\[Rosco’s POV\]
I lead Denali into Le Creme while Elise and Marty follow behind us, and even if Denali explained to me why we were going along with this clear criminal's game, the urge to turn around and rip her to shreds grows in me.
Inside, I feel Fabian also chomping at the bit to get his claws on the one who framed our woman, but I keep him at bay. Even if I hated it, Denali’s plan was logical. If Elise was the mastermind behind everything that happened to us, then we needed to keep her close so that we could discover any further plots she may be plotting and get the antidote to the poison that still flowed in Denali’s veins.
“Welcome,” our waiter calls as we move forward. “Please, follow me this way.”
Nodding, I wrap an arm around Denali and begin to move until we reach our table. Once we are seated, Marty and Elise sit across from us, and the show begins.
Putting on a polite face, I remain silent while everyone orders drinks and then pastries, and only after they have finished and Elise sets her sights on Denali do I go on alert just in case she takes this chance to try something.
“Thank you again for allowing me to accompany you here,” Elise beams, putting on the perfect act of an innocent woman. “I just really want to talk to you a bit more,” she continues.
“Likewise,” Denali agrees, meeting Elise’s act with her own. “It isn’t every day you run into someone with the same face and birthday as you.”
“Same?” Marty repeats, the only one oblivious to what exactly is going on here. “Did you say that you have the same birthday?”
“That’s right,” Denali confirms. “Strange right?”
“Very,” he agrees with a chuckle. “Miss, where did you come from exactly? I know that things like finding long-lost twins only happen in movies, but isn’t it strange?”
“I grew up in America,” Elise explains. “However, when it comes to my roots, I’m not sure. I was put up for adoption when I was born, so I don’t know much about my parents except that they were wolves.”
“Wolves?” Marty repeats. “Careful saying that,” he warns, waggling a finger. “Let the normies hear something like that, and they’ll have you on a science table in some lab in a heartbeat.”
At his words, Elise gives a giggle and a knowing look while remaining relaxed.
“I don’t go around mentioning it to random people,” Elisa points out mischeviously. “I could sense it from the start with all of you, even if Denali’s energy is very weak.”
Letting out a rumble, I don’t miss what Elise was just doing. Despite her nice act, she was making it clear that she considered Denali to be the weakest link and therefore her main target. However, when I open my mouth in an attempt to fight back, Denali’s hand comes to rest on my thigh, and when I turn to take her in, she gives a slight shake of her head, silently telling me to just let it be.
“Oh,” Elise gasps, not missing our exchange. “I didn’t mean anything by it; I just..."
“Stated the truth,” Denali smiles, causing my heart to squeeze painfully over just how fucking okay with being called weak she was. “Even though I was born to two alphas, I didn’t inherit their power.”
“That must have been rough,” Elise murmurs, reaching across the table and grabbing Denali’s free hand. “I know that pack politics are the absolute worst.”
“It’s fine,” Denali shrugs. “Strong or not, I am still content with where my life has taken me.”
As she says this, she gives my leg a squeeze, which I know is her way of showing her appreciation for having me by her side.
“Anyway,” she continues now, looking around the table. “We didn’t come here to discuss such a depressing thing.”
“Right,” Elise agrees, releasing Denali’s hand. “We came here to enjoy delicious desserts.”
Nodding, Denali removes her hand from my thigh just as our waiter returns with our pastries and drinks, ending any further conversation.
Once we finish, Elise leans back in her seat happily and fixes her gaze on Denali once more. From the look in her eyes, it is clear she is trying to think of something to say to prolong this moment, but I’ve humored her long enough and want to get Denali back to our suite and alone.
“Are you ready to go, mi reina?” I murmur close to her ear.
“Yeah,” Denali responds, though she doesn’t quite look it. “But before we go,” she continues, turning her gaze to Elise’s. “Would you mind exchanging numbers?”
“Of course." Elise grins, pulling her phone from her purse. “I was wondering how to go about asking you the same so that we can keep in touch. I don’t know why, but I just want to get closer to you.”
“Same,” Denali agrees.
I remain silent as she reaches out and takes Elise’s phone, then quickly adds her number. Once she is finished, she passes it back and then waits until Elise gives her her own. After that is done, I’m ready to leave.
“If you two ladies are so keen on getting to know each other better, why don’t we go back to my place for some drinks?" Marty announces, taking the entire table by surprise.
Up until this point, he has remained silent, evaluating the situation, which makes his invitation all the more strange. However, I simply take it as him wanting to help us along.
“I don’t know,” Elise admits, looking shy. “I think I’ve already intruded enough.”
I had to admit, the woman was damn good at what she did, and that made her that much more of a threat. If I wasn’t aware of what was most likely done by her in order to destroy Denali, I too would believe that she was actually this woman.
“You haven’t,” Denali counters. “You said earlier that you wanted to be closer to me, and it’s the same for me.”
"See?" Marty grins. “Even the lady agrees, so what do you say?”
For a moment, Elise doesn’t speak as she looks around the table as if debating whether or not she should go along with the invitation, and when her expression finally shifts from hesitance to acceptance, I know we’ve got her.
“Alright,” she says quietly while pretending to still be shy. “I’ll go.”
Later, I sit in Marty’s lounge sipping on a cocktail while Denali and Elise talk amongst themselves. From an outsider's point of view, it truly looks like they are connecting, which would be great if it weren’t for the fact that Elise was a complete fake.
In a way, her whole act of truly caring about Denali pissed me off. All her life, Denali was treated like shit by her family, and here was a possible blood relative who, in the end, would also hurt her. It was a cruel twist of fate and one I wished I could change, but since I couldn't, I would simply do everything in my power to erase those horrible feelings one by one.
Sighing, I lean back in my seat more and take another sip, but stop as I begin to feel a strange stirring deep in my soul that slowly begins to creep out. As I keep my gaze fixed on Denali, it continues to grow, radiating from every pore, and it makes me feel almost alive.
What? I hiss, inwardly trying to make sense of what exactly I was feeling, while Denali’s eyes widen for a moment and then turn to me. In that instant, I feel the bond awakening between us, and it’s so fucking powerful that I want to take her in my arms right then and there, but there’s one problem with this moment of awe and surprise.
With widening eyes, I look to Elise, who is also watching me with the same exact expression as Denali, and realize that what I’m feeling isn’t isolated to Denali. Instead, it is also coming from the very fucking woman that I am more than willing to help Denali destroy.