Why was someone screaming? As Evan opened his eyes, he was greeted by a crime scene. Or so he thought it to be with the yellow crime scene tape in front of him with people milling about. What happened? And how did he get here?

"Ah, you've calmed down."

Evan turned around to see the familiar alpha standing there, writing in a notepad in his hands.

"Where am I?" he asked with a cursory glance down at himself. Evan wore a black tuxedo with a bright red bowtie around his neck. He may not know what was going on, but the room suddenly felt stuffy so he loosened the tie.

"The Starlight Hotel. There's been an incident." Ryker explained. It didn't provide any insight into what had happened though.

"You're a cop now?" Evan asked just as he looked around at the others who waited around them. Everyone else was dressed in fancy attire that made him think there had been an expensive party. There was an omega female who caught his attention though. She wore a dress that sparkled in the light and looked familiar as she wept. Evan's mind felt foggy as he tried to place where he knew the woman from.

"I'm a detective, for now," Ryker informed him. It still didn't answer any of his questions. Then again, he hadn't voiced any of his questions aloud.

"You said there was an incident, what happened? Why are we all dressed up?" Evan asked as a man with a white sheet walked past them and under the yellow tape. He tried to peek around the corner to see what was wrong but Ryker stepped in front of his view.

"There's been a murder. Gruesome stuff really. We haven't found the murder weapon though so we're interviewing all the guests."

Ah, so someone was dead. That made the omega frown. Who was it?

"I'll help any way I can. But I'm sure I'm of no help." Evan offered. He didn't even remember what the party was for. He didn't know why he'd been invited. His social life was quite lacking. Darren didn't like him going out.

"What do you remember of the night?" Ryker was professional as he asked the question. It took the omega a second after his admiration for the alpha faded to blink back into the moment.

"I'm not sure. I know this has to be a mistake. I shouldn't even be here. I mean, how did I get this tux? I can't afford something like this," he exclaimed with a chuckle. Ryker looked up from his notepad and gave Evan a once over. A shiver ran down his spine as Ryker's eyes lingered over his tailored form.

"Well you look good in it."

"Thanks," Evan replied while trying to swallow at the thick lump at the back of his throat. His words almost felt stuck there. It was definitely feeling hot in the room now.

The sound of the weeping woman changed to loud wails and Evan looked over at her again. She looked so familiar but he couldn't place where he knew her from. The older omega had to be someone he knew… Wait a minute!

In the half second it took him to register who she was and that she was crying, Evan frantically looked at Ryker before instinctively pushing past the alpha into the room. There definitely was a body on the floor with the white sheet covering it. As he rushed over to the body and ripped the sheet off, he couldn't help the startled gasp. That wasn't just any woman, it was Darren's mother.

Darren lay on the floor, dead. He looked peaceful as if he were sleeping. It didn't feel real to see his mate lying there, dead.

The gentle hand on his shoulder had the omega jumping before turning slowly to face Ryker in his attempt to comfort him. There was relief from the gesture that confused Evan.

"Do they, do they know what caused it?" he asked slowly.

"No. I'm sorry for your loss." Ryker responded while he shuffled awkwardly on his feet. This must have been weird for the alpha. As Evan glanced over at Darren's serene pose on the floor, the omega felt a huge sense of freedom wash over him. Tears began to fall down his cheeks. Darren was gone and yet, these tears weren't sad. Evan felt free and that shouldn't be his first thought right now. His mate was dead! Why wasn't he inconsolable? 

"Are you okay?"

Turning back around toward Ryker's concerned look and voice made Evan confused.

"I don't know." was all he said in response.

There was a pause, a moment of silence before Ryker pulled Evan into a tight embrace. The alpha had hesitated before doing so, looking unsure if this was allowed As a detective, he shouldn't be hugging the mate of the deceased, right? Ryker's scent was comforting in a way that made him feel at home. It was something he hadn't felt in a long time.

"I don't know what to do without him. Everything, nothing should make sense," Evan's words were soft. In his heart, he was completely conflicted. The sheer joy he was feeling should be wrong. In his moment of confusion, Evan wrapped his arms around Ryker in return. He accepted the hug from the alpha, but the comfort didn't last nearly long enough before he was pulled sharply backward and out of the alpha's arms. In a split second, Evan felt the cold sting on his cheek. A shocked look was plastered on his face as Darren now stood there with his hand raised. What was going on?

"You slut! I'm only dead for a short time, not even cold and already you're in another alpha's arms!" Darren shouted in a demanding tone that made Evan wince. He cowered and started to take a step backward when the smell of strawberries came from behind. There were two gentle hands on his shoulders now and Evan could tell it was Ryker from his instincts.

"This isn't real." Ryker whispered but Evan was in too much shock to answer. His lips sputtered, trying to explain the situation. His face was pale as he shook his head.

"Wake up Evan!" Ryker shouted.

…

My eyes fly open so fast I feel dizzy. Searching around erratically, I realize it was a dream. Darren is sleeping next to me as I roll over to check the clock. It's far too early to wake the alpha up.

I roll back over and stare at the wall for a long while. I don't know how long, but all I can think about is why I was happy when I thought Darren was dead...