by Lyla Oweds
This time, I welcomed the fear that tainted his scent.
“You crazy bitch!” Caleb’s tone was both awed and terrified. “If your anger hadn’t given you away, I would have lost my hand!”
“Try that move again, and you might still lose it.” I spat at him. “And I’m not a bitch.”
“I don’t care what you call it, it all means the same. You’re nuts.”
I ignored him, rounding on the others, half-expecting them to jump to Caleb’s defense.
But neither of them were looking at me. Instead, they were watching each other. Almost seeming to communicate with facial tics that I hadn’t yet mastered.
Still, it wasn’t enough, and it was Gregory who spoke first. “It’s not going to work.”
“It will.” Michael shrugged, a serene expression erasing the anger and doubt that had been lingering there throughout the night. “Trust me.”
“I do trust you,” Gregory said. “But you’re also insane.”
“You better not be referring to that thing,” I glared at Michael. At my words, the blond glanced at me, tilting his head. “Moron already gave it away,” I said, nodding at Caleb as the other man continued to curse me under his breath. “I will not submit to him.”
“Who said anything about you submitting to him?” Michael asked.
“He told me he’s supposed to be the third,” I emphasized. There was no use hiding it now. “And clearly other people know too, I’ve noticed. Why else would everyone else have cleared out, leaving the four of us alone? How many people know, Michael? You said fortunetelling is crap, but clearly there is merit here.”
“Everything has merit. I only said that your doomsday concerns weren’t going to affect me.” The annoying blank expression of a fortuneteller gazed back at me. “Besides, I haven’t told a lot of people at all.”
That wasn’t answering my question. “How many is that?”
I dared him to lie to me. I’d be able to smell it, and my patience was already wearing thin. I was cold, tired, and dragged out of my bed in the middle of the night for Caleb’s idiotic ventures. With Michael’s anger reduced to embers, at least for the time being, it was easy to forget how intimidating he could be.
I suspected he did this deliberately.
“My parents,” he mused, glancing at the ceiling. “My brother and sister, my nieces and nephews. The entire Stephens family…” He paused, frowning. “I do believe it’s been mentioned to Joe once before too. Was there anyone else?” he asked, glancing at Gregory.
“You’ve mentioned it to your fraternity.” Gregory stroked his chin. “And Caleb and his quintet. I can’t think of anyone else at the moment.”
“Yes…” Michael grinned at me. “So it’s quite secret.”
“Have you lost your mind?” I was on my feet, ignoring the way Caleb scrambled away from me. My blood was rushing through me, the beat of my heart echoing in my ears. “That’s the opposite of a secret!”
“She’s right, you know.” Caleb nodded solemnly.
“Don’t you agree with me!” I held up my hand in Caleb’s direction. “I’ll deal with you later—once you’ve found your balls.”
“Charming,” Gregory deadpanned, though he was unable to hold back the slight upturn of his mouth.
“Do they know the whole prophecy?” I turned on him. “The whole thing? The part where you die?”
The humor dropped from his expression, and a ridge formed between his dark brows. “Well, yes,” he replied, this time warily. “But if it’s public acceptance you’re worried about, there’s—”
“Shut up!” I couldn’t believe this! I’d met with Gregory’s family, and no one had said a word. No one in my quintet had hinted about the attraction between Caleb and myself—Lee hadn’t even batted an eye as the fae had held me tonight.
And no one had looked surprised when Michael and Gregory arrived, showing concern.
So they knew, and although my heart should have been set at ease by the acceptance already displayed, that wasn’t the problem.
I’d never cared about public approval anyway.
The more people who knew about this, about the prophecy, made it harder. Because it was only one more judge, one more witness, who would know that when Michael died.
Chapter Twenty-One
I had retreated to my room without saying anything else to any of them. Nor did I speak to the other three men who’d lingered in the hallways, waiting for word.
The group of them made me so angry I couldn’t even breathe properly. And thinking clearly for proper conversation was out of the question.
Even without Caleb there to read my mood, it was obvious that I would murder the next person who approached me.
And so, I’d been left to my own devices for the rest of the night.
The morning came, and I was left alone then too.
No one was present in Michael’s townhouse when the sun peeked over the horizon. And I was aware, because I’d not slept. Instead, I lay on my bed, watching the sky turn from black to pink, and listening to the soft whispers of the boys as they spoke.
They eventually left one by one to return to their own houses, or wherever it was they went, while three remained behind: Gregory and Michael, of course, since they lived here. And, to my utmost surprise, Caleb as well. Even though his and Gregory’s bickering continued throughout the morning.
No one dared come to my room. Not even Michael.
Knowing him, he probably foresaw that the prophecy would absolutely be fulfilled if he tried it now. We wouldn’t have to speculate as to what was the truth; I’d kill him myself.
Coward. Wasn’t he supposed to be ready to face death?
And then the three of them—without sleeping—also left for the day, and the house quieted of human movements.
It was tempting, so tempting, to stay in bed all day. The problem was, I wasn’t certain why I was upset.
I wasn’t embarrassed about the whole relationship business, if I were to be honest. Caleb, eventually, could be brought to heel. Soon as the words left my mouth last night, I knew they were false.
I wouldn’t have to submit to him. If a non-traditional relationship was my destiny, then it would be under my terms. I was attracted to him, but I certainly wasn’t going to allow Caleb to dominate me. And, for the most part, Michael and Gregory hadn’t attempted to assert themselves over me either. Even when seeing that there was danger, Michael had asked me to listen.
Not commanded.
Not like Blake.
No, it wasn’t the relationship that bothered me.
It was the ever-looming threat of what it represented. And my growing concern that I seemed to be the only one who cared about it.
Why?
I was missing something, a key piece of this prophecy. And there were only three people who seemed to have the answer.
And those fools had forgotten I held the leverage.
If they didn’t tell me, then there’d be no relationship at all. And what a wrench that would throw into their grand master plan, whatever it was.
Keep me in the dark. I would think not.
And all that on top of this curse business, and Alpha MacClure’s still-open case.
So even though my body was exhausted, my mind remained active. Unable to rest, and with a new mission looming on the horizon, I forced myself out of bed. Today was about business. Michael and Gregory were at the station already, I was sure. And they probably didn’t expect me to come.
But there was a bus stop not five minutes away, so the lack of a vehicle was no excuse to dawdle. And no matter how angry I was, I still had a job to do.
I would deal with them later.
Mr. Kohler and Michael weren’t in the office, but Gregory was. He was staring at his desk, hands folded in front of them. But he wasn’t reading, because there was nothing there.
The room was dark—or it had been until I’d turned on the lights. But still, Gregory didn’t move.
I considered
ignoring him, really. The entire trip into the office, I’d plotted it. How—once I walked through these doors—I’d snub my nose at the two of them, and maybe Mr. Kohler. Just because.
However, the melancholy expression in his gaze, the soft fragrance of sadness, pulled at me.
My palms began to sweat, and my breath caught as the realization hit me at once.
This was dangerous. These boys were dangerous. One forlorn little frown was all it took to break through my crumbling defenses.
If I wasn’t careful, I would lose myself.
His gaze didn’t even flicker in my direction as I shut the door behind me, and he didn’t move as I crossed the room and perched myself on the edge of his desk.
“Hi…” Surely that hesitant sound wasn’t me? That was embarrassing.
But he didn’t move, or give any indication that he’d heard me at all. In fact, he still didn’t even glance up at all.
He was ignoring me.
Gregory was a fool if he thought I’d let this pass.
A stack of green and yellow files rested ever so neatly near the edge of his desk. And honestly, as someone who personally appreciated order, I could admit that the sight of such meticulous filing filled me with a sense of accomplishment. It didn’t matter if I had been the one who’d done the task or not. It was still a beautiful sight.
Oh well, perfection couldn’t last forever.
“Oh no,” it only took a single swipe of my arm to scatter his papers all over the floor. “Sorry about that.”
Gregory started, pulled out of the recesses of his thoughts, and his attention followed the falling papers. A moment later, just as slowly, he shifted his attention toward me.
Green met gold, and a long moment passed where I could scarcely breathe. Gregory was hard to read at the best of times, and this was more difficult than most. Finally, though, his mouth dipped and brow furrowed. “That took me two weeks to organize.” His voice was huskier than usual, almost as if he was bordering on the edge of exhaustion.
My heart fluttered. Why did he look worried? I’d been angry at him before, it couldn’t be that. “I said I was sorry,” I pointed out, hoping that my face wouldn’t show the heat that threatened to consume me.
“After you said ‘oh no’ first.” Gregory squinted at me, suspicion wafting in the air. “You did that on purpose.”
“You’re imagining things.” I clutched at my chest, willing my nerves to settle.
He was fine. I was fine. We weren’t even fighting.
Why did I care if we were on good terms or not?
The same relief bled into his expression, and his head turned slightly to the right. He was nervous—somewhere along the way, I’d begun to pick up on the meanings of his body language.
When had that happened?
“Are we good?” he asked, his head inclining slightly. “You were angry last night…”
Sighing, I pushed from his desk and crossed the room, not daring to speak, or look at him again, until I was safely tucked into Michael’s seat.
It was easier to control my reactions when there was distance between us. Gregory really didn’t need to know that my weakness was his expression when he was unsure.
There was no way he wouldn’t use that against me. He seemed the manipulative type.
“I wasn’t angry,” I protested, glaring down at Michael’s messy desktop. I was scared, I mentally added, although I’d never admit it out loud. “We’re fine. Carry on.”
“But…” Gregory was still wearing that expression, and my resolve weakened. “You—”
There was a knock at the door, interrupting whatever Gregory was about to say. A moment later, the receptionist I’d punched in the face poked his face through a crack in the doorway. Even now, days later, he had a bandage plastered over his nose, and he didn’t even look at me.
“Mr. Scott.” Gregory tilted his head as he studied the other man, all traces of hesitance gone. “How can we help you?”
“Gregory.” The intruder’s gaze landed on the other man. “How many times must I ask you to call me Charles? Blake MacClure is here.”
I’d been scowling at him before, but at his words my burning hatred vanished instantly. Instead my throat closed, and blackness swam in the edges of my vision.
It had been too much to hope that he’d given up, that he would stop.
“So, why is he here?” Gregory responded, his deep voice pulling me out of my thoughts. “And why bother with us? Surely our humble force requires nothing from the wolf Alpha. And Miss Gloria no longer answers to him. Send him away.”
“I can’t send him away…” Charles shifted nervously before his attention drifted toward me. “He says he has information related to your case…”
The absurdity of his words stabbed at me, and I blinked, the remnants of my anxiety fading. “There’s no way. What did he say it was?”
“He won’t tell us,” Charles scowled. “He says he’ll only talk to you.”
“Then we don’t need to know,” Gregory replied, returning his attention to his notes as he dismissed the other man. “Miss Gloria will not be entertaining for—”
“Okay…” Even though my stomach twisted painfully at the thought, perhaps it was possible that he had information that might help. After all, the Silver Moon pack had been the Dark Creek pack’s biggest rival. And I wasn’t naïve enough to believe that every pack’s leadership was without dark secrets of their own.
Gregory frowned at me but didn’t argue. Instead, he held my gaze for only a second before he put his pen down and moved to his feet. “See him to an interview room,” he told Charles as he slipped his jacket back on. “Miss Gloria and I will be there momentarily. But he will not be speaking to her alone; she is, after all, an intern.”
To his credit, Charles was far enough to where I almost couldn’t even hear him anymore, before Gregory bothered to begin his argument. He crossed his arms, leaning against the side of his desk as he studied me. “Why in the world are you entertaining this? Michael will be extremely unhappy with you.”
That threat was the least of my concerns. “It’s not a big deal…” I lied, trying to speak through the lump in my throat. “Michael wouldn’t get angry over something like this. It’s just an interview. What if he helps? I can’t let my personal life come before an investigation.”
“If you honestly believe that, then you don’t know Michael half as well as you think.” Gregory narrowed his eyes.
That much had been becoming apparent even more over the past few days. But the last thing I needed at the moment was Gregory to rub my face in it. “Why do you do that?”
His stern expression faded, morphing into curiosity. “Why do I do what?”
“Call certain people by their first names when it’s convenient, and address them by an honorific and their first names in other instances?” I asked. “And it’s not everyone. You call Joe, Mr. Kohler. And you called Charles, Mr. Scott. So why the first name for me and Michael?”
Gregory’s arms dropped to his side, and he pushed from the desk, holding his hand toward me. “It’s time to head up,” he said, watching me expectantly as his hand opened. “Unless you’d like to keep him waiting?”
I sighed—he wouldn’t tell me his reason. And it wasn’t like I needed to know. But I thought, maybe if I did, perhaps I might understand him a little bit more. Because as much of a mystery that Michael was, and Caleb too, it was Gregory I understood the least about.
He was someone who should have been wary of me, in the natural order of things. But wasn’t. And he was someone who was obviously very bad for me—if the way my annoyance twisted every time he played his mind games were any indication. Even so, I couldn’t curb my interest.
Why did I have to fall for the difficult ones? Was I cursed?
Well, yes. But I already knew the answer to that.
Even though he was so mysterious, a touch wild and unknown, when his deep eyes met mine, and his eyebrow lifted questionably, my heart
began to race.
I wanted to know more about him. I wanted to be the one who captured this untamed man.
And according to a certain prophecy, I would be.
“Miss Gloria?” I blinked, staring at his outstretched hand. I hadn’t even realized I’d been staring at him. Again.
“O-o-okay…” I moved to my feet, ignoring his proffered help. My fingers brushed over the fabric of my jacket, reflectively touching the buttons to make sure everything was proper. The last thing I wanted at the moment was to give Blake the impression that I was anything less than a professional.
Especially considering his part to play in everything.
“Let’s go.” My voice was surprisingly steady this time, and I met Gregory’s eyes with a nod. “Let’s see what Blake MacClure has to tell us.”
“Hello, Gloria.” Blake stood as I entered the room, a small smile gracing his face. A grin that faded as his gaze moved to the man behind me. “Who are you?” His tone was curt, and his focus zeroed in on Gregory’s hand on my waist. His mouth twisted, holding back a snarl, and it was obvious that he hadn’t forgotten the connection between us. When he spoke his next question, it came out in a jealous twist. “And who are you to Gloria? Leave us.”
“I am Miss Gloria’s colleague, and senior investigator. My name is Gregory Stephens,” Gregory responded just as coolly. “So I’ll be remaining here, no matter what you might say.”
I’d frozen at the sight of Blake. I might have rejected him, and I might have known that we weren’t fated despite what our culture dictated, but even so, it was difficult to suppress my physical response. The way my heart raced when he watched me, and I couldn’t stop my breath from catching as I entered his presence.
And if anything, I felt even more vulnerable now than ever before. When he was my Alpha, there was a sense of protection—the pack. But now I was alone, and it didn’t change the fact that, at a challenge, I would not be able to defeat him in a battle. Hopefully it would never come to that. Maybe he’d be physically inclined to not want to hurt me. But it didn’t stop my fear. The terror at the thought of my secret being outed.
