⋆ Chapter 54

I didn’t wait for Georgia or Ralph after work.

As soon as the clock hit five, I grabbed my bag and power-walked out of the building like my life depended on it.

I tossed a quick “I’ve got stuff to do!” over my shoulder and ignored Georgia’s suspicious “Wait, what stuff?” as the elevator doors closed.

By 5:27, I was standing outside a quiet little café tucked away on a side street I didn’t even know existed. It looked like the kind of place people came to write novels or cheat on their diets in peace. A string of fairy lights glowed faintly from under the awning, and through the window, I spotted exactly three customers.

Rafael was one of them.

He sat by the window with a glass of water, hands clasped neatly on the table like he was waiting for a date he was determined to impress. He looked even more put-together than this morning—dark button-down shirt and that same calm, unreadable face.

He stood the moment I walked in.

“Matilda,” he greeted, motioning to the seat across from him. “You came.”

“You showed up to my door and told me you’re Xavier’s future beta and that you needed to talk to me. I kind of had to,” I muttered, sitting down. “And I’m here to get some answers. Not eat.”

“You’ll want to eat,” he said mildly. “Xavier told me to make sure you did.”

That threw me. “Wait. What? Is he still in London? Did he send you?”

He nodded. “He’s in France now. I just came back from seeing him.”

I stared. “France?”

“Order something,” Rafael said, picking up a menu and handing it to me. “Then I’ll explain.”

I didn’t even glance at the options. “Clubhouse sandwich. Strawberry shake.”

A waitress nodded and walked off, and I leaned forward. “Start talking.”

Rafael exhaled slowly, folding his hands again. “Xavier’s been keeping tabs on a few things since he left. You, included.”

I crossed my arms. “Why? Because he thinks I’ll go off and do something stupid?”

“No,” Rafael said. “Because he knows you’ll stumble into something dangerous without even realizing it.”

I scowled. “Thanks.”

“It’s not an insult,” he said. “It’s just… a truth we’ve come to accept.”

I rolled my eyes. “So what, he sent you here to babysit me?”

He didn’t deny it.

“Xavier asked me to check on you,” Rafael said calmly. “And it’s come to his attention that you’ve been spending time with Cillian Ravenscroft.”

At that, I blinked. “You know Cillian?”

His brows lifted slightly. “Matilda. He’s been around for two hundred years.”

I blinked again. “That’s not an answer.”

“Other than being the CEO of Valmont Internationals—a company built and owned by his father, Valmont Ravenscroft—Cillian was born into a noble European vampire bloodline. In our world, one must live under a rock not to know Cillian Ravenscroft.”

My mouth went a little dry. “I know… some of that. Sort of. I didn’t realize it was that big a deal.”

Rafael gave me a look that was somewhere between amusement and pity. “It is.”

I sank into my seat. “Okay, but... so what? He’s a vampire. And you’re lycan. So is Xavier. Am I supposed to be scared or something?”

“No,” Rafael said. “But you should understand who you're dealing with.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. My brain was doing a frantic connect-the-dots dance, and most of the dots looked like red flags. “Is he dangerous?”

“That depends,” Rafael said quietly. “On what he wants from you.”

Before I could press him for more, the waitress returned with my sandwich and shake. I suddenly had zero appetite.

“Eat,” Rafael said again, not unkindly. “And then we’ll talk about the rest.”

“I—what?” I stared at Rafael. “Wait, go back. So Cillian’s born into a noble European vampire bloodline?”

Rafael looked perfectly calm, sipping his water like he didn’t just casually drop that Cillian was practically vampire royalty.

I leaned forward. “Okay, okay, I need to ask. How did Xavier even find out about me ‘spending  time’ with Cillian? Did someone tell him? Is someone stalking me now? Also, France? He said he’d be in London for some vague pack-related thing, and now he’s in France? What’s he even doing there? And why couldn’t he just call if he was so worried? Why send you? And also—” I paused for breath. “Wait. Are you guys, like, officially… you know. Is Xavier the Alpha now?”

Rafael waited until I’d completely emptied my lungs of questions. Then, with the patience of a saint, he gestured at the plate the waitress had just set down.

“Eat, Matilda,” he said. “I told you that you need to eat.”

I sighed, muttered something unkind about bossy werewolves under my breath, and picked up my sandwich.

I chewed in silence for a moment. I was halfway through the second sandwich when Rafael finally answered.

“It doesn’t matter how Xavier knows,” he said. “What matters is that he does.”

“That’s not an answer,” I said through a mouthful of lettuce and irritation.

He smirked faintly. “It’s the only one you’re going to get.”

I made a face and slurped my shake aggressively in protest.

“Xavier is in France for the same reason he went to London,” Rafael continued. “Duty. Our pack isn’t limited to one territory anymore—we’ve got members all over. Including here in the States.”

“Wait. What?”

“Yes, Matilda.”

“And no one told me?”

He gave me a pointed look. “Do you usually get classified supernatural updates in your inbox, Tilly?”

Fair enough.

Rafael leaned back. “He sent me here because he doesn’t like that you’re spending time with a vampire. Especially *that* vampire.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What is that supposed to mean?”

He didn’t answer. Which, you know, was answer enough.

“And no,” he added, “Xavier hasn’t officially been declared Alpha yet. That’s why I introduced myself as *future* Beta. It hasn’t been finalized.”

I sat back in my chair and stared at my sandwich. “Why does this feel like a family drama I didn’t sign up for?”

“Because it kind of is,” Rafael said, completely deadpan.

I groaned. “Okay. So what—you came here just to spy on me and warn me off vampires?”

“To check on you,” he corrected. “Not spy.”

“Feels the same.”

“Xavier wanted to make sure you’re okay,” he said, his tone softening just a little. “And to remind you to be careful. That’s all.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. A part of me wanted to be annoyed, but another part—stupid and squishy—was kind of… touched? Stupid feelings.

I stared at my shake, twirling the straw between my fingers, trying to find a better way to ask the million questions still spinning in my brain. And that’s when the alarm on my phone blared. It was time for Cillian’s date with Madeline Shrew.

I jumped and fumbled to shut it off.

Rafael raised an eyebrow. “Is that *him*?”

“It’s my alarm,” I muttered.  “And it’s none of your business.”

Just as I silenced the alarm, my *other* phone buzzed—the cursed one Cillian gave me.  

Rafael glanced at my phone screen as it lit up in my hand. His brows drew together like he’d just caught me.

“Is that Cillian?” he asked, like it was a crime.

I didn’t answer fast enough.

He leaned forward, frown deepening. “Cancel it.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Cancel the call, Matilda.”