bChapter 178 /b

    E & Alexander

    E

    The moment our lips touched, the mate bond exploded to life. The kitchen could have lit on fire for ball /bbI /bcared. The world could have imploded and it wouldn’t have meant a thing.

    All that mattered was the feeling of Alexander’s mouth moving against mine and the fact that he wasn’t

    pulling away yet.

    His hand slid from my cheek into my hair, fingers tangling in the strands to tilt my head so he could deepen the kiss. I could taste the garlic and herbs from the pasta on his tongue, could smell his cologne mixed with the kitchen scents, and, Goddess, it was intoxicating.

    I pressed closer to him. My hands fisted in his shirt, desperate to feel all of him against me and never let olligo. /li/ol

    The stool I’d been sitting on was forgotten as Alexander lifted me up, my legs wrapping around his waist instinctively. He carried me the few steps to the kitchen ind, then gently set me down on the edge without breaking the kiss for even a second.

    We were so close to crossing a line that we couldn’t uncross. So close to giving inpletely. So close to repeating the one perfect night we spent together.

    “Alphab?/b”

    Gabriel’s t voice cut through the haze just as Alexander’s hand was brushing across the swell of my belly. Alexander jerked away from me so fast I nearly fell off the counter.

    “Gabriel,” Alexander said roughlyb. /b“What do you want?”

    The Beta’s eyes narrowed on me. “You have a phone call. Campaign business. It’s urgent.”

    I watched Alexander’s expression shift from desire to something deeply guarded within moments. The mate bond, which had been humming just moments ago, suddenly felt muted again.

    He at least had the grace to look at me and hesitate for a moment.

    I forced a smile. “Go ahead. I should eat this pasta before it gets cold.”

    Alexander nodded and left without another word.

    I ate dinner by myself, picking at the delicious food that now tasted like ash in my mouth. The domesticity of the evening felt like a cruel joke now. For a few minutes there, I’d actually believed that maybe things between us were changing. That maybe Alexander might actually want me for more than just political convenience.

    4-

    +15 bBONUS /b

    But reality had crashed back in, just like it always did.

    So much for taking risks and living my life to the fullest.

    I was only halfway through my meal when I heard the front door m and the sound of a car engine starting. I went to the window and watched Alexander’s car disappear down the driveway, red taillights vanishing into the darkness.

    He didn’te home that night.

    Alexander

    I strode into my office to find Gabriel standing beside my desk. As I suspected, there was no phone call.

    Just a man folder in his hands.

    He tossed the folder onto my desk. “I have more information on the investigation.”

    I strode forward with a huff and snapped the folder open, revealing a photograph of a stocky middle–aged man with a mustache. The picture was grainy and I didn’t recognize the man at all.

    “Who the hell is this?” I asked. My wolf growled in frustration, furious that whatever had been about to happen with E had been cut short. And I had no doubt that Gabriel had chosen that time to do just that.

    “That’s the man who cut the brake lines on your parents‘ car.”

    I took a single staggering step backwards, feeling like someone had just stabbed me in the heart. That was the man who had caused my parents‘ car ident all those years ago.

    That was the man who had caused their deaths.

    “Who is he?” I growled.

    “Thomas ck. He’s been working for the Stormhollow pack for fifteen years. Currently employed as a groundskeeper on their estate.”

    My hands clenched into fists. After all these years of wondering, I finally had a name. A face. Someone I could actually confront.

    “Where is he now?”

    “At home, most likely. He lives alone in a cottage on the outskirts of Stormhollow territory.”

    “Let’s go, then,” bI /bsaid, already reaching for my keys. “I’d like to pay this Thomas ck a little visit.”

    The drive to Stormhollow territory took nearly two hours, and by the time we reached Thomas ck’s cottage, it was well past midnight. The small house sat at the end of a dirt road, isted and perfect for the kind of conversation we needed to have.

    Gabriel had brought rope and a few other tools of persuasion, but I hoped we wouldn’t need them. Fear could be just as effective as pain, and I wanted answers, not bloodshed.

    We didn’t knock.

    Gabriel picked the lock in under thirty seconds, and we slipped inside without a sound. The cottage was sparse and tidy, indicating that Thomas was a bachelor living on his own.

    Thomas was asleep in his bed when we found him. He woke up to find me standing over him with Gabriel blocking the only exit, and before he could scream, I mmed my hand over his mouth.