Chapter 24

The next few days went by without many issues. A few reporters and photographers still tried to get into the building to ask questions, but they were easily turned away by security. The strange wolf had not been detected since Marcus and Amelia’s date night. There had been no more calls from the police, thankfully.

A rasp came at the door, before Rowen stepped into Marcus’ office.

“Alpha, do you have a moment?” the lead scout questioned, still standing just inside the doorway. Marcus looked up from the computer screen.

“Of course, Rowen. What is it?” Usually, these two communicated through their mind link more than face to face. For Rowen to physically be in front of him meant that it was something big.

“We might have a slightly bigger issue than just a random wolf appearing on our turf,” the red-haired man stated as he took strides to stand just behind the chairs across from Marcus. The Alpha’s brows knitted together in slight confusion and gave a small tilt of his head, while worry jumped and took a firm grasp around his heart.

“What do you mean?” Marcus leaned back in his chair and waited for the scout to continue.

“After ensuring Ms. Rowe was safe, I went back to your building and did a second round of investigation. And I could not shake the feeling that I knew this scent from somewhere. So, I retraced the past week's events. The same wolf was the scent we picked up at the scene of the ‘mauling’ incident.” Rowen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, statuesque and patient, waiting for his Alpha to respond.

“You’re sure of this?” Marcus questioned.

“I went back and confirmed it myself. Whomever this is, is more of a threat to us then we initially thought. But the way they seem to appear and disappear without a trace is the part that really has me worried, Alpha. I’m not sure how it's possible; it does not make sense.” Rowen was the best tracker they had; for him to not be able to follow it to the source was baffling.

Marcus rested his elbows on his desk and interlocked his fingers to rest his chin upon them, taking in the information given. His people were in danger from a foe they have never seen, something cunning enough to not leave a trail behind. This was more than just an ordinary rogue wandering too far into the city. Assassin? But Marcus and his pack were currently in good standing with the surrounding packs—or at least he was under the impression they were.

But Pack politics were not as simple as asking if you had an issue with someone. You could not just go around asking if your neighbors had sent someone to kill you; as in the human world, that would cause an adverse effect. False accusations led to more misunderstandings and bloodshed. They were going to have to keep their heads down and eyes open in the meantime.

“Let’s send scouts out randomly. Have them blend into the crowd and see what they pick up, if anything. We need to find out who this wolf is and where they came from. But they need to be on guard, we don’t know what all this animal is capable of or what their end game is.” Marcus paused for a second. “And have someone stationed outside Amelia’s apartment complex for the time being. I want to make sure she’s safe, too.”

Rowen nodded and bowed his head. “Yes, Alpha.”

“But do me a favor.” Marcus stopped him before he could turn and leave. “Whomever you place with Amelia, make sure they stay out of sight. We don’t need to upset her.”

“Yes, Alpha.” Rowen gave a small knowing smile before turning to leave.

As the scout left, Jackson came in the door, looking a little flustered. “We, or you, have a situation,” Jax breathed out quickly.

“Can I not get a moment of peace around here?!” Marcus threw his hands up in exasperation.

“I’m serious, Marcus. I’m not even sure how you did not even notice it. Maybe because your mate is human. But still, HUGE problem,” Jackson rambled on as he paced back and forth in front of Marcus’ desk.

“Jax, I’m going to need you to slow down and explain.” Marcus stood up and moved to hold Jackson still by placing a hand on either shoulder. Jackson pulled away slightly and pulled his phone from his pocket. After a few taps of the screen, he turned the device around for Marcus to read. Big letters read ‘Blood Moon Approaches’. Marcus’ face blanched.

The Blood Moon occured twice a year. It was a time where their wolves were harder to control, even more so for a wolf who had found their mate. It was basically mating season for those who had found their mates. Marcus flopped down into one of the leather-bound chairs, mouthing the word “fuck” as he did so.

That would explain why Marcus’ wolf had been so demanding the other night. So now was he not only dealing with a possible killer wolf targeting his pack, but also he had to deal with an overly hormonal creature living inside him. To top it off, Amelia could not find out about what they truly were. At least not yet.

“How the hell am I supposed to make this work?” he questioned out loud, more to himself than anyone else. Jackson seated himself on the very edge of the second chair, anxiously bouncing his leg, as he too was trying to figure out what to do.

“I don’t know, but we can’t have your wolf ripping the clothes off of our receptionist in front of everyone,” Jackson spoke up, trying to add humor to the situation. It only earned him a scowl from Marcus. Jax gave a shrug. “It’s not my fault he’s been deprived for,” he paused, trying to do calculations in his head, “how many years now?”

“Five,” Marcus grumbled, forcing himself to stand up. He was never one to be comfortable with talking about his sexual prowess, or in this case lack thereof. He thought he had found a woman whom he could take at his mate some time ago. She was from a pack outside the city, but it was not meant to be—she was into it for the money and power rather than the love. So he'd politely turned her away and started listening to the nagging voice in his heart begging him to wait for his destined mate.

“We’ll have to keep you two separated for a little while,” Jackson said. “Maybe tell her you're sick or something like that?”

Marcus scoffed at that statement. “Like that will work.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “In the meantime, we’ll take it a day at a time. If things start getting too hot to handle, we’ll go from there. But we can’t just shove her out and expect her to be okay with it.”

Jackson sighed, but knew his friend was right. They were in quite the predicament.