Chapter 34 33
Darius' POV
“The bastard poisoned himself.” Dante sighed, running a hand through his hair.
I clenched my teeth and walked toward the man who’d stopped convulsing. Froth clung to his lips, his body unmoving. I kicked him hard. “Hey!”
“Darius,” Omarion placed his hand on my shoulder. “He’s dead.”
I glared down at the lifeless man. “He’s literally insane. He’d rather die than say anything against the Patriarch.”
Dante sighed heavily behind me. “Yeah.”
Omarion crouched near the body, his brow furrowing. “If I had an idea, I would’ve searched him more thoroughly. Who knew he’d be hiding pills? Do they walk around with these things?”
I rubbed my forehead. “It just makes it pointless,” I said. “I thought capturing one of the Patriarch’s men would at least give me an edge. Instead, I gained nothing.”
Omarion straightened, his expression apologetic. “We’re really sorry about this, Mr. Darius. We had no idea, but now that we know, we’ll be much more cautious next time.”
I closed my eyes for a second, inhaling deep, trying not to lose my cool. If Zeus takes over here, it would be chaos.
“It’s fine,” I breathed.
We left the cell and walked back out. We got back to my car. I opened the door, sat in the driver’s seat, while Dante in the shot-gun seat.
“This is crazy,” Dante muttered, running a hand through his hair.
“Tell me about it,” I sighed.
“If we knew, we’d have maybe had his hands tied or something,” Dante said quietly.
I slammed my hand hard against the steering wheel.
“Darius, relax,” Dante muttered.
I ran a hand through my hair, letting out a sharp breath. “Come on, Dante, you know how much this pains me. I had this opportunity. I’ve been hunting the Patriarch for years. I hate him more than anything.”
My voice trembled with frustration. “I got so damn excited when I found out one of his men was captured. I thought I’d torture him, get at least the Patriarch’s hideout or a single clue that could lead me to him. But now…” I hit the steering wheel again. “We’re back to square one.”
My phone started ringing. I almost ignored it, but I answered anyway. “What is it?”
“Sorry to bother you, sir,” the driver’s voice came through. “I wanted to ask if I should pick up the miss. They're done for today.”
I sighed. “I’ll pick her up. Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay, sir,” he replied, and I ended the call.
Dante glanced at me. “Where are we going?”
“To the college. I’ll pick Soraya up.”
“Okay,” Dante said, settling back. “You can drop me off at the company on your way.”
“Sure.”
I drove in silence for a while, dropping Dante off at the office. Once he got out, I turned the car toward Soraya’s school.
Just the mention of her name and the thought of seeing her, did something strange to me. The frustration I felt dwindled and instead I felt…Excitement. My lips twitched into a smile. Was I… actually excited?
It felt ridiculous. Me, Alpha Darius feeling giddy to see a girl like so teenager.
I shook my head slightly, chuckling under my breath. “What the hell is wrong with me?”
The moment I arrived at the college, I could already see students walking around out, some laughing in groups, others scrolling through their phones, some sitting lazily on the campus benches. Typical college energy.
I took out my phone.
“Hello, Elvis?”
“Hello, sir.”
“I’m here to pick Soraya up. Could you get her for me?”
“Sure thing, sir.”
A few minutes later, I spotted Elvis walking toward me, with Soraya trailing behind him.
My eyes were fixed on just her.
“She’s here, sir,” Elvis said as they got to my car.
“Thank you,” I replied without looking at him.
Soraya’s eyes met mine.
“You’re here?” she said, sounding a little surprised.
I smirked. “Is that what you say to the person who came to pick you up from college?”
She blinked. “I just thought the driver would come. I didn’t expect you.”
I tilted my head, a bit amused. “Why would I let the driver do it when I can? He only dropped you off this morning because I was in a rush. Otherwise, I’d have done it myself.”
She nodded lightly and opened the door. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I asked as she settled into the seat.
“For the trouble. You must’ve been busy at work.” She glanced at me. “Maybe I could start taking a taxi.” she said softly. “So you don’t have to—”
“Shh.” I cut her off. “A taxi? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
She turned her head toward me, confused.
“Soraya,” I said. “Why would my mate bother with a taxi when I can pick her up myself?”
“But—”
“No buts, Soraya.”
She fell silent, and I softened a little. “So… how was your first day of school?”
“It was good,” she said, relaxing slightly. “We barely learned anything today, just orientation and stuff.”
“Did you make any friends?” I asked, glancing at her from the corner of my eye.
She hesitated, thinking. “Not exactly. I mean, I sort of made a friend… but I’d already met him on the day of my exam.”
Him? I repeated in my head. I could feel my jaw clench before I forced myself to relax. Come on, Darius. Don’t be a possessive freak. It’s a school. Of course she'd meet guys.
Looking at her, I noticed how her uniform made her face pop, softening her features in the cutest way. I couldn’t help the small grin tugging at my lips.
“You look really cute in that uniform,” I said, teasingly.
She turned to me, then quickly looked away. “Thank you,” she murmured softly.
I could see the faint blush creeping up her cheeks. It was funny how she appeared all fierce and stubborn but still blushed at the littlest things I say.
“I deserve a kiss, don’t I?” I said suddenly.
Her head snapped toward me with widened eyes.
I smirked. “What? I’m being such a good guy here. I picked you up, complimented you. Don’t I deserve a kiss for that?”
“I… I don’t… I don’t know,” she stammered, looking anywhere but me.
“Oh?” I leaned slightly closer, lowering my voice. “You don’t think I deserve one, Soraya?”
I could feel the heat radiating from her, the way she froze up under my gaze. Adorable.
“Hmm…” I said with a faint chuckle. “Maybe I’ll ask you again when we get home.”
Her blush deepened, and I turned the ignition, finally driving off, still smiling to myself.
After a moment, I glanced sideways at her again. “Do you like ice cream?”