Chapter 263: Interrogations

ZADE I watched Lake move toward the door, his careful steps betraying the weakness he was still recovering from. Something about the way he'd answered Lyn's questions----with brutal honesty but also with glaring omissions----made me think we'd only scratched the surface of what he knew.     "Lake," I called out, my voice cutting through the quiet that had settled after his departure. "Wait."   He stopped mid--step, and I saw his hand clench into a fist. The movement was subtle, but I'd been alpha long enough to recognize a defensive posture when I saw one.   His body had gone rigid, every muscle tensing like he was preparing for an attack.     "Come back in," I said, making it an order rather than a request.     Lake turned slowly, his eyes scanning the room as he re--entered. That calculating look was back----the one that made it clear he was assessing threats and exit strategies simultaneously. For a kid who claimed his loyalty was to whoever had Riley, he certainly didn't trust easi