“His body?” Vance questions.
“In the freezer in the basement,” I answer with a shrug, Vance nods slowly and sits back.
“What is it?” I ask, cocking a brow as I lean back in my seat.
“Nothing major, just thought you should know.” He sighs heavily like the weight of the world rests on his shoulders. “Alpha Grayson put out an alert this morning when he didn’t show up for patrol duty. He knows Deacon is missing, and he felt the pack link sever.”
“Well, that’s to be expected,” I state.
“You sure he didn’t mindlink anyone?” Vance questions.
“Positive, he was too intoxicated. And every time he tried, I handled it. I’m not stupid Vance. He isn’t the first wolf I’ve killed,” I remind him.
“What about his car?”
“Burnt out; I had Harry pick it up earlier and crush it. They won’t find it.” I nod with confidence.
“So nothing to worry about then?” It’s obvious he’s still concerned.
“Video footage I took care of last night, bouncers won’t speak, you know that. Apparently the kid was pretty reliable, he never misses patrol. His Alpha was quite concerned about him; he’s worried he’s dead or was forced to be a rogue for some reason.”
Vance gets to his feet and heads toward the door, only to stop at the threshold.
“What do you reckon he was taking the photos for?”
“Nothing good, what I want to know is why he would send them to her stepsister?”
Vance seems to think for a second. “She’s Alpha Samuel’s daughter, right?” I nod. “Yeah, why’s that?”
“Alpha Samuel won’t hand the pack to her because that means Linda has access to it. Makes me wonder if she is trying to get Cleo removed as the next Alpha, and what better way to do it than embarrass her father and hurt her reputation.”
“I figured the same thing, but how would she explain handing those photos over to her stepfather?”
“I don’t think they’re for Cleo’s father. Perhaps Alpha Dane? Joseph had a meeting with Alpha Dane earlier; they were spotted at the public library. Alpha Dane won’t accept her if she isn’t a virgin, you know how religious his pack is.” I press my lips in a line. The bastard was serious about marrying her off.
“I’ll handle it, somehow.” I shake my head, annoyed at just the thought of her marrying anyone else.
“Are you gonna tell her?” Vance asks, and I sigh.
“No. I don’t want to put her at risk while she doesn’t have her wolf, she’ll have every Alpha after her trying to use her against me,” I remind him. I wish this wasn’t the case, but right now it’s the only choice we have.
“Yeah, Dad made sure to make a lot of enemies the last few years.”I nod sadly. The weight of the past, heavy on my shoulders.
“I’ll figure it out, Boyd won’t be getting his hands on her. I will kill him and declare war before I allow him to marry my mate,” I growl in annoyance.
“Well, I’m off to check border patrols. I will organize some men on her borders and tell them to keep their distance and to remain on neutral territory.” I nod, waving him off while I ponder what to do about the marriage alliance Alpha Joseph has planned for his daughter. There is no way I will allow her to marry anyone else.
I must have dozed off at some point because I wake to my notification ringtone blaring. It takes me a few seconds to come to my senses and shut it off, only to see I have a message from Cleo.
“Is she okay?” Zarek, my wolf asks, stirring awake at the thought of her. He presses beneath my skin, and I open the message.
Cleo: Deacon is missing. Can you check the club’s footage from last night? Maybe it can help us find out where he went.
Ugh, I groan, sick of hearing about the weasel though I quickly reply if it means seeing her again. I may just watch her boundaries myself if it means being close to her all the time. I quickly type my response and hit send.
Me: Deacon is missing? I saw him last night before I left. He was dancing with Lydia. I can meet you at the club later, and we can go over the footage together.
Cleo replies almost instantly, agreeing to meet me at my club at 7 PM. Smiling to myself, I check the time, I still have hours and decide to go shower, check on work and follow up on emails while I wait.
