Chapter 14

LUKE

Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! They saw us!

Why were they even there? We were tracking Hayley’s scent, and just as it started to get stronger, we ran into some other wolves.

They smelled like they belonged to the Midnight Rose Pack, but I could be wrong. If Hayley wandered into their territory, she’ll either die there or spill the beans about what we did to her. This is bad news.

What am I going to tell Alpha Jerry?

I could fib and say that we have a lead and that we’ll investigate further tomorrow, but he’d eventually find out that I lied.

Or one of the warriors might rat me out, just to stay on the alpha’s good side.

I can’t afford to lose Alpha Jerry’s trust, especially not now.

Hayley’s causing so many problems, it’s infuriating. Ava was my best friend, and when she died because of Hayley, it felt like my world crumbled.

Ava was the closest thing I had to a mate. I still haven’t found mine yet, and every day I yearn for them. Even though I’m past the usual age of finding your mate, I still have hope.

There are legends that only the worthy find their mate after they turn eighteen and that their lifespan triples as they both bring peace and harmony into the world, which helps the survival of werewolves.

I don’t know if this is true or not, but I pray to the Moon Goddess that it is.

Ava always said that my mate would be the luckiest wolf in the world to have me. I always wished that Ava was my mate, since we were so alike.

Alpha was always busy, so Ava and I spent a lot of time together. Sometimes, I thought Ava felt the same way I did.

There were times when it was just Ava and me, and things got a bit heated and we got carried away, but Jerry never found out. He would have if we’d mated, but we never went that far.

Pushing those past thoughts aside, the warriors and I head into the pack house. I tell the warriors that I’ll speak to the alpha about our trip so they can go see their mates.

They scatter while I head to the alpha’s office.

I knock on the office door.

“Come in.”

I bow my head when I enter, already feeling the anxiety gnawing at my stomach.

When I lift my head and look at Alpha Jerry, he’s engrossed in some files, not even acknowledging me.

Rolling my eyes, I say, “Alpha, I have some news about the investigation you asked for.” He doesn’t look at me, just hums for me to continue.

“Well, you see, when we were tracking Hayley’s scent, we ran into some other wolves who I think are from Midnight Rose Pack, but I’m not entirely sure.

“Anyway, they started chasing us and one of them followed us to your border.”

He freezes.

He slowly lifts his head to look at me with murder in his eyes. “They saw you?” he asks, his eyes flashing gold, signaling that his wolf is at the surface.

I nod and the anxiety starts making my fingers tremble.

“You had one job!” he yells as he stands, knocking his chair over in the process. In a flash, he’s in front of me, grabbing my neck and lifting me off the ground.

My eyes start watering, and I can’t tell if it’s from tears or because he’s cutting off my air supply.

“All you had to do was look for her and you managed to screw that up too!” he screams, spit flying out of his mouth and landing on my face.

“You need to get your act together now or it won’t end well for you. Do you understand?” I weakly nod, already seeing black spots clouding my vision.

He drops me to the ground and I land with a thud. I start coughing immediately and tears slide down my face.

He stands over me, rolls his eyes, and says, “You’re a failure.”

He then walks back to his desk, rights his chair, and sits down as if nothing happened. I take this as my cue to leave, and start heading for the door.

“Luke.” This catches my attention and I turn my head toward him. “The plan still stands. Nothing has changed. For all we know, they thought you were just a bunch of rogue wolves, hunting for some food.

“If you notice or hear about any suspicious activity around the border, you report to me immediately. Understand?”

I turn to face him and stutter, “Yes, Alpha.”

He starts writing something on the file in front of him, and after a few seconds, he orders, “Leave.” I rush out of the door, heading to my bedroom to take a shower, needing to wash away the fear that has trickled down my legs…