Chapter 8: Chapter Seven

More than a Friend?

Harry stared into the Alpha’s blazing eyes. Edgar would sense his lie. He swallowed the lump of air in his throat and mustered up a courageous smile.

“I was trying to help.” It was part of the truth. Harry was relieved when Edgar sighed and took a seat across him. “I thought if I came here I could trace Elena’s scent and find something you may have missed.”

“Did you find anything?” Hope filled Edgar’s eyes.

Edgar sounded tired like he was on the verge of giving up.

“A ton of Wolfsbane.”

Edgar’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Yeah. It looked like it’d been here a while. Didn’t you sense anything?”

Edgar shook his head, then pointed at his ring. “My father had this platinum ring made for me when I was a baby. It protects me from most of the common charms and spells. I could eat Wolfsbane and it would be like eating candy.”

Harry nodded. This was the first he’d heard of the ring. How many more secrets had Edgar kept from him? Had he made a ring for Elena?

“Are you okay after touching all that Wolfsbane?” Edgar asked.

Harry showed him the fading bruises from the Wolfsbane grateful that Edgar hadn’t grown more suspicious of him breaking into his house.” “Yeah. I took a shower. I burned whatever Wolfsbane I found but I may have missed some.”

“Don’t worry. You compromised your health searching for that poison. I’ll have the place cleaned by a witch,” Edgar said. “Next time don’t do something so dangerous for me without consulting with me first.”

Harry almost choked at Edgar's last few words. Did he think he’d risked his life for him? No way. Elena was his best friend. She’d insisted on keeping their friendship a secret. Her disappearance affected him as much as it did her fake mate. They were silent for a few moments. Harry’s gaze moved around the living room. What was the use of tasteful leather couches, a state-of-the-art streaming television set, or even the beautiful view overlooking the lake? How many joyous moments had either one of them spent in this beautiful, unloved living room? He glanced at Edgar. It looked like he hadn’t shaved. Or changed his clothes.

“How did your engagement with the surrogate go?” Harry asked.

“As well as can be expected,” Edgar replied in a dull tone. “Where have you been for the last two days?”

Harry tensed a little. “I remained at the hideout trying to scrutinize the Elders’ essence to see if they’d left anything behind.”

“And?”

“They erased everything of value.” Harry sighed. “I really need to step up my psychic game.”

Edgar sighed. “There’s nothing wrong with your psychic abilities. It will grow and become stronger as needed. You must remember the Elders will always be a step ahead of us. They have eyes and ears everywhere.”

The Elders would always have their own agenda, Harry admitted to himself. What if they knew where Elena was and were just keeping quiet? They were known to interfere in pack problems and create even worse problems with their interference. Elena had never been too fond of the Elders. He’d understood why when she’d explained her point of view to him three years ago when they’d first become friends.

“Have you searched her office for any clues?” Harry asked Edgar.

“Yeah, my smart, fake Luna left a life-like robot in her place. Outsiders will never be able to tell the difference. I just hope the robot doesn’t come into contact with any wolves.”

“Yeah. The robot probably doesn’t have a scent, right?” Harry said.

Edgar nodded. “Neither does she have an essence. I think the robot has just enough memories to keep the business running and to deter any suspicion.”

Harry stifled a smile. It was just like Elena to do something so outrageously clever.

***

Edgar pretended to be bored and uninterested as he sat across from Harry. What wasn’t Harry telling him? He studied the beta’s face. Did he know something about Elena’s disappearance that he didn’t? He caught a slight whiff of fear from Harry’s scent – the type of fear one exuded when they were lying. Why would Harry lie to him now? As far as he knew the beta had always been loyal to him. Even Elena got along easily with him. So what ulterior motive would he have to lie? Unless he wanted to challenge him to be the new Alpha of the pack?

No.

Harry had aspirations to be an Elder. He’d chosen his destiny. Contesting him for the position of Alpha would compromise his chances of becoming an Elder. Instead, he’d opted to remain a beta. Being a beta would allow him to learn enough about werewolf leadership so he could assist Alpha in the future when he became an Elder.

“Did Elena say anything unusual to you the last time we had dinner? “Edgar asked.

Harry shook his head. “Nothing at all. She spoke a lot about her new Fall collection.”

“Ah, the one with the Christmas showstopper,” Edgar said.

“Yes, she already had pre-orders for her Christmas line. That’s all I remember from that dinner.” Harry glanced away when Edgar met his gaze.

What are you not telling me?” Edgar wondered as Harry tapped his forefinger on his thigh. Had Elena confided something in him? “The pre-orders are doing pretty well. The robot sent me a message a few minutes after I left telling me she was excited that her collection was already sold out.” He paused. “Has the robot texted you recently?”

Harry pulled his phone out of his pocket. He remembered it had been vibrating earlier when Edgar had found him sleeping on his couch. Surprise filled his eyes when his phone vibrated again.

“What’s wrong?” Edgar asked.

Harry showed him the caller's name flashing on his screen.

Elena.

“Answer it,” Edgar said, “put it on speaker.”

Harry nodded. His fingers trembled as he answered the call. Did he expect the real Elena or the robotic one to greet him on the other end? Edgar couldn’t help feeling slightly amused at Harry’s discomfort. The more time he spent with Harry, the more convinced he became Harry was hiding something.

“Answer the call,” Edgar said. Beads of perspiration rolled down Harry’s face.

“Hello.” Harry’s voice shook a little when he answered the call.

Nobody spoke.

“Hello,” Harry repeated, his voice growing a little stronger.

“Hello,” the man greeted on the other end.

Edgar froze. Why did a strange man have Elena’s phone?

Harry too seemed upset and confused. How can I help you?” Harry asked the caller.

“I found this phone lying in Central Park. I’m trying to find someone who knows the owner.”

Edgar gasped.

“I know her,” Harry said. “Will I be able to meet you to pick up her phone?”

“Sure,” the man said, “where can I meet you?”

“How about Central Park?’ Harry said, glancing at Edgar. “I’m on my way. I’ll see you in an hour.”

“Sure,” the man replied. “I hope the owner of the phone is okay.”

“She is,” Harry lied, “she must have been in a hurry and dropped it while drinking coffee on her way to the office.”

The caller seemed satisfied with Harry’s reply.

“Let’s go,” Edgar said once Harry ended the call. He couldn’t wait to meet the man who’d found or claimed to have found Elena’s phone.

***