Caught In Between

I discarded the thought that Kate might be Logan’s mate the moment it crossed my mind. I had never heard of an alpha with a human mate. And, knowing Kate, the last thing she’d want was being mated to a werewolf, not to mention an alpha. 

I was sure the dark circles under my eyes were almost touching my cheeks by the time I left Logan’s office. It was six a.m., but the sky was still dark. I hoped I’d get enough sleep before I’d be requested to work again. 

I was wrong. 

It was Logan’s call that woke me up at seven thirty. 

“Alpha, may I ask where we are heading this early?” I asked, using my middle finger to keep the thick glasses on my face in place. It was the last and perfect touch to my disguise. It helped me hide my ocean blue eyes—the ones most of the guys around me fell for. 

Logan stopped in his tracks. “Did I not mention it when I called earlier?”

“You did?” I asked, scrutinizing my eyes under my glasses in a rude manner, even though I knew he couldn’t see my eyes. 

He shook his head in a disapproving manner. “If you want to work with them for long, you need to keep your memory intact.” 

“We are going to the Bloodmoon pack. It’s that time of the year when I sit with their alpha, discuss business, and act like I know what I’m doing,” he said before I could speak, with a look of distaste across his face. 

I was going to say why he was wasting time going there if he was there to act like he knew what he was doing, but I figured I needed to keep my mouth shut if I wanted to stay alive until my secret mission was completed. 

Our ride to the Bloodmoon pack was quiet. Because I slept all through. 

“Was it a nice dream?” Logan asked the moment I stepped out of the car. 

“I don’t dream,” I said nonchalantly, dusting my pants like I had just come out of a dusty van. “But the nap was nice. At least my memory will be active now, since I have allowed myself a little sleep.”

“You should wipe your cheek then,” he proceeded to touch his left cheek. “You drooled.”

What!? 

I brought my hand to my cheek in a hurry. “I didn’t drool,” I called after him. 

How could he play me like that!? Not that I wasn’t expecting to be played. Kate told me my disguise would subject me to all kinds of belittlement, so I guess Logan making fun of me was one of them. 

In terms of exquisite, Bloodmoon’s pack house was nothing compared to Silvermoon's. But its interior was still better than regular. 

“Logaannnn!!” I was brought out of my thoughts by a shrieking, loud voice. 

I looked ahead to see a lady, the owner of the voice. It was a lady with short blonde hair. She looked rather innocent, than what her voice sounded like. I could tell from the way her eyes were beaming that she was happy to see Logan. Logan, however….

Seemed rather displeased to see her. 

“Hi, Jane,” he said, not even sparing her a glance. “Where’s your father?” 

Jane, oblivious to the displeasing look on Logan’s face, stretched forth her hand for a handshake. “It’s good to have you again—as always.”

Okay, she had a crush on him. 

Logan gave her a tight smile while still contemplating if he should take her open hand or not. He took it eventually. 

“Alpha Logan,” a male voice boomed throughout the reception. Oh, I read about him. Alpha Bridge. He wasn’t the alpha you ruled out as fearful and strong. But he had his own good perks as an alpha, too. Not that I could remember any of those perks. 

Logan bowed slightly as Alpha Bridge approached him. Alpha Bridge did the same, too, and I could tell from that gesture that they both equally respected themselves. 

Logan introduced me as his new secretary. “He’d be in charge of taking our minutes today.” 

“Oh,” Alpha Bridge stretched out his hand towards me. “I hope we have a good time working together.” 

I took his hand diligently, afraid I might shake him in the wrong way. He pointed towards his office the moment my hand left his, and gestured that we would go in. 

Not that I loved to jump to conclusions, but I felt one of the reasons why Logan wasn’t very pleased about going down to the Bloodmoon pack was because of Jane. She was so clingy. She wouldn’t even leave his side. 

And during the meeting? She kept staring at him boldly, without feeling embarrassed. I took the embarrassment upon myself on her behalf. Did she know he had a mate already? A mate I hadn’t found yet. 

Minutes taking was a hard task for me; I did it all the time back at the NIS quarters. But one thing struck a chord in me as I went through the notes taken back in the SUV we came in with. Logan wasn’t back. He had declined to eat because he had other businesses to tend to at his pack. I hoped that wasn’t true, though, because I was too tired to be assigned to another task already. 

I picked up my phone and emailed Kate. We decided to use emails to chat instead of the regular iMessage. I didn’t want to risk the chance of my phone being checked, and my identity would be exposed. 

Two minutes later, Kate replied. 

My message: Kate, I know one of the victims of our Usub is Daniel. Do you know his surname?

Kate: Dumbass, I told you need to do better at remembering names. Yes, his name is Daniel Martins. 

I placed my hand over my mouth in shock as I read Kate’s email again. Daniel Martins. I read the meeting minutes in my hand again to confirm my suspicions. 

“What of Daniel Martins?” Logan asked Bridge. “Have you heard anything from him since the last time I met him here?” 

“No, I haven’t.”

“As it should be,” Logan said without batting an eye. 

What did Logan mean by “as it should be”? Did he say that because he knew that Daniel was dead? Or was it pure coincidence? And what business deal did Daniel have with them that they had to cross paths?

I took notes in my journal. I knew I’d have to report my new findings to the director once I got to the pack. Maybe Logan didn’t go after his victims because they were too weak to prey on or anything. Maybe he did because they needed to be out of his business. 

The sudden sound of the door to the SUV made me jump on my skin, with my journal on the floor close to the door. I looked up to see Logan eyeing me with disgust. Then I looked to see that my journal was open, and the page facing me at that moment was where I drew connecting lines and dots between the victims of the serial murder case and Logan. 

I let out a low gasp and used my leg to close the journal before Logan could reach for it. “Alpha!!”

Did he see it? Oh my god!

“You are keeping a diary, Aub,” Logan said, a look of surprise spread across his face. “What other feminine stuff do you do? Are you really not gay?”

I scoffed, pushing my glasses further into my face. “Since when has keeping diaries become a gay thing?”

He didn’t seem to be convinced by what I had just said. He raised his eyebrows and his eyes narrowed at me as he stepped into the car. 

“I swear,” I placed my hand on my chest. “It’s not a diary, but a journal. How else would I keep note of all your schedules if I don’t have a journal?” I said in my defense. 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he responded with an evil grin. That bastard!!

It was evening by the time we got to pack. And luckily for me, Logan dismissed me. 

I planned to get to my dorm, take my bath, and have a wonderful sleep before dinner. But luck wasn’t on my side, so all my roommates were present in the room. 

“Why are you guys here?” I asked, bewildered at the sight before me. They were supposed to be on the training ground.

“We are happy to see you too, Aub,” Steve said, not taking his eyes away from the glutes he was lifting. 

How was I supposed to take my bath? 

“You must be tired,” Mathew said, dropping the book in his hand to look at me. “Why don’t you take your bath? It will soon be dinner time. Then we can go together.”

There was no way I’d take my bath with three grown men in the room. I needed an alternative. 

It had been almost thirty minutes since I wandered into the woods, searching for the spring. I had heard the pack had. I used the excuse of having another appointment with the alpha to leave the room. 

Now, I just need a place with flowing water to dip myself in. Found one! 

It was so refreshing. I used to like pools, but I’ve never had my bath in an actual spring before. It was fascinating and refreshing at the same time. Maybe I’d keep visiting that spot since I saw no one in sight. I thought to myself. 

I put on my clothes and started to head back to the pack. I needed to make it back before the pack dinner began; if not, my roommates would figure I had lied. 

“It’s such a beautiful evening,” I said to myself. 

“I know, right?”

I jumped back as a figure appeared from behind a tree. It was Jeremy. I knew from the look in his eyes that I had been caught. 

“Did you see?” I asked with a shaking voice, even though the answer was loud and clear already. 

He smiled, which was strange. “I wonder what you are trying to hide by dressing as a male when you are a female, Aub.” Shit!

“Aub, is that even your real name?”