"No disrespect intended, but that's not exactly true, is it?"
Ty's eyes narrowed. "Are you calling me a liar?"
"Not at all," Christie said. "I believe that you were the first to find Miss Baird. I have no doubt that it was your…touch…that revealed her true nature. And since this bar has been closed for four days, I'm reasonably sure that you've been by her side through her first heat."
"That makes her mine," Ty said.
The beta slowly shook his head. "No. A claiming bite seals the bond between an alpha and an omega."
"And how do you know that hers isn't healing now?"
"Because only a female can initiate a claiming bite," Agent Christie said. "She has to choose you before you can reciprocate the bite. I haven't seen a trace of a mark the whole time we've been talking. There's not a single drop of blood on your shirt. The skin around your shoulder isn't puckered or red."
Fuck. The beta appeared to have spent considerable time in the Boundarylands. He knew far more about their ways than he had a right to.
Ty forced himself to breathe.
"And if I come back tomorrow with such a bite?" Ty said. "Will you leave then?"
"Honestly? No." The beta shifted in his seat, his calm affect dissolving. The scent of worry poured out of him. "I won't be able to call off this investigation without hard proof that Mia Baird is fully bonded to an alpha, and therefore outside my just jurisdiction."
"You're not suggesting I drag my omega down here and hand her over so some outsider can examine her body, are you?"
Christie shook his head. It was apparent he didn't want to have this conversation. The beta knew how physically outmatched he was, but at least he was brave enough to tell Ty the truth face to face. That counted for something in the alpha world.
"No one needs to touch her," Agent Christie said. "In my experience, alphas act very differently around claimed omegas than unclaimed ones. That, combined with a bite on your shoulder, should suffice as proof for me to bring back to my superiors."
Ty picked up his glass and downed the whole beer. "I don't give a fuck about your superiors."
"You should," the agent shot back." I don't think you appreciate how important the people involved in this case are, or how much power they wield."
Ty shook his head. None of that made a difference to him. "Maybe in your world, but they don't have power here."
"Not officially," the agent conceded. "But since when has that ever stopped the corrupt? You have to understand that your omega's father has been a senator for several decades. He hasn't kept his seat that long by playing fair. He's done it by destroying anyone who steps in his way."
"Is that a threat?" Ty asked, his jaw muscles tightening.
"It's a warning," Christie said. "Given by a friend. My superiors didn't just task me with this job because I know the Boundarylands. I also have a reputation for being very thorough. The last thing we want to do is leave Mia behind with some…loose thread that the senator can grab onto for public support."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
The beta signaled Samson to bring Ty another beer as he nursed his own.
"Mia's disappearance has been big news," Christie said. "The senator has been all over the television and the papers."
"Because he wants his daughter back."
Christie shook his head. "Knowing the man as well as I do, I can say with some certainty it's because he wants his poll numbers to go up. And there are two ways for him to play this situation so that happens. Either Mia is rescued, and Senator Baird is lauded as a hero who fought for his family, or…"
The beta took a long drink rather than finish the sentence. Ty didn't need him to. He could fill in the blanks.
"Or she dies in the rescue attempt."
Agent Christie nodded. "And the senator gains the public's sympathy."
"You're saying her own father doesn't care if she lives or dies?" Ty said with disgust.
"Officially, I'm not saying anything," Christie said. "But off the record, I've seen evidence that leads me to believe that, yes."
A chill ran through Ty's blood as his shoulders tensed.
"What evidence?"
"Hospital reports. Doctors' office records," the agent said. "Mia Baird has had an awful lot of suspicious accidents in her life."
I was in an accident.
Mia's voice echoed in Ty's ears.
So, he wasn't the first one she'd told that lie to. She'd been saying it her whole life.
Ty's anger rose. Father or no, there was no way in hell he was going to let that son of a bitch near her again.
"What happens when Mia stays with me by her own choice?"
"The senator would be seen as abandoning his daughter to a monster." The agent held up his hands as Ty let out a growl. "Go easy, friend. I'm talking about the public's opinion. Not my own."
The beta was damn lucky Ty respected him. Anyone else would be cradling a broken jaw right now.
Ty had a feeling Agent Christie knew that. He wouldn't have risked such an inflammatory statement otherwise.
"And you don't think he'll let that happen," Ty said.
"I'd bet money on it." The agent took one last sip of his beer before sliding it away. "I think that's enough for me."
He'd only downed a few ounces, while Ty had finished two huge mugs. Ty would bet that it wasn't because the beta wasn't thirsty. After spending a few nights in the Boundarylands, the poor bastard probably needed something much stiffer—but knew better than to dull his edge while in dangerous territory.
Agent Christie rose from his barstool. "Thank you for coming down and talking to me."
"I'm glad I did," Ty said, following him to the door. "I'll be back soon."
"Happy to hear it."
The beta stayed on the porch as Ty started across the parking lot toward his truck. He made it all of two steps before the door of
