Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Mia groaned as the sun's rays filtered through the window and rested on her face. "I'm too tired to get up so early," she groaned again.

You're no longer at the Diamond Shadow Pack, remember? Aly, her wolf, reminded her.

"Does it matter?" She asked out loud.

Very, Mia. You have a duty to fulfill to your people. That's why you're here; Aly tried to convince her to get up from the bed.

"Five more minutes," she pleaded, as she closed her eyes again.

Mia slept again, and when she thought it was already five minutes, she woke up, but the wall clock chimed eleven: thirty a.m. "Oh, my goodness," she gasped as soon as she saw the time. "I slept for an extra two hours!" She was shocked at herself.

She slapped her forehead and fell flat on the bed. "This is so not done," she groaned, shaking her head as she closed her eyes.

All of a sudden, she opened her eyes and got up from the bed. "It's not like I have anything doing," she shrugged, justifying her actions by sleeping in late. "Alex has not talked about the borderlines of the pack's territories again or when next we'll go looking for clues. I'm literally not doing anything in this packed house. "What's the need for waking up early?" She said to herself as she walked over to the vanity mirror.

"Mia Jayden," she began to say as she stared at her reflection. "You did no wrong by sleeping in later than usual," she comforted herself as she put on a bright smile.

She exhaled, and walking into the bathroom, she undressed, ready to dip herself into the bathtub.

A few minutes later, she got out of the bathroom and was about to reach for the towel in the adjoining room when the door to her room opened and Alex walked in.

His gaze fell on her nakedness, and Mia was petrified when she saw him. He looked away, and without a word, he walked out of her room.

She snatched the towel from the rail and found herself screaming in it. "Did Alex just..." She could not finish her sentence as she let out a piercing cry of despair. She lowered herself onto her knees and screamed into the towel, but her screams were not as muffled as she thought.

Alex ran his fingers through his hair as he walked down the stairs. He had not expected to see her nakedness when he walked into her room. This was all Hendrix's fault. Hendrix had pressured him to check on Mia since she had not come downstairs for breakfast for over two hours.

He had refused to do as Hendrix had said, but the stubborn man had found a way to get through his thick skin, and he had complied. He had only wanted to call her downstairs for breakfast, but he got to see the unexpected.

"Is she alright?" "Is she coming down for breakfast?" Hendrix asked Alex as he walked towards the dining table.

"Yes. Happy?" he asked, shooting Hendrix a glare.

"What happened? "It seems you're getting angry," Hendrix said.

"No, I'm not," Alex replied. "I'll be at the winery," he added, and walked away.

"He's so confusing these days," Hendrix muttered as he shook his head.

Alex got to the winery and poured himself a full glass of whiskey. He drank half of the cup and closed his eyes, hoping to clear his head, but instead, he envisioned the image of Mia naked in her room in his mind. From the smoothness of her long legs to her flawless satin skin,

He quickly opened his eyes as he realized he was indulging in the thought of her. He groaned as he emptied the remaining glass of whiskey into his mouth. He exhaled and sighed as he felt the harshness of the drink, but still, he poured himself another glass.

She's getting into your head, Alex. From now on, try your possible best to avoid her. "She's bad news," he said to himself.

Just as he placed the glass of whiskey on his lips, he saw Mia walking towards the dining table, and he unconsciously stared at her.

Mia did not notice his eyes on her, and she got to the table and saw that he was not there. "Um, good morning," she greeted Hendrix as she flashed a small smile.

"It's noon already, Luna," Hendrix replied, leaning into the chair.

"Oh!" Mia exclaimed in surprise. "My bad," she apologized.

"Your breakfast has gone cold." "I have requested the omegas heat it up for you," Hendrix said, staring at her.

"Thank you," she replied, looking around. "Where's Alex?" She asked.

"He's at the winery." "Is there a problem?" He asked.

"None at all," she replied with a smile as she shook her head slightly. "Excuse me," she said, and she walked in the direction of the winery.

She got there, but all she met was a half-bottle of whiskey on the counter and no sign of Alex. She walked back to the dining table and plumped herself onto the chair.

"Seen him?" Hendrix asked, and she shook her head. "I'll be right back," he said, and Mia nodded as she watched him walk away.

"Why is he avoiding me?" I should be upset that he walked into my room without knocking. "He needs to explain to me and apologize," Mia thought out loud as she propped her elbow on the table with her chin on her hand.

~~~~~~~~~~

Alex avoided Mia throughout the day, ensuring their paths did not cross. He had done this by staying locked up in his room, but at the moment, he was tired of it, and he wanted to relax his nerves. He decided to go to the river to meditate with Hendrix.

He walked out of his room and met Hendrix in the hallway. "Great thing I ran into you. "I'm heading to the river, and I need you there with me," he said to him.

Hendrix nodded. "Always at your service," he said as Alex turned towards the stairs. "I was on my way to tell you Jayden sent a message," Hendrix added as he followed him.

Alex turned around. "He wants his daughter back." He asked, looking optimistic.

Hendrix chuckled and shook his head. "No," he replied, and Alex shrugged with a disappointed look on his face as he proceeded down the stairs. "He wants to know how far you both have gone," he explained.

"Today is just the third day, Hendrix. Let him be aware of that. "This puzzle is not so easy to solve," Alex said.

"Yes, we are all aware of that." But he wants to know if you have found anything. "He's quite anxious to end this all," Hendrix conveyed.

"Send a missive to him, Hendrix." "Alex Heartman has found nothing yet, but in the coming few days, something must have been discovered," he said as he walked towards the pack door.

He opened it to walk out of the pack house, and he bumped into Mia. She had been hurrying into the pack house at the same time Alex was hurrying out, so he would not have to meet her, but their bodies collided against each other, much to the disapproval of Alex.