Chase's POV“Fucking hell.” I swore as I flipped through the file.“It's clean.” Henry said from across the room where he leaned against the far wall of my study.“Too fucking clean.” I gritted out and dumped the useless heap of paper back on my desk.I wasn't in the best mood. The information I had asked for on Sally Wallace— the late owner of the car that had left Greene's had finally come in early this morning from Hwan's cousin.I had reluctantly gotten out of Maya's arms without waking her and hauled my ass to my study where Henry and Ron waited for me.Now I wish I hadn't. There was nothing that could help here.Ron sighed and flipped through his copy. “All her movements were accounted for and no single person she interacted with prior to being hospitalized could be classed as suspicious or odd.”“Basically, she was the cleanest, most problematic woman before cancer did her in.” Henry flopped onto a chair, exhaustion written all over his features.“Yeah, or someone took great pai
Chase's POV“I have a bad feeling about this.” Ron said as we reached Hwan's door. The steel 13 beside it hung at an odd angle and I took that as a bad omen. “We should have stopped Louis and asked how he knew about the case.”I knocked on the door and waited. “Right now, there is no need for that. After this talk with Hwan, we'll know how many people he let lose this information. Asking Louis will only raise alarm.”“That's if the fact that we’re here so early doesn’t already sound warning bells to whoever the spy is. I wonder what Louis was doing here by this time.”I shrugged, still thinking over our encounter. “Beats me. Maybe they’re lovers.”Ron let out a loud snort and leaned against the wall but immediately straightened when the lock on the other side of the door clicked and the knob turned.The door opened to reveal a bedraggled Hwan who I had not seen since our little rescue stint in Lunagrove.His brows furrowed as he looked between Ron and me, when he spoke his voice was h
Chase's POV“A spy camera?!” Hwan sprang out of his chair to examine the deceptive pen. “Shit.” He cursed then with lightning speed, he disassembled the device.I caught Ron's eye and a look of understanding passed between us. The spy had planted it.“You’re skilled with spy cameras?” Ron asked, sparing a glance at the pieces in Hwan's balled-up fist.“Devices in general. This one model is easy enough to put together and take apart.” He dumped the pieces on the shelf, obviously worked up. “Why would anyone plant a spy cam here?“I have a few guesses.” I muttered.His face fell as realization dawned on him. “That's how they learnt about the case.” They heard it when I spoke with my cousin on the phone!”Ron gave him a grim nod.“This makes no sense. How did whoever this is know to put it in my place? Who would do such a thing?”“Again, I have a few guesses.” I sighed. I had hoped Ron and I's suspicions were wrong but now it didn't seem like it. Sometimes being right wasn’t all that gre
Chase's POVAt Henry's words, I went deadly still. In my veins anger roared like a breathing creature.'Where was it?' I asked Henry.'I have no idea where it was placed but it probably rolled because I found it in the terracotta pot by the window. I could detect the radio signals from it but other than that, it's practically useless.'Ron frowned. 'Why is it useless?''The video and audio inputs are impaired. Maybe it got damaged when the plants in the pot were watered. The downside is that I don't know how long it's been this way and how much the spy must have heard already. How did it go at Hwan's? Do you know who did this?''Oh, I know who the bastard is, alright.' I growled. Henry was done reporting what he found so I returned by focus to the TV.Behind me, Ron addressed Henry. 'We have a suspect but we aren’t so sure.''I'm very fucking sure it's him.' Behind the TV, my finger caught onto a latch and when I tugged, the rectangular device lowered to reveal a slit in the wall. “Bi
Chase's POVThe perks of being an Alpha and a lycan were endless and today one of those perks came in handy. While my pack members were in the territory, I could feel out on my kink to them and get the general orientation of their location.Although his ability waned if they were no longer in the territory, it helped a lot. It was an ability that few knew of— Louis probably did not or else he would have long fled the territory.Ron and I shifted and headed north to find Louis. As I sped beside Ron, my surroundings blurred but they eventually became familiar and dread curled in my gut and I slowed my pace to a trot.Blood drained from my face as I took in the landmarks with barely concealed horror.I came to a full halt as I realized where Louis was. I should have known.'Of all places that bastard could have hidden, he chose there?' My furious growl did nothing to stop the cold sweat that broke underneath my fur.'Chase, what's wrong?' Ron realized I had stopped and retraced his steps
Chase's POVThese woods had become thicker over the years but I had Louis' scent and shot through the dense trees like a bullet.Behind me, Ron's feet pounded, also in pursuit.“Louis! You can't run forever!” My roar rang loudly, scaring away birds that had taken refuge in the small forest.It was laughable that he thought he could outrun us.He was a few paces ahead of us, and at the sound of my voice, he did something foolish. Running at full speed, surrounded by enormous trees, he cast a hurried glance behind to catch sight of us but instead, stumbled over a raised root and went crashing into a birch tree that sent him crumbling to the ground.“Pathetic,” Ron muttered and yanked him up from the dirt by his collar. “He's unconscious.”“Not for long.” Without remorse or reservation, I drew my hand back and struck him hard across the face. Twice.He came to with a start, yelling—“It wasn’t me!”My gaze was ice cold as I regarded him. “I haven’t asked you anything yet, Louis. But since
Maya's POVMy dress was perfect.I went shopping with Genny in the afternoon to find a dress for tomorrow's party. The party was formal and almost like a ball so I knew I wanted something long.It had taken us hours but when I finally spotted my dress, I had known. I kid you not, I had actually gasped.It was a floor-length maroon number with a corseted top and a daring slit that made my leg look mouth-watering.I had woken up in an empty bed so at first, I was slightly miffed at Chase but while I was shopping, the irritation melted away and by the time I found my dress, I was excited to see his reaction to me in it.I was back in our room—yes, 'our'! All my things were here now— waiting for Chase to come home. I had no idea where he went to— I hadn't seen Ron or Henry either— and although I could have just asked him, I didn’t want him to know I had gone shopping. I wanted him to be stunned speechless tomorrow. And okay, maybe I also wanted him to think I was mad at him for leaving so
Maya's POV“What the heck is Greene playing at?”Henry's question hung in the air along with the many other not-so-rhetorical questions that had been thrown out since we convened in Chase's study.Chase and I were together on the couch, Henry was swivelling behind the desk— which earned him occasional glares from Chase— and Ron was pacing dizzying circles around the room.“Ron, you'll wear a hole in the carpet.” I joked.“I'll buy a new one if that happens.” He replied without pause.“Hear me out!” Henry exclaimed, springing out of his chair. “What if he put it off because of what happened yesterday? His spy got caught and he knows we'll suspect him so he brings up a bullshit excuse and postpones the whole thing so that he has time to rebuild his front and avoid getting caught. Maybe even recruit another spy or two.” As he spoke, his gestures became exaggerated and when he was done, he waited expectantly for a response.“That’s highly unlikely.” Chase sighed. “Louis said that Greene h
Chase’s POVWith a hand on Maya’s waist, I led her back to the ballroom. “What was that about?”“Long story.” She sighed. “I’ll tell you when we get home. Why did you come looking for me?”I eyed her. “With the amount of time you took, you might have drowned in the toilet— ow!” I laced my fingers through hers to stop her from elbowing me again. “I was worried. You took so long and I tried to reach you but you’ve put up that darn wall again. You need to stop doing that.”My alarm had grown as everyone went far with dinner but Maya still didn’t return. I would have come to find her since but Ron managed to slightly ease my worry by assuring me that if she was in trouble, she would have reached out to me. So, I had waited until dinner neared its end and empty glasses were being replaced with wine to make a toast to the night’s success. That was when my patient snapped.Maya grimaced guiltily. “Sorry, babe. I didn’t want you to feel me getting worked up and come find me.”I sighed. “Okay,
Maya's POVI scented her before I saw her.“Did you and Kylan plan this? You both are making this night way too long for me.” I sighed and turned to face Lily who watching me like a hawk watching a stray chick. So damn theatrical. Both of them should work at the opera.The overwhelming smell of alcohol drew my attention away from Lily to the other female present and I frowned.“You!” I pointed, flabbergasted.Lily smirked. “Nice work, Sloane. For a moment I thought she wasn’t going to show but here she is.”‘Sloane’ was the female that had bumped into me and spilt her drink down my back. Her staggering flushed state had made me think she was drunk but seeing her coherent and standing beside Lily made me realize that her drunken act was only a ploy to get me here.“Well played, Lily, I’m here now. What do you want?” I asked and stalked to the mirror to survey how bad my dress was.A look passed between Lily and Sloane before Sloane brushed passed me with a scornful sneer to exit the re
Maya’s POVThe night went on with no further incident and soon we were called to sit for dinner. As Chase and I moved to our designated spot, where Ron was already seated— thankfully he had ditched the shades— a server bumped into me but Chase pulled me out of the way before anything could spill on me. I couldn’t relish his smooth safe though because seconds later someone else bumped into me from behind.Cold wetness seeped through the back of my dress and spread everywhere. I felt mortified.“You have got to be kidding.” I gasped and swivelled around.“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry.” A drunk female brunette that looked oddly familiar hiccupped. Her face was red and the glass whose former content now decorated me hung loosely from her hand. “I’m sorry, it was an accident.” She muttered again and staggered away while I simmered in annoyance.People around cast furtive glances my way and I rolled my eyes in irritation. Suddenly, warmth and the scent of my mate encased me as Chase placed
Maya’s POVWe turned to see the blue-eyed devil dressed in a navy blue tuxedo with a smirk gracing his lips.From the corner of my eye, I caught Ron emerge from the crowd to watch our interaction through narrowed eyes.“Greene,” Chase acknowledged him with a cold barely there smile. “I can’t say I’m glad that I made it either.”“You were able to address the sudden problem that arose then?”“Regrettably, yes.”“Ah.” Kylan nodded. “Ever efficient.” Disgust rolled off Chase in waves. Kylan then turned to me. “And who may this be?”I stiffened. All the while he spoke, I had kept my gaze on the ground but as he asked, he met his gaze with a thousand hells of hatred burning from mine.I knew he would not recognize my scent as it was now intermingled with Chase’s since we mated but I had no doubt he would recognize my face.Kylan didn’t disappoint. His eyes rounded as recognition filled them and he staggered back and then forward as he attempted to reach for me. I say attempted because his h
Chapter 99Maya's POV.Ron dislodged from his killing machine and joined us.“How does your hair still look good after that ride?” The jealousy in my voice could be heard from a mile away.“It’s in the genes.” He shrugged and reached into his pocket. I thought of how gorgeous Genny effortlessly was and nodded. It really was in the genes.My gaze caught on the object Ron pulled out. “Ron, no.”“What? It ties the look together.” He said, happily donning his new accessory despite my protests.“You do not need that.” I shook my head at him.“He likes to look as unapproachable as possible at these kinds of events.” Chase explained without prompt, his eyes taking down every detail of our surroundings.I looked Ron up and down sceptically. “And you settled on wearing a pair of sunglasses indoors to achieve that? At night time for that matter?”“Why not?” Ron shrugged. “Nightcrawlers get away with it.I facepalmed, knowing fully well who he was referring to. “Ron, their vampires. Of course, t
Maya's POVReaching for my phone on the bedside table, my gaze fell on the bed and heat crept up my cheeks as images of Chase and me from earlier flashed in my mind. Moments ago, we were there being all wild and dirty but now, as we got ready, silence enveloped the room as we stayed stuck in our thought bubbles.I was glad that Chase was coming with me because despite my insistence on attending the party, now that the minutes to show time were counting down, my bravado was gone and all that I felt was dread.Failing to conceal my anxiety, I drew in a shaky breath and Chase’s eyes instantly snapped my way, meeting my gaze in the mirror.“Are you okay?” Worry laced his question.“Mhmm.” No, I think I might vomit.“I heard that.” He smiled wryly and came up behind me.“Oh.” Redness bloomed on my cheeks and neck. “I forgot I had gotten rid of the wall between us.”Chase laid a feather-light kiss on my exposed shoulder. “I’m glad you did.”“So am I.” I smiled, leaning into him.“Feeling be
Chase’s POVWhen Maya had walked out on me earlier, I had no idea she had left to go shopping. And worse, she was with another male.When Gen told me that Maya was with Ashton, it had rubbed me the wrong way. I didn’t like how close they seemed to have gotten, and neither did I like the way the Shadow looked at her.On entering the boutique, I was directed to a dressing room where I found Ashton lounging crossed-legged on a sofa with a glass of wine in hand. I looked from him to the closed curtain which I knew my mate was probably currently mostly naked behind as she tried on clothes.My jaw clenched as I saw the mini walkway. The scene made my blood boil, maybe because he was getting to see the side of Maya which I was currently deprived of.I knew that he had sensed the second I walked into this room but he took his sweet time turning to acknowledge me.“Glad you could make it.” He greeted without festivity.“Yeah, so am I.” The muscle in my jaw popped. “Thanks for keeping Maya comp
Maya’s POVI had a score to settle.On my way out of the pack house, I bumped into Ron and he let it slip that one other person was aware of this date change, as well as Chase’s desire to keep me in the dark about it.Guess who it was?“Genevieve fucking Tyuv!” Ashton lazily opened the front door before I could knock and I stormed into their living room with righteous anger.My target looked up from the rug where she was scrubbing at a damp spot. “I’ll assume you’re cursing because you can’t remember my middle name.”“No, I’m cursing because you knew about the Blood Moon Party and didn’t tell me!”“Oh,” She winced and dropped her rag. “That.”“Yes. That.” I snapped. “How could you? We were together yesterday and you didn’t think to bring up the fact that the party was in a day— which is today! Or the part where my headstrong mate decided Drakor won’t be present!”“The headstrong mate that you missed.” She muttered.“Genny!” I huffed in annoyance.“Fine! It was because Chase said not t
Maya's POVI was angrily shoving on my sneakers when my room door was pushed open to reveal none other than my mate.“Hey.” Chase greeted as he hesitantly stepped into the room.“Hi.” I breathed. I had no idea what emotions were displayed on my face but he remained standing on the other side of the room, studying me with as much caution as I did him.In my head, my wolf urged me to go to him. We missed his touch, his scent, everything about him. I missed him so much that I wanted to bury myself in his very essence and not come back up.I remained where I was though. Thoughts of his absence and the party warred with my desire to be held.Still, my mouth went ahead of my brain and spilt words before I could call them back.“I missed you last night.”The smile that slowly broke across his face was wide and breathtaking. Ethereal. Was it possible that he got more handsome from when I saw him last?My heart beat loudly in my ears as he made his way towards me with a glint in his eyes, only