I lean closer to Jared, lowering my voice. “Listento me. Don’t volunteer any more information. Don’t try to explain or defend yourself. Tell them you want to give a formal statement, and that you want me present when you do.”
Hope flickers across his face. “You believe me?”
The question hits harder than it should. When was the last time someone looked at me with such raw trust? Outside of the job, no one has blindly trusted me in the months since Auren left, taking my faith in my own judgment with him.
“Yes.” I surprise myself with the certainty. “I believe you.”
His breath releases in a long exhale, shoulders dropping as tension bleeds out of him. The relief on his face pulls at a protective instinct I’ve tried to keep buried.
“I’ll get you out of here,” I say, the words a promise I hadn’t planned to give. “But I need to talk to the officers first.”
“Thank you.” His voice catches, hoarse with emotion. “I didn’t know who else would come.”
The door opens again, the officer’s face set in impatient lines. Our time is up.
As I stand, Jared’s cuffed hand stretches toward me, stopping short when the restraint holds him back. “Emily...”
I meet his eyes, seeing not the awkward kidwho spilled coffee on the boat deck his first day in training, but a young man caught in circumstances beyond his control. Someone who called me, out of everyone he could have reached out to, because he believed I would help.
“I’ll be back,” I tell him, and for the first time in months, the weight of someone else’s trust settles on my shoulders. A burden I thought I’d never carry again.
I force myself to turn away before I can second-guess my decision.
The officer falls into step behind me, shepherding me back down the narrow hallway. As the door clicks shut behind us, my jaw clenches. Each step through the station tightens the coil of anger in my chest, not at Jared, but at how fast they’ve decided what kind of Alpha he must be.
By the time I reach the front desk again, my expression has hardened into an angry scowl that sends the cluster of onlookers scattering without a word.
The security office supervisor stands with his back to the harbor wall map, arms folded across his chest, not backing down like his officer had. Two uniformed Alphas angle toward the desk, their scents bristling with aggression.
Behind him, a female officer files paperwork,pretending not to listen while her pen scratches loudly enough to hear across the room.
“You need to release him,” I say, maintaining my calm despite the anger simmering beneath. “He’s scent-blind. He had no idea the Omega was in Heat.”
The supervisor, Barnes, according to his nameplate, snorts. “Convenient excuse.”
“It’s not an excuse.” I plant my hands on his desk, leaning forward. “Jared has a documented medical condition. His cousin, Kyle, can confirm it.”
At Kyle’s name, his expression shifts. The water taxi captain is well-known and respected in Pinecrest Harbor.
“Kyle Masterson vouched for him when he started working the water taxi,” I continue, seizing the advantage. “And I can vouch for his character as site superintendent at Misty Pines Resort.”
Barnes uncrosses his arms, his fingers drumming on the edge of his desk. “The woman’s boyfriend is filing charges. Says your boy engineered the whole situation.”
“And what about the two Alphas who were harassing her? The ones who fled the scene?” I counter. “Have you taken their statements? Or are you only interested in the easy target?”
The female officer’s pen stops scratching.
Barnes stares at me with suspicion. “How do you know about them?”
“Jared told me. If someone had bothered to take his statement, you’d have the same information.”
The supervisor shifts his weight, uncertainty creeping into his scent.
I push harder. “You want to destroy a young man’s life on an accusation, without bothering to verify his medical condition or investigate the other Alphas involved?” My pheromones fill the room, clover turning sharp with challenge. “How do you think that’s going to play out once lawyers get involved?”
The threat of legal action hangs in the air. Barnes exchanges a look with the female officer, who gives him a shrug.
“We need to complete our investigation,” he says, but his resolve wavers.