Chapter 34 Episode Thirty Four

Chapter 34 Episode Thirty Four
Calum

The moment she was out,
Marcus closed the door behind him and dropped into the chair across from my desk

He always acted like he owned the place

I raised my head to meet his gaze, only to roll my eyes immediately

He was smiling toothily and had that look on his face. The one that meant he was about to say something I didn't want to hear

"So," he started, leaning back and crossing his arms "The girl"

I went back to the papers in front of me, pretending I was actually reading them

I didn't want to meet his eyes

"What girl?" I asked

"Tsk! Don't try to be smart with me Blackwood, we both know that's a hopeless case” I rolled my eyes internally

Externally, my face have zero hints of my thoughts

“I'm talking about the student, the one you everyone says you can't stop staring at in class"

Everyone?

This guy really had a knack for exaggerating things

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Sure you don't" He laughed "Is she the one? The one from before? The photo?"

"Drop it Marcus"

"I'll take that as a yes" He shook his head

"She's cute I'll give you that, really cute actually and young too"

My jaw clenched but I kept my eyes on the papers "Are you done?"

"Not even close" He leaned forward

I pressed a finger on my temple, closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them back

“Okay, get done with that and use the door" he laughed again

“Man! You're so affectionate with words” I ignored that

“You know, if that's the girl — which I'm a hundred percent sure she is — then I think you should know what I saw today”

Now that was enough to get my attention

I looked at him “There’s no girl, Marcus, why would I be interested in knowing what you saw today?” That was a lie

But I knew he was going to tell me anyway

“You lie like a three year old, any way, I saw her at the cafeteria today”

“Wow! Big news” came my sarcastic response

"And she wasn't alone" He raised his eyebrows "She was with some guy, young blood you know? Good looking too, a type of guy who clearly has money" I stared at him for a bit, then cleared my throat

A cold feeling had settled in my chest

"Who?"

"How would I know? I don't keep tabs on students" He shrugged "But they looked comfortable together, like they knew each other well, laughing and talking like old friends…lovers even, they had really good chemistry”

I said nothing but a familiar darkness began to creep into my mind

Kieran

It had to be no other than Kieran

"Look man" Marcus's voice turned serious "I'm going to say this because I actually like you and I don't want to see you crash and burn"

"Say what?"

"Don't get involved in student drama. Especially not with ones who have money and connections" He looked at me pointedly

"Girls like that, so young and pretty, with wealthy friends sniffing around them. They can destroy your career in one sitting”

“Just one accusation or one complaint to the Dean and everything you've worked for is gone"

"I hear you"

"Um…no you don't” he argued

“Because you don't look like you hear me” he said and I frowned

“But I did hear you”

“No, you look like you're thinking about that guy she was sitting with"

"Well, I'm not"

"Calum"

"I said I'm not Marcus" My voice came out sharper than I intended

He held up his hands "Okay….Fine”

“ Just be careful, that's all I'm saying"

"Noted. Are we done?"

He studied me for a long moment then stood up "Yeah. We're done" He walked to the door then stopped halfway through

Gosh!!

"Seriously dude, don't get involved in student drama, especially the ones that involves girls” then he left, closing the door behind him

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling, a long sigh escaping my lungs

He was right though, but she was my mate

I couldn't let some random idiot steal her away from me

She belonged to me, but then again, there was a lot at stake and I had to thread carefully

I tried to come up with a work around, but all I could think about was Diana sitting in a cafeteria laughing with some rich good looking guy

The same rich good looking guy who had driven her home in his Range Rover. The same one she had defended repeatedly

The same one who had been at that party

I didn't know his last name. Didn't know anything about him except that he was young and wealthy and clearly interested in my mate

And I hated him for it

I hated that he could sit with her in public. Could laugh with her without worrying about who was watching. Could be her friend openly without any consequences

While I had to pretend she meant nothing to me every time we were in the same room

The unfairness of it sat in my chest like a stone

My wolf was restless and growling, he hated this as much as I did

And was demanding that I do something

Let's mark her Calum, let's claim her properly so that every male within a ten mile radius knew she was taken he'd suggested

But I couldn't do that, it would only make things worse

I sat forward and picked up my phone. I scrolled through my contacts until I found the number I was looking for and pressed call

It rang twice before he answered

"Talk to me"

"I need you to run a background check," I said "A student, goes by Kieran, I don't know his last name, but he seems to come from an influential family, he's Young, early 20s maybe and drives a black Range Rover. Find out everything you can"

There was a pause on the other end

"You're derailing from the mission Calum" The voice was calm but firm "We don't have much time and every day you spend chasing personal matters is a day the real investigation loses ground"

"I'm not asking for your opinion"

"No but I'm giving it anyway because someone has to" Another pause "Is this about the girl?"

I didn't answer

"Calum"

"Don't teach me my job" I said sharply

"Just run the check and send me what you find"

I hung up before he could respond

Then I stared at the phone for a moment before dropping it on the desk harder than I intended

I pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes

I was losing focus

I knew it

Marcus had seen it

My contact had seen it

Everyone could see it except apparently me until it was pointed out

This was not why I had come here. This was not the plan

But then Diana had walked through the door of my house in that blue uniform and everything had shifted. The mate bond had taken it's place like a key turning in a lock and nothing had been the same since

And now some wealthy boy with a nice car was sitting with her in cafeterias and going to parties and being everything I couldn't be in public

I raked my fingers through my hair and exhaled slowly

What could I do?

I couldn't claim her openly

At least not while the investigation was still active, no when my identity as an Alpha still needed to stay hidden

But I also couldn't keep watching from the sidelines while other males circled around what was mine

She was mine and mine alone

The mate bond made it undeniable

But knowing something and being able to act on it were two very different things

And right now I was stuck somewhere in between

Wanting everything and unable to take any of it

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling again

What exactly could I do to make her see only me?

To make her want only me?

To make every other male in her orbit irrelevant?

I racked my brain for over an hour only to arrive and exactly… nothing

I didn't have an answer

But I was going to find one

And fast