She smiled at him with all the sweetness she could muster. After dinner, Lily helped pick up the plates until Andrew called her into his office. Let the fun begin, she thought as she walked down the long hallway. Lily was already feeling herself grow nervous as she got closer to the room. Lily didn't worry about what Andrew had to talk to her about. It was the mere fact of entering into his office that made her nervous. There was nothing menacing about the room.
Bookcases lined the left wall from floor to ceiling. On the right wall were several old photographs of her dad, his friends, and family. He even had a few pictures of her up there. In the center of the room sat a large oak desk. Andrew always sat behind that made him seem so much more intimidating. As well she only entered that room when she and Lacy had gotten into big time trouble. Which was more often than Lily cared to admit.
It was in that very room Andrew told Lily her biological parents had picked up and left town, abandoning her. Lily frowned, remembering that day, but pushed the memories deep down inside her. Those memories were to cry for another day because today was not that day. "What's up chief," she asked entering the office then noticed James was also there. "I mean what do you need Mr. Roberts," she corrected with a more formal tone.
Lily tried her best never to be too casual about him when other werewolves were around. Their pack hierarchy was strict when it came to respecting those positioned above you. The alpha was above everyone. Andrew smiled at her and asked her to sit in the empty chair next to James. Part of her wanted to scream, thanks but no thanks, but she sat down. "You are familiar with James's story right?" Andrew asked her once she sat down.
"More or less but honestly I don't know how much of it is true. What I've heard he seems like the werewolf version of the boogie man," she said bluntly. It was only after she said it, Lily realized her bluntness may not be well received. The rumors were if you pissed James Lacrosse off you ended up in intensive care... if you were lucky. To her surprise, James started laughing a loud hearty laugh.
I suppose that's true," he said with a shrug.
She wasn't sure if she should be glad he was laughing or not. Lily shifted in her seat, still feeling nervous and a little turned on. I need to get laid and soon, Lily decided.
"I will go over it the key points to make sure you have the right information," Andrew stated.
Lily nodded to let him know she was listening though she wasn't sure why they were telling her his history. She couldn't care less, to be honest. "When James was thirteen he was kidnapped. No one knew what happened. Two years later he appeared on our doorstep. He couldn't remember what happened or who had taken him. We quickly discovered his shifts weren't... normal anymore," Andrew explained.
"I'm told I'm a hybrid of a man and a wolf. Think Hollywood version of a werewolf," James stated with a smile that chilled her. Great, she thought and shifted in her seat again, so she was sitting as far away from him as possible. That helped cool some of the carnal attraction she was feeling.
"He also had difficulty controlling himself when he suffered strong emotions," Andrew resumed.
"It's still hard. At least now I'm not trying to rip out every idiot's throat when they start to irritate me," James said. His tone made it sound like he was discussing the weather, not brutal murder.
"Fascinating, but how exactly does this involve me?"
"I am sure you have heard about the kids from last week," Andrew asked back, tossing her an orange pill bottle.
Lily nodded, looking at the bottle for a moment before opening it. A week ago two kids were found dead in the forest. No one knows what killed them, not even the pack doctor and Beta, Xavier Thompson. She'd heard the scene hadn't been pretty. Lily shuddered slightly, not wanting to imagine what their last moments were like. "That bottle was found near the boys. Beta Thompson has no idea what those pills are. No one else in the pack can even attempt to guess," he explained.
Now Lily knew why he was telling her this. She looked at the pills again as her dad continued to speak. "That's not all, a day later someone tried to kidnap another kid around the same place the teens bodies were. James is going to investigate the deaths and the near-kidnapping. He wants to see if they're connected with what happened to him almost twenty years ago. I want you to help him in any way you can Lily. Starting with those pills."
Lily groaned inwardly. She did so not want to play Nancy Drew with the local Wolfman and her childhood enemy. Andrew didn't seem to pick up on her hesitance as he turned to James. "Lily is a forensic chemist. Her job is to identify drugs and other substances for the police around the country," Andrew told him.
She tried not to smile when she heard pride laced in his voice. Lily poured six pills into her hand and looked them over. "Well, they aren't common club drugs that you usually find with teens. I can tell you that much," she said after looking them over and slipped them back into the bottle.
"How do you know?" James asked, and she smiled a smug smile at him. The familiarity of her job eliminating the feeling of a rabbit trapped by the wolf.
"Club drugs are all marked with a particular symbol of some sort. Most of the times they are the same drug just marked with a different symbol and given a new name," she explained. Lily snapped the cap back onto the bottle and turned her attention to Andrew. "I will take these to the lab tomorrow and see what I can find. Anything else I can do for you?"
"No Lily that will be all. Enjoy the rest of the evening," he told her then looked at her with his stern stony face. "Take it easy. Don't over exert yourself!"
A bored sigh escaped before she could stop it. She, at least, managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes as she wanted. She got up from the chair. "I will do my best." Then left the office. "I hope we are wrong about this," the alpha said once the human had left.
"So do I, but I have a bad feeling," James told him. He leaned back into the comfortable chair. "The deaths of the other two kids. The near-kidnapping of that other one reminds me too much of what happened to me for comfort." Almost twenty years passed, but he could still feel the silver wire wrapped around his neck. The mocking, cruel voices of the humans that tied him down. James clenched his jaw, forcing the memory away.
"I agree, unfortunately. We have to find this bastard before he ruins another life," Andrew said as he slammed his fist with anger on the desk.
James flinched, despite the fact, he was far superior in strength to the alpha. Andrew, like all alphas, had that alpha presence that commanded obedience. In some cases, if an alpha put enough of that presence in his or her voice, he could force his will on others. "I thought about talking to the kid and the friends of the other teens. See if I can get him to tell me if anything suspicious happened before the attacks," James told the alpha.
"That's a good idea; tomorrow I can take you to them," Andrew started with a nod.