“Money, power, or breeding rights.”

“What?”

Will blinked, lifting his eyes to Jack, who now stood much closer with his unintroduced companion a step behind him.

“Motive,” Will replied, setting his hands to his knees to lever himself up to stand. He peeled his gloves off and wiped his palms against his jeans. “The three most likely reasons for murder are always money, power, or breeding rights.”

“You’ll be happy to know there’s nothing wrong. You’ve got a small litter, that’s all, just the one pup.”

Will stiffened. “One?” It wasn’t unheard of, but it was rare.

“If I may, Mr. Graham, you’re very young to be having a litter,” the doctor said gently.

The Alpha glanced down at where Will’s hand rested, his face pinched. “Hannibal Lecter,” he said.

“What?”

“My name. You’ll need it for the paperwork.”

Will blinked at him. “It sounds like a supervillain name,” he said.

When Will looked out his window a few minutes later, coffee still warm from when the Boy had poured it this morning, he saw that Hannibal had shed his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and climbed directly into the dumpster. He’d found the file quite quickly, blood red as it was.

Curious, curious thing.

Will was doing it again. He should not have been doing it again. It had all gone so badly the last time.

Will turned back to his work.

“Hi,” Will said again, finding his smile impossible to contain when Hannibal blinked lazily at him. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“Family emergency,” Hannibal replied, voice rough and quiet. Will’s smile ticked up a little at the corners and he narrowed his eyes.

“Family, huh?”

“You’re awake.”

Hannibal stood in the doorway, balancing a tray across one palm, a glass of water in the other. He had a book tucked under one arm. Prepared to wait if Will lingered in sleep.

“I think so,” Will told him. “It still feels like a dream.”

“We killed a dragon,” Hannibal said, settling his treasures down on a bedside table. “And were born anew from the sea. It does sound something like a fairytale.”

Trawling through cannibal forums on the darkweb, Will offers himself up as a victim with the caveat that he takes part in his own dismemberment and consumption. When a man answers his post and catches Will’s interest, he thinks they’ll be perfect for each other.