Chapter 68 Secrets Only

Chapter 68 Secrets Only


{Warren POV}

"I'm so sorry for not being there for you," Tonia said as she walked further into my office and sank into the chair opposite my desk. "I've been busy, you know. After that party, I left the city to spend some time with my friends."

"It's fine, mother told me," I said to her, leaning close to my desk as I rested my back against it. "But I'm still pissed at you."

She chuckled softly. "Now you're acting like I'm the first one who did that. You didn't attend my eighteenth birthday, remember?"

I scoffed, shaking my head. "You still have that in your mind? I thought I apologized for that."

Tonia burst into a little laugh. "Yes, so accept my apology for not being at your Luna ball."

"Fine, you're forgiven," I murmured, and she smiled, crossing one leg over the other. "But if you miss any other event happening again, I might not forgive you."

Tonia blew an air kiss toward me. "Wolf honor! So, let's talk about the main thing. Weeks ago, I met one of my friends at a restaurant, and she was telling me about your mate. It sounded quite disturbing."

I let out a small laugh, rubbing my hand against the back of my neck with the thought that someone finally saw things the way I did. "Yes, she came to me after the party and we are together."

Tonia nodded before she leaned close, resting her hands flat on the table. "Who is she, and do you really like her? Because mom and I had concluded you might not be able to like a lady, since you waited so long to have a mate."

"Well, I guess that's what is happening," I muttered, walking over to take a seat in my chair. "I just don't feel the vibe with her. But there's this other girl... she worked once with me before she resigned. She's just so hard to resist."

Tonia mocked me with a loud laugh, shaking her head. "I knew you wouldn't be romantic even if a mate fell right into your lap, Warren! You are just too stubborn for your own good."

She laughed for a few seconds, but then, almost like she suddenly remembered something important, her eyes widened. She leaned further across the desk to ask me.

"Wait, what is your mate's name anyway? I'm really curious now."

"It's Layla," I told her plainly.

The moment the name left my mouth, Tonia's face knotted in deep confusion. Her smile vanished instantly, replaced by a tight, strange frown.

Seeing her reaction made me pause. "What is the matter?" I asked, staring at her.

Tonia opened her mouth, and was about to say something, but before she could speak, the door to my office barged wide open.

Layla rushed into the room, her hair neat and a big smile on her face. She immediately distracted Tonia, calling out her name with a playful, friendly voice.

"Tonia! You're back!" Layla exclaimed, walking straight over to her. "How was your visit to the new city? How was the pack over there?"

Tonia blinked, her face changing instantly as she forced a bright smile onto her lips. She got up and started chatting with Layla, getting all friendly and gisting with her like they were old friends.

I watched them for a brief moment, but my mind was too distracted to care about pack gossip. I stood up from my chair and grabbed my car keys off the desk.

"I'm going out for a run in the woods," I told them, stepping around the desk. "I'll leave you two to talk."

"Okay, Warren, take care!" Tonia called out.

As I walked down the hallway, I stopped for a second, feeling that something was definitely wrong. The strange look Tonia had on her face when I mentioned Layla's name didn't match how friendly and playful she acted the moment Layla walked into the room. It felt like she was hiding something from me, but I didn't have the time to sit around and ask questions right now.

I walked out of the pack house, got into my car, and drove off down the road with the strong thought of sneaking into the woods to look for Diana myself.

As I drove deeper toward the border, my mind kept drifting back to Diana. I wondered how she was surviving out there all alone, pregnant and without the protection of a pack. My chest tightens every time I think about her being in pain.

After driving for a while, I parked the car close to the edge of the dark woods. I stepped out, closing the door quietly behind me. I looked around to make sure no warriors were watching, then I shifted into my wolf form.

My bone structure cracked and rearranged, my dark gray fur bursting out as my large paws hit the dirt. I lowered my snout close to the ground, using my sharp Alpha nose to search for any hint of Diana's scent in the cool air.

At first, there was nothing but the smell of damp pine leaves and wet dirt. But after walking deeper into the trees for a while, I sniffed something sweet that smelled just like her faint scent. My heart thudded hard in my chest. It gave me a strong hint that Diana had definitely been right here in these woods.

I trotted forward, keeping my snout close to the grass. But as I walked further down the hidden path, my wolf eyes caught something stuck to a sharp bush.

I stepped closer and saw a tuft of wolf fur hanging from the thorns, right next to a metal frame set on the ground, like a wolf had been caught in a trap.

My wolf growled softly, a sudden spike of fear running through my veins. I kept sniffing the air and moving forward, following the light trail of her scent toward a large tree. But the moment I reached the root of the tree, her scent completely vanished into thin air.

I looked up at the rough tree bark and froze. There was dried blood smeared across the bottom of the trunk and on the flat leaves near my paws.

A sharp panic seized my chest. My wolf let out a sad, painful whimper that echoed through the quiet forest. Looking at the dried blood on the ground, I felt truly terrified that something terrible must have happened to Diana out here in the woods.