52|It’s Kaine with a ‘K.’

52|It’s Kaine with a ‘K.’
~Serena~

I gasped, my chest heaving as I opened my eyes. I was back at the infirmary, looking down at Declan, his eyes wide open as a smirk slowly tugged his lips.

Burned by his touch, I pulled my hand from his hold, staggering back like I had just finished drinking two barrels of beer.

It was both relieving and disturbing to watch the wounds on his chest heal. He was strong enough to suppress his natural healing abilities, and he was strong enough to take his own life. I still don’t know how much power he had gained over the past five years, and this was him showing off his strength. All I know is that this alpha is one alpha you wouldn’t want to mess with.

Wounds all healed now, Declan pushed off from the bed, the sheets covering the lower half of his body pooling on his waist.

That smirk on his lips told me he remembers what happened in his oblivion. Mischief glowed in his eyes. He licked his lips, his gaze laser-focused on mine as he watched me bristle on the spot. Then he removed the sheet from his body, discarding it on the side of the bed as he slid down, his bare feet gracing the cool ground of the infirmary. He was a man on a mission, and unlike in the oblivion, I stepped back, not willing to take the risk of Declan claiming my lips in the real world.

That kiss in his oblivion has done enough damage to my integrity. I did everything there on a whim without thinking of the consequences. Now I wish I hadn’t allowed myself to get carried away by that conversation.

Declan paused his advances when the infirmary door opened. Everyone poured through the door as if they had been waiting outside, listening to the development in Declan’s state.

Alpha Seth was the first to approach Declan. He gave him one of those brotherly hugs as he welcomed him back to the real world.

“What were you thinking?” Alpha Seth berated Declan, slapping the back of his shoulder in a scolding manner, like an older brother to his stubborn little brother.

“Yeah, Alpha, what the hell were you thinking?” Jared seconded Alpha Seth's notion and clutched Declan’s offered hand, giving him another hug.

“That was a crazy move,” Alpha Oren murmured, shaking his head, but a grin was on his lips.

Cora had a frown on her forehead. Then she came up to Declan and pinched his ears. The latter sneered, pouting at Cora’s actions. “Never pull that stunt again, you hear me?” Cora hissed. “You’ll be the death of me, Declan.”

Declan merely laughed at Cora, then he nodded at Spade, who remained standing behind the crowd, along with Clint. There was an unspoken conversation going on between them. When I looked over my shoulder, Spade winked at me.

I should’ve known better. The bastard knew something had happened in Declan’s oblivion. All of us at the Blackmist pack had stepped into oblivion once or twice. Then it dawned on me. He must’ve been the one who told Declan about it. This crazy bastard.

That was a dangerous move. What if Declan didn’t know how to come back? Or what if I didn’t decide to fetch my crazy mate from his oblivion? Things could’ve gone south.

I sighed and decided to give Spade a heavy punch in the face later. For now, I listened as Alpha Seth asked Declan how he ended up at Dream Plaza.

A dark look replaced the smile on Declan’s face. “I asked Brian where he was supposed to be taking the girls. He gave me that address.”

“He told you that?” Alpha Seth sounded skeptical. “We’ve been torturing him for days, and he didn’t give us any answer.”

While I was away, sulking in the cabin, I learned they locked Todd and Brian here at Fallenmist to squeeze more information from them. Todd knew nothing about Skipper. He was telling the truth when he said he knew that name, but not the face. Brian, on the other hand, was a different story. He was a tough guy to crack, and I wonder what Declan did to get that answer.

“I had help,” Declan said as he stood from the bed. “I called Roy, and I learned that Brian has a daughter here in Brille. I used her as leverage.”

Alpha Seth’s green eyes narrowed. “You used an innocent girl?!”

Declan sighed. “Do you think that low of me?” he fired back. “I lied to Brian, of course.”

“Oh,” was Alpha Seth’s reply.

Alpha Oren cut it. “What did you learn from the Dream Plaza?”

“Not much,” Declan answered. “They knew I was coming, or they were rather prepared for a shifter. It’s like they know I’m one the moment I set foot in their territory.”

Cora and I exchanged glances. Jared mirrored my confused expression. 

“Nobody stopped us when we came to rescue you,” Jared said.

Declan frowned, deep in his thoughts. “That’s odd,” he said. “I felt eyes watching me inside that building. I was on a suicide mission, so I didn’t really give a thought about it, but I’m sure someone was watching me.”

Jared turned to me. “Did you feel anything back then?”

I pursed my lips. I can’t tell them I was so lost in my head, that’s why I really didn’t care about my surroundings. That wasn’t me. Spade would have another reason to tease me if I admitted that. “No. I would sense it if someone was watching us.”

“Did you find anything that could help us, at least?” Alpha Oren asked.

“Nothing,” Declan admitted. “I didn’t even last ten minutes inside that building to find out anything. But I had Roy dig up details about that hotel. It turns out that it was the same company as the construction site.”

“The Brown Company?” I raised. Declan nodded. That’s when I turned to Spade.

“We already know that the family who owned that hotel had a werewolf hunting history, but it’s not recent,” I said. “It dates back to the time of the rogue siege. But the head of the family is already dead. He’s the only one who hunted shifters.”

The wheels in Declan’s head rolled as he tried to remember more of his time at the hotel. “Roy also discovered that an anonymous buyer recently bought from the Brown company. Then I remember this guy from the elevator. He was annoyingly chatty. He said he owns the building. I didn’t think anything about it at that time when he told me his name.”

This information seemed random. I was already scheming a new plan in my head when Cora asked Declan. “What’s the name? Maybe we can find out if he is the Skipper we’re looking for.”

“Alister,” Declan murmured. “He said his name is Alister Kaine.”

Icy cold water ran through my veins. “Come again?” I had to ask.

“Alister Kaine,” Declan reiterated. “It’s Kaine with a ‘K.’ I didn’t have time to ask Roy about it. Why? Does that name ring a bell?”

I shook my head, my stomach quenching, pushing bile up to my mouth. “Never heard of it,” I said and walked out of the room and headed straight to the nearest bathroom, spilling the last contents of my stomach on the toilet.