Chapter 69
Scarlett.
"From a scale of 1-10, how mad do you think the alpha will be at us?" Thiery took a right turn on the gravel road, driving slowly to avoid catching up with Jasper. Thiery told me he had already left in what seemed like a hurry. We couldn’t outright risk him seeing us; it would raise suspicion.
"Ten," I simply stated, taking a bite of crisps I found inside Thiery’s car.
"Jeez, luna, that really helped,” he lamented then pouted.
"It’s the truth, and don’t call me luna again." I took another bite before turning to look outside the window. It was almost 7 p.m., with a cold breeze wrapping around us even though the heater was on. We were minutes away from our pack, heading to the nearest town that bordered the Yellow Moon pack. Thiery scoffed when I stashed a number of crisps in my mouth, chewing loudly. They were salty and sweet, with just the right amount of cheese and onion flavor.
”Hey, I have a bad feeling about the man that was attacked yesterday,” he spoke after some time of just observing the trees as they zoomed by. The drive reminded me of my escape on the other side of the pack, near my former one. The darkness that began to crawl in and the trees brought forth memories I desired to keep buried. What brought a smile to my face amidst the memories of doom was the way Thiery defended me when Jasper was hostile towards me.
"You okay there, Scar?" I blinked when Thiery waved his hand in front of my face.
"Huh?" I rubbed my eyes, trying to get rid of the itchiness that came along with going for seconds without blinking.
"You seemed a little lost in your mind. Are you having second thoughts about this? I can turn back and take you home." Thiery shifted his gaze briefly to me before staring back at the road. It was a lucky evening because we hadn’t met a single pack member on the way.
"No, no, no, Thiery. We are doing this. It’s not a coincidence for us to have the same weary feeling concerning Jasper." I squirmed on the seat, adjusting my seat belt.
"For a moment, I thought you were chickening out." I slapped his shoulder playfully, making him swerve the car just to draw a scream out of my mouth.
"I wouldn’t. I am determined to prove to Jax that his beta and friend is already compromised." I sighed when I recounted in my head the arguments we had about Jasper with my mate.
"Right. As I was saying, I can’t help but question the attack on the poor man yesterday." Thiery brought the topic up again, his jaw ticking slightly.
"Do you think it’s Jasper?" I couldn’t help but think of it as a possibility. Maybe he killed the man as a distraction or because of something in his plans.
"Didn’t you hear him trying to pin it on his cousin even though she’s already dead? He even had the audacity to say that anyone could have accessed the alpha’s office." The more Thiery talked about the meeting, the more I was led to believe that Jasper staged the attack.
"My only worry is Jaxon...I can imagine how he’ll feel and how he’ll act when the truth finally comes out. I just hope we will find something solid about Jasper tonight." I had to keep telling my wolf to calm down and that we were doing what was right for the pack.
Soon we got to town, after going over our plan for a few minutes. Because the mall was huge with different stalls, we would split up and try to see whether we would see who Jasper was meeting. I had my phone in my sweatpants pocket, but it was off. The last thing I wanted was for Jaxon to find out where I was.
"Remember, I’m a mind-link away. You see anything, let me know,” Thiery stated once he packed his car on the parking lot. The town was busy with werewolves going about their businesses. Given the number of vehicles outside the mall, I could tell the insides were a little crowded. It would be harder to locate Jasper unless he hadn’t masked his scent.
"Don’t forget the pictures; we need as much evidence as we can get," I added, praying silently to the moon goddess to guide us. Before we stepped out, Thiery held my arm in a tight grip I didn’t expect from him. It was easy to tell by the thin layer of sweat on his forehead that his nerves were all over.
"Hey, we’ll get evidence, inform the Alpha, and drive back. It’s as easy as that,” I said, looking at his hand on my arm. He gave me a tight-lipped smile and a nod, then let go, stepping out of the car.
"I’m sorry I have to put you through this, Scarlett." His voice lowered as we approached the entrance.
"It’s okay." I shrugged my shoulders, nodding to a few werewolves who recognized me as Jaxon’s mate. Most were afraid of saying hi given the reputation Jaxon had. There had been rumors of him mercilessly murdering Cane and Avery.
"It’s a price we must pay for a peaceful future,” I added, making our way inside the building.
"I’m sorry luna, I am terribly sorry, but I just didn’t have another option." I stopped, making a pup almost bump into me.
"Why are you making this such a big deal, Thiery? Listen." I pulled him aside, whispering even though the place was full of creatures who could hear us if they concentrated.
"You didn’t force me; I wanted to come here. Look, it’s almost 7; if we want to find out who Jasper is meeting, we need to get moving." My eyes darted around, trying to see whether I’d spot the tall and muscular beta.
"Okay, why don’t we start with the basement?" Thiery suggested, pocketing his hands inside his hoodie.
“Thiery, that wasn’t the plan; we were supposed to split up," I whisper yelled, looking at him as if he had grown a second head.
"I know, but on second thought, you need to be protected at all times. Come on." It was too late to argue with him since time was already running out. I followed his lead as we exited the main area and got to a spiral staircase and an elevator beside it. We opted to take the lift to save time.
“Thiery I can hear your heart beating loudly. You need to calm down," I whispered as we exited the elevator, but I never took two steps. I felt a sting on my neck, and when I turned, I came face to face with a face I dreaded seeing.
“Silas,” I whispered, realizing that I had been drugged. Before my eyes closed as a wave of sleep hit, I saw his beaming smile and heard his overly excitement as he stated, "my, my, if it isn’t my naughty slave."