Seven: The investigation

Graeme’s POV

The steady ticking of the clock grated on my nerves. It was the only sound in my office, save for the occasional rustle of paper when I pretended to read the reports in front of me. My focus was shot, my thoughts dominated by Delia. The image of her standing in front of me—hurt, confused, and yet impossibly fierce—refused to leave my mind. Rejecting her had felt like driving a blade into my own chest, and every passing second since had twisted it deeper. A sharp knock on the door pulled me from my spiraling thoughts.

“Come in,” I called, clearing my throat and straightening in my chair. Duke stepped inside, his massive frame filling the doorway. He looked grim, his expression tighter than usual, and I knew whatever he had to say wasn’t good.

“Alpha,” he said, shutting the door behind him. He held a folder in his hands, which he placed carefully on my desk before taking a seat across from me.

“Any luck with the scouting?” I asked, my voice low.

He nodded. “We met with the human police force as you ordered and got pictures of the crime scene from them. The site of the attack is closed but we were able to slip in and take a look around.”

I didn't bother asking how he'd gotten in hands on classified information like crime scene pictures. It was Duke. He was resourceful like that, one of the many reasons he was my Beta. 

I leaned forward, bracing my elbows on the desk as he opened the folder and spread out several photographs. The first was a clearing in the woods, stained with blood. A body lay to the side, and I realized with a terrifying jolt that it was Delia's. She was clearly unconscious and I suppose this was just before they'd carted her away. 

The second showed a shattered phone—Delia’s, I assumed—and the last…

I swallowed hard. It was a body, or what was left of it.

“That’s her friend, Kacey Terro. They were together when the attack happened. She was found in a different location than Delia but her crime scene was far messier.” Duke said, his tone careful.

I exhaled sharply, pushing the photo aside. My chest felt tight. “And Delia was there?”

“I’d say she was lucky to get out alive, but I don't think it has much to do with luck. Whatever attacked the friend was very deliberate and messy. Even though Delia’s wounds were quickly healed, they weren't that deep in comparison to her friend.” Duke said and my brows lifted. 

“So you think whatever attacked them killed the girl on purpose and merely injured instead of killed Delia?”

He nodded “Precisely. No one knew what had happened to them until much later. There were no signs of anyone else stumbling upon them until the search party for them begun. He has ample time to finish off Delia just like he did Kacey. He didn't. He only injured her and ran away.”

“I see. But why?” I mumbled mostly to myself and the answer came to me immediately. 

“He was trying to turn her instead of kill her.” I said and Duke nodded. 

“That is my conclusion as well.”

“But why would anyone want to do that? Why Delia and why now? Not every human bitten by a lycanthrope survives it. In fact, most don't. Why would he risk killing her on the off chance that she may turn into a wolf instead?” I mused. Duke shrugged as if he was out of clues for that and I sighed. More homework for me to figure out. 

“Do we have any leads on the wolf responsible for this?”

Duke shook his head. “The trail was long cold. I couldn’t catch any scent. Maybe if we had a witch examine the area, she could reconstruct the attack and give us a clear image of what happened.” He suggested and I immediately dismissed the thought.

“No. I don't want to involve any other preternatural unless it's absolutely necessary. We can't trust the coven witches. They're too tightly aligned with the Vampires. Which brings me to the bastard that attacked us on the freeway. Any idea who he was?”

Duke nodded and dropped another folder on my desk. It was thin with only a few sheets in it. “There’s not much, but that's everything I could find on him. He goes by Zack Dunphy and According to Delia's parents, he was her boyfriend for the past year. They went to the same school but when I went there to investigate, I could barely find anything in his folder. He came from out of town, enrolled last year and started dating Delia almost immediately after.”

White-hot jealousy flashed through my chest and I gritted my teeth in an effort to contain it. 

“So, a Vampire comes into town and starts dating a human girl and a year later, the girl and her friend get attacked by what seems to be a rogue wolf. A bit too convenient if you ask me.” I said and Duke nodded his agreement. 

“The Vampire clan is up to something. And if they're not, then one of their members has gone rogue.” 

“Do you think it’s a Vampire who attacked her then?” Duke asked, a frown forming on his face. I shook my head “No. It was a werewolf alright. The claw marks, the imprint of teeth.” I murmured looking at the crime scene photos again “It was a wolf. He may have been working with a Vampire, but a wolf did this. We need to find out who.” 

“Alright. Parson replied our query.” He added and I rubbed a hand over my face. Loius Parson was the head of the Vampire clan in sterling city. I’d had Duke reach out to him to see if he could place this Zack person. 

“I don’t suppose he was any help?” I said dryly, well aware that Parson would never offer aid or information for free. 

“He wasn’t. He invited you to the Lair for a… talk.” I raised a brow. “Sounds like a trap.” 

Duke shrugged “I don’t see how it could be anything else.”

I sighed “Well, it’s not like we have a choice. I have to get to the bottom of this.”

“Actually, we do. I can go in your stead and report back with anything discussed.” He offered and I fell silent, considering his words. Duke felt I was too involved in what he termed ‘grunt work’. He’d been ragging me for weeks to leave the dirty work for my ‘underlings’. I didn’t have underlings. I had packmates and it was my duty as Alpha to protect them as much as I could. 

“Alpha please let me handle this. The King of the greatest wolven alliance in the world can’t run to a mere Vampire Lord’s lair just because he’s summoned.” 

He made an excellent point with that. It was rather disrespectful of Parson to summon me to his lair. He was only a mere Lord in the Vampire heirachy. Same as any one of the Alphas who answered to me. 

I nodded my agreement and Duke relaxed slightly. “I’ll leave right away.”

“Take a full squad with you. I can’t lose my Beta right now.” I warned and he gave me a smile. With a small bow, he turned and left me to attend my bidding while I sat here playing politics. 

My eyes fell to the images scattered over my desk once more. There was so much blood. Ripped flesh, torn clothes. That Kacey girl would have suffered before she died. And Delia— 

I trailed my fingers over the image of her laying unconscious and bleeding on the forest floor. She had lost so much in so little time. And after finding a mate, I’d rejected her and sent her away. I’d taken her from everything she knew and left her to navigate this new, terrifying world alone.

My phone buzzed on the desk, distracting me from my thoughts. The screen lit up with a familiar name: Mayor Kensington.

I sighed, running a hand down my face. I’d been dodging his calls for days, hoping to avoid yet another headache until I had more answers. But I couldn’t put it off any longer.

“Mayor,” I greeted, my tone clipped as I picked up.

“Alpha Buchanan,” he said, his voice oozing with barely concealed irritation. “I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.”

I didn’t bother denying it. “I’ve been busy handling the situation.”

“Handling it how?” he snapped. “It’s been nearly a week since the attack, and my office is still being hounded by reporters demanding answers. I need to know what you’re doing to resolve this.”

I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to remain calm. “We’re investigating,” I said evenly. “We have reason to believe vampires were involved, and we’re working to confirm it.”

“Vampires?” he repeated, his tone incredulous. “Do you have any proof, or is this just speculation?”

My patience was wearing thin. “We’re following the evidence, Mayor. I need more time to get definitive answers.”

“Time,” he scoffed. “That’s not good enough. My reputation is on the line here, Buchanan. If I don’t handle this properly, it could cost me reelection.”

I clenched my fist, anger simmering beneath the surface. Of course, his only concern was his political career. Not the people who had died. Not Delia, who’d lost her friend and nearly her life. Just himself.

“I suggest you focus less on your reputation and more on the safety of your citizens,” I said coldly.

The line went silent for a moment, and I could almost feel his indignation. “Just keep me informed,” he said finally, before hanging up without waiting for a response.

I tossed the phone onto the desk, pressing my fingers against my temples. The headache brewing at the base of my skull flared to life, fueled by frustration.

For a long moment, I sat there, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm myself. But my thoughts inevitably drifted back to Delia.

Her scent, her fiery spirit, the way her presence seemed to ignite something inside me—no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake her from my mind. She was my mate, my other half, and the bond between us only grew stronger with each passing day. But I’d rejected her. For her sake. For mine. For the sake of the pack.

It didn’t stop the ache in my chest or the pull I felt to be near her. I wanted to go to her. To see her. To make sure she was safe.

The need clawed at me until I was halfway out of my chair before I caught myself.

No. I couldn’t.

With a frustrated growl, I slammed back into my seat and raked a hand through my hair. This was madness. She was consuming my every thought, and it was dangerous—for both of us.

I stood abruptly, shoving my chair back and striding to the door. I needed a distraction, something to take my mind off the mate I couldn’t have.

Because if I didn’t, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could resist.