“He’s a good Alpha,” said Fenton. “More ambitious and greedy than most, but not negligent. He’s protective of his wolves, and he keeps the pack organized and strong.”

Trey spoke then. “From what Myles said, you think his mother sexually abused him. Is that right?”

Rosa seemed to struggle for words. “Their relationship . . . it’s not healthy. She doesn’t like other females around him.”

Taryn’s mouth curved slightly, and Ryan imagined she was thinking about Greta. “Maybe she just can’t cut the apron strings.”

Rosa shook her head. “You’d have to see them together to understand. She touches him all the time—lingering touches, not the way a mother touches her son. It made my skin crawl. Deanne’s possessive of him the way a shifter would be possessive of their mate. She constantly accuses him of sleeping with females of the pack. To my knowledge, he hasn’t slept with any of them. I know some females who would have been happy to crawl into his bed—not everyone believes the rumors.”

“What about Remy?” asked Taryn. “How does he react to Deanne’s behavior?”

“I wouldn’t say he’s receptive to her touch, but he never pushes her away. He doesn’t like her possessiveness and they argue something fierce about it. But then she cries and says he doesn’t love her or he wouldn’t yell at her like that. Then he stops and comforts her, saying of course he loves her.” Rosa rubbed her upper arms. “Like I said, you’d have to see them together to really understand. But I’m telling you, no mother should touch her son like that.”

Trey draped an arm over the back of Taryn’s chair. “I understand Remy spends a lot of time with the children.”

Fenton nodded. “Mostly the boys. He keeps them close to him.”

“You sure that he’s not protecting them from Deanne?” Taryn shrugged. “I mean, if she abused him, he could worry she’ll abuse them.”

Rosa twiddled her fingers. “It crossed my mind, but . . .”

“What?” Trey pressed.

“Again, it’s something you’d have to see.” Rosa’s gaze turned inward. “The way he touches them is innocent, almost reverent. Just little strokes on their head, light pats on their back, and fingering their hair. But I once saw a child flinch away from his touch, and Remy backhanded him so hard he fell to the ground. The boy didn’t flinch the next time.”

Ryan bit back a growl. It was like Remy was grooming them, getting them used to his touch.

Dante linked hands with a pale Jaime. “How many boys went missing?”

“Three,” replied Fenton. “Two were orphans.”

“How old were they?”

“I think two of them were seven and the other was eight, but I’m not certain.”

“Do you think Remy killed them?”

“That, I don’t know. It’s hard to imagine him doing such a thing. He’s very protective of all the pups, even if it’s for the wrong reason.”

“Maybe they fought the abuse or threatened to tell someone,” suggested Jaime. “Remy wouldn’t have liked that.”

Ryan grunted his agreement. Remy would get rid of them not just to protect his reputation but to show the other children what would happen if they put up any sort of struggle.

“Myles mentioned that one of the males within the pack accused Remy of abusing his son,” said Trey.

Fenton nodded. “I wasn’t there, but Rosa was.”

“That was an awful morning. Vance was a dominant wolf, but he wasn’t the confrontational type. He was a very laid-back male, hardly ever lost his temper. But that morning, he tracked Remy down and looked ready to kill him. Vance said that his nine-year-old son, Clay, claimed that Remy touched him inappropriately when they went on one of their nature walks. He called him sick and perverted and a bunch of other names. Then he just flew at Remy, shifting into a wolf midair. He fought well, but Remy won. Vance’s mate didn’t survive his death, and Clay was nowhere to be seen. Some think Remy killed him, but most think he just ran off.”

Ryan had a question. “How many actually suspect he’s a pedophile?”

“Not many,” replied Fenton. “We talked about it. We thought of grouping together and confronting him. But most of us were submissive wolves—we didn’t have a chance against Remy, even as a group, especially since he has his Beta and enforcers to protect him.”

That much was true. They would have simply gotten themselves killed, which wouldn’t have helped anyone.

“And after seeing what happened to Vance, we were all afraid,” added Rosa. “By killing him, Remy showed the pack exactly what would happen to anyone who voiced their suspicions. And that’s all they are—suspicions.”

“But that Clay kid accused Remy of abusing him,” Trick reminded them.

“Yes,” allowed Fenton, “but as Remy pointed out, Clay was a troubled pup who was always lying and stealing.”

The perfect target, in a way, since it was unlikely that his accusations would be believed.

“Yet, you didn’t stay there.” Dante tilted his head. “I’m surprised he let you leave.”

“That’s the thing about Remy,” said Fenton. “He is a good Alpha. He treats his wolves well. That’s why it’s so hard to believe he could be guilty of those things. But we have kids; we weren’t prepared to take the chance.”