With her fingers pressed to her temples, Nyx closed her eyes. She’d spent her life prepping to argue cases on the Council floor, not to solve a mystery revolving around people she’d never met. Here she was, though. Sifting through a bunch of hearsay and baseless accusations.
Then again, this was perfect practice for life as a councilwoman. Council members rarely knew the people they were fighting for personally. They got cases passed up to them from their constituents or handed them from Shifter Affairs. They fought blind.
Nyx took a deep breath. She could do this. Once she solved this mystery, Anton would be safe. There was no better encouragement than that. “How did you know they were mated?”
Boris turned away and rubbed at his neck. “I saw her mate mark by accident. Then I stalked her until I figured it out. Once I did, I blackmailed her into giving me the first Alexander’s book.”
Of course he did. The explanation didn’t surprise Nyx in the least. Boris hadn’t gotten where he was by following the rules. He’d told her that enough times. “And how is that nobody else knew she was mated? Females carry their mate’s scent.”
“Only if their mate licks the bite.” Boris made an amused sound that was a cross between a laugh and a snort. “Brock didn’t. He did, however, rub salt in the wound so it’d scar. I guess he wanted to see his mark of possession but didn’t want to acknowledge Bianca as his. I can’t say I blame him.”
“Because mates are a weakness.”
“Exactly.” Boris nodded. “Obviously, Brock knew this and took her as a breeding partner, not a soul-bonded mate. Otherwise, he would’ve died when she did.”
“Why would a councilman take a breeding partner?” Nyx couldn’t come up with a sound reason.
“Brock wanted an heir, someone to accept the spirit of his pack if his alpha died. The only other male in his pack is his twin, Ilan, and Brock disapproved of his occupation. Actually, disapproved is too kind. He hated what Ilan did. Hated what all the assassins did.”
Nyx stared at her uncle. Could she trust this man? She wanted to. She really did. He’d acted as both father and mother to her. He’d wiped her tears and read her bedtime stories when she couldn’t sleep. He also saw no problem sending her promised mate to his death or trying to pin a murder on Anton. “For once in your life, I want you to be honest with me. Can you do that?”
A hurt look crossed her uncle’s face. “I’m always honest with you.”
Nyx groaned. “No, you’re not. Do I need to remind you about Harvey?”
“Well…” Boris shrugged. “My goals are honest, but sometimes it’s necessary to manipulate details to get—”
“Stop.” Nyx growled the word. “Answer me. If I ask you a question right now, will you tell me the truth?”
“Yes.” No hesitation.
Nyx considered what to ask. There were many things she wanted the answers to, but one motive plagued her most. Maybe it was a selfish one. She couldn’t stop herself from uncovering the truth about whether her uncle actually consider her worthy of sitting on the Council. “Why did you hide the first Alexander’s book this long?”
“For you. I’ve told you this, niece. I want you to be the first female Council member. I’ve prepped you for this role ever since I learned what laws were detailed in that book.”
Nyx fought her pleased smile. While she had the truth she’d sought, Boris hadn’t fully answered her question. “But why did you wait this long? If you knew our women were entitled to equal rights, why hide that? Many women would’ve benefited from that knowledge over the past year.”
Boris worked his jaw and focused on the floor. “There are other laws currently in place that contradict the founding laws written by the first Alexander. I can’t guarantee those won’t be used to bar women from the Council. Our best bet is to get you sworn in while the Council is still reeling from the laws outlined by the first Alexander’s book. And once you’re sworn in, you’d be protected by the same Code of Conduct all councilmen are protected by. It’d be nearly impossible to kick you out.”
His explanation made sense. Tapping in to her jaguar’s senses, she studied her uncle for any indication he was lying. She didn’t see any. “What if Bianca didn’t die that night? What if she—”
“I sat at the top of the hill surrounding this house. I could see the entire property. Bianca never left.”
“The front and back doors aren’t the only ways out of this house.”
Boris studied her intently. Excitement showed in his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“There are tunnels under the campus.” Nyx pointed down the hall. “And I found an entrance to the dungeon in Bianca’s old room.”
Boris’s beaming smile lit up his face. He squeezed her arm. “You amaze me, niece. Maybe your mother didn’t make the worst mistake of her life after all. She brought you into this world.”
Tears pricked Nyx’s eyes. Was she foolish to be so moved by Boris’s praise? He might be manipulating her like he did everyone else. She couldn’t understand his motives, but she did know her jaguar soaked up the praise as much as she did. Its happiness flowed through her.
Nyx turned away and headed toward Bianca’s old room. Her jaguar’s instincts about Anton had been right on. She had to trust her primal side in this case too. “Come on. I’ll show you what we found.”
“We?”
“Yes.” Nyx pushed the door open. “Molly and I—”
Nyx’s mouth dropped opened. The room was empty. Molly was gone.