she had tossed her head dress when they had walked into the apartment.

“I do know this, though. If we don’t figure out what exactly is going on, Jane and her daughter will die. Alphas do not appreciate trouble makers.” Metztli understood Eliza. Whether these people were guilty or innocent, they don’t deserve the wrath of the Asher Alpha. Metztli nodded again. “Find out what you can in the next few days. Hopefully, we can get this mess sorted out.”

“I will,” he promised as she went towards the door. She stopped after opening the door and turned to look back at him.

“Metztli, if she turns out to be your Mate, I need to know right away. It will put up a whole new set of dangers for everyone.” He smiled at his sister. There was no way that he had a Mate in this pack, he thought. Or anywhere, for that matter. He was Ixchele and he swore to never end up with the same fate as his mother.

“Don’t worry, Eliza. I’ll get to the bottom of this quickly.” She returned Metztli’s smile and closed the door behind her, leaving him to ponder what his first move would be. He should take his sister’s advice and talk to the girl and her family, her friends as well, to decipher any reasons why she would fabricate such a lie.

He decided he would start with the girl, Jane’s daughter. He would speak with her first, gauge her truthfulness and see if she says anything that could be a clue. It would make a good starting point to unearth anything she might be hiding.

But first, Metztli would have to find Ashley. He had no idea where to find Jane or her daughter and he would need her help to reach them. So, he carefully took off his warrior regalia and placed it, neatly folded, on the couch he had slept on the night before. He went into Eliza’s room and rummaged in her closet, quickly finding a bag full of men’s clothing. His sister was always prepared, even for him. He knew Eliza would have packed for him like he was one of her children. A low chuckle rumbled out of him as he began pulling clothing out. She had become such a mother, he laughed to himself.

Once dressed in some jean's and a T-shirt, he went out to look for Ashley. He found the assistant pacing outside the entrance of the reception hall, her ear to her phone. He supposed the brunch was still in full swing since they had left right as everyone was being served.

"She will meet you at out at Tamalpais. Yes, at the same place. Same price?" Ashley noticed Metztli walking up to her. "I'll call you back later," she said before hanging up. She pasted a smile on her face and said brightly to him, "Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Metztli?"

"Yes, Ashley. Jane. I need to find her residence." Metztli didn't feel bad about interrupting her. It sounded shady anyways, so he stood close to her, impatient for the information she could give him. He must've unnerved her because she began to fidget with her hair and she shuffled from one foot to the other.

"Jane," she asked and cleared her throat. "Um, she lives in that building over there." Ashley pointed to one of the other buildings in the complex. "She lives there with both her daughters. It's apartment four-three-seven."

He flashed her one of his charming smiles and he saw her breath hitch, a blush tinged her cheeks. If Metztli wasn't busy with this current task, he thought he could have distracted himself with the blue eyed brunette in front of him at the moment. Instead, he simply said, "Thank you, Ashley." He left the flushed assistant staring at him as he walked away.

When he reached apartment four-three-seven, he knocked smoothly and waited for the door to open, but it never opened. The window next to the door looked dark. He was sure no one was home.

He was about to step away from their doorstep when he heard the door unlock. He went wide eyed when he saw the same beautiful blonde open the door, eyes red rimmed and face blotchy. She was barefoot, still in the same dress that she was wearing at the brunch.

Then it all clicked for Metztli. This girl had practically been vibrating when she came up to him earlier in the day. The blonde was Jane's daughter.

He said nothing, just looked at her, replaying the moments they first saw each other. He found her odd and a bit off, but now, as she stood a bit disheveled in front of him, there was something tragic about the girl standing on the doorstep.

Her breaths were steady and her eyes had dilated to the point that only a sliver of icy blue could be seen; they were bottomless black pools. As his eyes freely explored her figure, she wrapped her arms around herself like she was trying to contain all her pieces together.

"I apologize if I disturbed you," Metztli said softly. "You are Jane's daughter?" She nodded, her movements small. "I don't believe I caught your name."

"Sam," she said, her voice thick with some emotion she was obviously trying to suppress.

"Sam," he said and watched as she shivered at his voice. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Metztli." Her reaction was different from other encounters with female wolves. Usually, it was a blush like the one on Ashley's face moments before or a heated stare like the one that Eliza's assistant, Hailey, gave him that morning. He had never had someone react to him like Sam was doing.

"What do you want," she asked, her brows furrowed, arms still clenched around her and eyes hiding a burning he hadn't encountered before.

"I wanted to speak with you."

"About what? You walked away. You made it clear to me that you have rejected me."

"Well, you see. That's what I'm here about. You claim that we are Mates…"

"Yes." Her face was hard like stone, but Metztli could see her breathing becoming labored. Her eyes kept stopping on his lips as he talked, her own lips parting.

"And that I rejected you?"

"Yes. I just said that." Metztli smiled to himself. She was cute when she was annoyed.

"But I don't remember us even having a conversation." He spoke gently to her. He wasn't trying to hurt her or put her on the defensive.

"You're my Mate. I shouldn't need to say a single word. You should know," she said like he was stupid. He only smiled and nodded in agreement, all the while trying to be tactful in how to continue with the subject.

"But I'm not a wolf and I have no pack." He looked at her with pleading eyes, hoping to melt her anger a little.

"Oh," she breathed out. It seemed to have worked. Her arms softened their grip and her eyes darted to her feet. Sam stepped back and opened the door wide, one hand gesturing for him to come in.

When he walked in, he noticed the apartment had the same layout as Eliza's, but the furniture was shabbier, more worn. He didn't sit. Instead he stood near the doorway and waited for her to close the door.

"I'm Ixchele. I'm not sure what you know of my people, but we are not like wolves… And I don't believe we fall in love like wolves do." He tried his hardest for it to sound like an apology.

"I have heard a bit about your sister." Sam could barely look at him and he wondered why.

"Yeah," he acknowledged. After a few moments of quiet, he decided to push her a bit more, to see if she would accidentally let something slip. "You know, your Luna thinks you're lying."

"What," her expression was horrified. "How does the Luna know?" But before he could supply the answer, she groaned out, "Oh, sweet Goddess. My mother." A hand came up to her temples. She was mortified, it was clear.

"Your mother felt she was righting a wrong caused to her daughter." He watched her carefully, trying to pick up every movement she made, to decipher any duplicite meaning.

"She never thinks before she does anything. And I don't need her to fight my battles. If," she stopped and her breath caught for a second. "If you rejected me, then it is something I must deal with. Not her. She didn't need to involve the pack."

"Well, the pack is involved and so is my sister."

"What about you," she asked, her eyes pinning him.

"I'm here to figure out what exactly is going on." He looked away. Her gaze made him feel like a small boy being caught stealing sweets.

"And what do you think is going on? Do you think I'm lying?" Her words were hard and were singed with something unpleasant.

"That's what I plan to find out, Sam." She closed her eyes and sighed at hearing her name on his lips once more. He began to feel strange again, like he did in the reception hall. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end and his instincts were telling him that something wasn't right.

He stepped to the door without saying another word. As he pulled the door open to leave, she walked up to him, close enough to see the flecks of amber in his eyes, but not close enough to touch him.

"What will you do when you find out I'm not lying?" It was a simple question, but he hadn't allowed himself to think about it or imagine it. But having this golden haired and alluring woman in front of him, made his mind slow for a few seconds and envision her writhing under him in pleasure. A slow, hungry smile grew on his face.

"If you're not lying and you prove me wrong, I guess you'll have to deal with me in your bed every night." He leaned in so close he could almost touch her lips with his. "And I would make sure your nights were filled with other things besides sleep, Sam." He watched as she melted at his words and gave a low chuckle.

Without saying another word, he crossed the threshold and closed the door behind him, leaving her breathless and with a pool of wetness between her legs.