“Fine. Let’s go take a look at this guy.”
The two of them went to the bedroom and Dante flipped on the main light switch so he could get a closer look. The large man, still naked, had somehow hoisted himself up onto the bed and he lay on his back, his eyes closed.
“Huh,” Dante moved closer, peering over man. “He looks…oh mother of god!” Dante turned his head slowly to his sister. “Jesus, Frankie, don’t you know who this is?”
She shot him back a look and shrugged. “Am I supposed to?”
“Frankie…jeez, you’re supposed to be our Alpha!”
“Just tell me who he is!”
“This is Grant Anderson. The Grant Anderson, billionaire industrialist, CEO of Fenrir Corp, and New York’s Alpha.”
Chapter Three
Frankie looked at her brother, her mouth hanging open. Her eyes shifted from him to the man on the bed. “No way!”
Dante gave her an exasperated look. “I’m telling you…that’s Grant Anderson. He was on the cover of Fortune Magazine last month.” He took his smartphone out of his pocket, tapped the screen a couple of times, and handed it to her. “See?”
Frankie’s eyes widened as she saw the picture of the magazine cover. The handsome figure wearing a suit and a serious expression on his face was definitely the same person that was lying in bed, though the man on the cover was clean-shaven, his dark hair slicked back. “Oh my god!”
“Frankie, were you and him….”
Her cheeks grew pink. “It just…I can’t explain it…argh!” She groaned in frustration. “Never mind that! We need to contact his people! Maybe call the High Council.”
“Wait, weren’t you just in New York a few weeks ago?” Dante reminded her. “Didn’t you meet him? Or his Beta or Liaison? It would be much faster than going through the Council, and they’re our neighbors.”
“Actually…” Frankie thought back to the ball. “Even better! I met his sister! Her name’s Alynna!”
She ran outside to the foyer, to the table next to the door where she kept the mail. After digging through the piles of bills and junk mail, she found the invitation. A few months ago, news of some long-lost Lycan had popped up. She was somehow special, but Frankie couldn’t remember why. She was an orphan that the New York clan had discovered, half-sister to their Alpha. Since she wasn’t a pup, she couldn’t have the more traditional welcoming ceremony and so the New York clan invited everyone to a welcoming ball instead. Although Frankie did not RSVP, Dante made her go at the last minute. It was the ball, in the ladies’ room, where she met the guest of honor herself, though she didn’t know initially. The two bonded and became fast friends, but Frankie had to leave unexpectedly and was unable to say goodbye.
She read the invitation. “Invited…blah blah…True Mate…yadda yadda…ah here you go! Chase. Her last name’s Chase.”
Her brother took out his phone and typed in the name into his browser. “Hmmm…Alynna Chase, Private Investigator. Her number’s still on this website. Could that be her?”
Frankie bit her lip. “Go ahead and give her a call. I’ll talk to her and find out.”
Dante tapped on the number on his screen and handed his sister the phone. Placing the receiver over her ear, Frankie waited as the line began to ring.
“Hello?” A female voice answered.
“Hi…is this Alynna? Chase?”
“Yes, this is she,” the voice replied. “Are you calling about my PI services? I’m sorry, I’m currently not taking on cases, but I can refer you to some other investigators.”
“No, I’m not…uhm. This is Francesca Muccino. I mean, Frankie. You know, from the ball. In the bathroom, with those women?”
“Huh?” The woman on the other side paused. “Frankie…oh my god! Yes, I remember you! How did you find my number? I mean, I’m sorry, I’ve been meaning to look you up, but I didn’t find your name on the RSVP list and I didn’t know which clan you’re from and you were obviously alone so-”
Frankie laughed. “Yeah, sorry about leaving without saying goodbye. I kind of had to bail my brother out of jail,” she explained. The night of the ball was also the same night Enzo was picked up for fighting at a local dive bar, trying to protect a girl who was being roughed up by an ex-boyfriend. Frankie mentally shook her head. It had cost her a lot of free meals at the restaurant to help soothe things over with the local PD.
“Ah, well, there are more important things than hanging around a ball, I suppose,” Alynna quipped. “Hey, Frankie, listen, I really, really do want to catch up and chat, but, uhm, we’re kind of having a…a family emergency,” Alynna explained. “But I have your number and I’ll give you a call soon, ok?”
“Wait! Don’t hang up!” Frankie pleaded.
“What’s wrong?”
“Your emergency…it wouldn’t happen to be a missing…Alpha?” Frankie lowered her voice.
There was a long pause. “What do you know about that?” Alynna’s voice turned serious.
“I think we found him. He showed up in my driveway. Your Alpha, he was drugged and disoriented. He’s safe, but he must have shifted to get away from whoever did this to him.”
Another long pause. “Give me your address,” Alynna said. “I’m coming over now.”
***
“So, Cady,” Alynna Chase-Westbrooke said as the driver of her town car pulled out of The Enclave, the New York clan’s home base on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. “Tell me what we know about Francesca Muccino.” She pulled up the window between her and the driver so she could have the conversation in private.
“Hold on,” Cady Vrost, Grant’s Executive Assistant and the clan’s Human Liaison, paused. “I’m pulling up what we have.” Even though it was almost one a.m., Cady was alert and wide awake. Her husband, Nick and the clan’s Beta or second-in-command, didn’t want her to come with Alynna because she was currently five months pregnant. Nick himself had to stay behind to hold the fort and in case there was any other emergency.
Alynna was over eight months pregnant herself, but there was no one else who could go to New Jersey. She was the only one who knew the New Jersey Alpha and invited into their territory. Alynna also requested that her husband, Alex Westbrooke and their resident Lycan doctor, Dr. Tom Faulkner for permission to go to Jersey, which Frankie granted. So, Alynna decided that Cady and Nick could brief her via phone during the 45-minute drive to Frankie’s house.
“Alright, here we go. Francesca Muccino, daughter of the previous Lupa, Adrianna Muccino. Twenty-eight years old, ascended to Alpha status two years ago when her mother died. Current residence, Barnsville, New Jersey,” Cady rattled off.
“Hmmm…Lupa? New Jersey is one of the few Lycan clans with female Alphas, right?” Alynna recalled from one of her earlier conversations with Cady.
“Yes, one of the few in the US,” Cady explained. “I’m afraid that’s all the information we have, really. We’re not privy to all the records the High Council keeps, except for the name of the current and past Alphas, mates, and heirs apparent and presumptive, if any. As far as we know, Jersey has no Beta, no current Liaison or known Alliance families. She hasn’t named an heir yet, which isn’t unusual since she’s young and currently not married.”
“Why didn’t couldn’t I find her name on the list at the ball? I searched through all the RSVPs.”
“She actually didn’t RSVP to your ball, but I guess she showed up anyway,” she said, referring to Alynna’s coming out ball a few months ago.
Lycans all over the world operated in close-knit communities, organized into clans depending on their location. Normally, when clans welcomed a new Lycan baby, they had a special welcoming ceremony, as pups were actually quite rare. Their kind had fertility issues even with Lycan pairings and those who mated with humans only produced human offspring.
One exception was the True Mate pairing, which always resulted in a Lycan child, even if one parent was fully human. Alynna’s mother was human, but was the True Mate to Michael And
erson, Grant’s father. However, Michael died in a car accident, which meant he never got to present Alynna to the clan and, for 21 years, Alynna had thought she was human and virtually an orphan when her mom died. An incident at a Lycan nightclub where she was trailing a mark while on the job as a Private Investigator prompted her to shift uncontrollably. Not only was her Lycan heritage revealed, but so was her true parentage. As Grant’s half-sister and True Mate offspring, she was welcomed into the fold with a ball thrown in her honor.
“And that’s where I met her,” Alynna recalled. She had been in the bathroom, hiding in one of the stalls when a group of bitchy Lycan women started trash-talking her and her mom. Despite not knowing who she was, Frankie had defended her and the two women became fast friends that night. Unfortunately, Frankie was called away before they could exchange numbers and Alynna was unable to track her, plus the events of the last few months had distracted her from trying to find her friend.
“You’re sure it’s her?” Nick Vrost asked.
“Yup, she remembered me and mentioned details only she would know. Said she looked me up on the Internet and found me on an old listing for my PI business,” Alynna explained. “Apparently, Grant showed up in her driveway and that he was drugged, but also appeared to have shifted into his wolf form at some point. I wonder if someone drugged him, tried to kidnap him, and then he turned into his Lycan form to get away?”
“That’s most likely what happened which is why he didn’t call Miller to pick him up,” Nick’s voice was tense. Tate Miller was Grant’s bodyguard for the evening. Sometime after ten p.m., he had called the Beta, saying that Grant had gone to one of his favorite bars, Luxe, but hadn’t checked in over four hours. He went to the bar and didn’t find the Alpha anywhere, nor was he answering his phone. Nick himself came down to Luxe, interviewed the staff and found out that Grant left with a woman for a few minutes, then came back to the bar alone and went down to the lobby. The concierge recalled seeing Grant leave the hotel, and that was the last they saw of him. Unfortunately, the hotel and Luxe management, citing privacy reasons, would not let him review security tapes unless he got law enforcement involved and got a warrant. That meant filing a missing persons report, which he was not quite ready to do yet.
“Alex is also on his way, he stopped to get Dr. Faulkner, just in case,” Alynna relayed. “Unfortunately, Dr. Faulkner’s all the way in Yonkers, attending to an emergency with Lycan patient. They won’t reach New Jersey for at least another two hours.”
“What else did the Lupa say?” Nick asked. “Was it a human drug or something else?”
“Nothing really. All she said was that he appeared disoriented and he couldn’t see. He was also passing out intermittently,” Alynna tapped her fingers on the leather seat.
“But what else could it be? It would take a hell of a lot of human drugs to knock Grant out. And he wouldn’t just shift if he knew his captors were human,” Nick said. Humans, except for a small number allied with the Lycans, were unaware of the Lycan werewolf shifters living underneath their very noses.
“This is going to get ugly,” Alynna predicted. “The mages are getting bolder.”
Ever since Alynna had joined them, the Lycans became a target of a series of attacks by an unknown force. Five months ago, it was revealed that a group of mages, former witches and warlocks who used dark blood magic, were responsible. Their leader, Stefan, hated Lycans and wanted to kill all of them. He also wanted o rid of Alynna, the first True Mate child for generations. His plan to kill her was thwarted, as Alynna herself became pregnant with her own True Mate child, which made her immune to poison and all other types of harm.
With his first plan derailed, Stefan then turned his attentions to Cady, who, unknown to the Lycans, descended from a powerful bloodline of witches. He framed Cady for a series of attacks, intending to not only hurt the Lycans and tear them apart, but also kidnap her and mate her to his warlock protégé, Daric, so they could produce powerful children who could be turned to mages. It turned out Cady herself was a True Mate to Nick and already carrying his child at the time. Before Stefan could kill her, the Lycans came to the rescue, freeing Cady and driving away the mages with the help of Cady’s witch aunt and cousin.
“I was worried that would happen,” Nick let out a frustrated breath. “The mages probably have their next plan already in motion.”
“Well, we’ll deal with it,” Alynna said. “For now, let’s concentrate on getting Grant back.”
***
After 45 minutes of driving, they reached Barnsville, New Jersey, a small town near Morristown. Following the GPS, the finally car pulled up to a Victorian-style house outside the center of town. The driver opened the door for her and she stepped out. She ascended the stairs slowly, trying to manage her large belly. After what seemed like eternity, she rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, she heard soft footsteps approaching the door and it flew open.
“Alynna! Madre de dio!” Frankie’s mismatched eyes grew wide as she stared at Alynna’s obviously pregnant belly. “My god, you’re huge! I mean, sorry! I didn’t realize you were pregnant! When are you due?”
“Yesterday,” Alynna replied sarcastically, then smirked at the other woman.
Frankie opened the door wider. “Come in, come in! Have a seat! Do you want water? Some milk or something? How about food?” The other Lycan seemed rattled. “Sorry, it’s the Italian in me. We always want to feed people when they come to our house. Especially pregnant women!”
Alynna laughed. “I don’t think you have enough food for us. Baby and I have been known to clean out a few buffets,” she rubbed her belly instinctively. “But, wait…Grant. I need to see him first.”
The other woman nodded. “Of course, come this way.” Frankie led her to the guest bedroom, and flipped on the light.
“Grant!” Alynna exclaimed as she maneuvered to her brother’s side. Grant was lying in bed, a sheet thrown over his hips. He lay still, but the even rise and fall of his chest told her that he was alive.
“I’ll leave you for now,” Frankie stepped back. “I’ll be in the kitchen, but just give a shout out if you need anything.”
“Thank you,” Alynna replied, not taking her eyes off her brother. She touched his forehead, and while he was warm, but not burning up. He looked like he was sleeping very deeply, probably fighting off whatever magical drug the mages had given him. She brushed away a lock of hair that had fallen over his forehead and wiped the sweat off with a towel Frankie must have left by his bedside. Giving her brother a kiss on the forehead, she eased off the bed and walked out.
The house wasn’t that big, so she found the kitchen easily. Frankie was sitting on the large kitchen table, while another man - no, Lycan, Alynna could tell - stood in front of the stove, stirring a wooden spoon in a pot.
“Oh my god, that smells amazing!” Alynna’s stomach grumbled loudly and the baby kicked.
Frankie shot up and walked to her side. “Come in, please sit down. My brother will have the pasta ready in a bit.”
The male Lycan turned to Alynna, his handsome face breaking into a smile. He wiped his hand on his apron and held it out. “Hey, there, I’m Dante. Nice to meet you.”
Alynna shook his hand. “Alynna, and same to you,” she greeted as she gripped his hand. She could see the similarities in their features, but the most obvious were the eyes. Dante had one blue eye and one green, just like Frankie, though they were mirrored, she realized. Frankie’s right eye was green and left one was blue, while Dante’s was the opposite.
“Sit, sit,” Frankie ordered, pulling out a chair for her. A cup of tea and a glass of water were already waiting for her. “I didn’t know what you want or what you could have. I can make coffee too, but I’m not sure you can have that.”
“This is fine,” Alynna laughed as she sat down. “Really, please don’t fuss. Not when I owe you guys. Thank you for taking care of Grant, and sorry about him wandering into your territory.”
“No wor
ries,” Frankie replied. “I figured he didn’t mean to…is he alright? I mean, he couldn’t talk or do anything else-”
Dante stifled a laugh and then coughed to cover it up. Frankie shot him a warning look. “I mean,” Frankie continued. “He was able to mumble out that he was drugged or something. I kind of uh…ran over him. I mean, he just appeared out of nowhere and he bounced off my hood. But he should be ok, I don’t think he broke anything.”
“Our doctor should be on the way, so he’ll get checked out,” Alynna explained.
“So, I didn’t get an announcement or notice from the High Council, but…did you end up marrying Liam Henney?” Frankie asked.
Alynna giggled. “God, no! I mean, Liam’s cute and nice and all…you’ve actually never seen my husband, but you do know of him…from the ball.”
Frankie’s eyes widened. “You mean…on the balcony?” She looked at Alynna’s belly. “Well, congratulations! And good for him!”
“Yeah, well, there’s a lot more to that story. Plus, you’ll meet Alex when he arrives with our doctor.”
“Excuse me,” Dante said as he put a plate in front of Alynna. The plate was piled with pasta, covered in a delicious-smelling red sauce.
“You didn’t have to make me food,” Alynna’s eyes devoured the plate. Dante finished it off with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese. “Did you make this? This is amazing!”
“Family recipe,” Dante explained. “Same as what we serve in the restaurant so we keep lots of it around. Please, eat up.”
“Thanks!” Alynna dug into the pasta, taking a forkful into her mouth. She closed her eyes, chewing and savoring the taste. “Oh. My. God.” She took another bite. “Amazing. I’m gonna finish this plate up!”
Romancing the Alpha Page 3
