Chapter 4

The Alpha's Interest

BLACKTHORN PACK

“She is dead.”

Kieran furrowed his brows as he stared at Derek.

“Explain yourself. How is Mrs. Crane dead?”

“The scouts found her dead in her apartment this morning. Her husband too,” Derek said, his voice unusually flat.

Kieran's face hardened.

He reached for a cigarette on the table and lit it, taking a slow drag.

For some reason, the news unsettled him more than he wanted to admit.

Mrs. Crane had been coming to him for months, asking him to take her daughter into the pack. She had always been persistent, refusing to leave until he gave her some kind of answer.

And now she was dead.

“The girl?” Kieran asked.

Derek looked at him.

“Missing. There was no trace of her in the apartment. No scent or trail the scouts could follow.”

Kieran remained silent for a moment.

He remembered Mrs. Crane's desperate expression the last time she had stood before him, begging him to take her daughter.

Something must have happened.

He exhaled slowly.

“Tell me everything.”

*****

Few Days Earlier

Mrs. Crane stood before the Alpha with her hands clasped together and her back slightly hunched.

“Please, you have to take in my daughter.”

“You are quite persistent, Mrs. Crane.” Kieran poured wine into the glass on the table. “I can hardly count how many times I have rejected you.”

“Please. You're the only one who can protect my child.”

“I'm sure you can do that yourself. You have done it for years.”

“No. I can't protect her. Please, my lord.” Her voice shook.

“And what use will a human be to me?”

“She is not human. She is a wolf.”

“She is no different from a human!” Kieran slammed his hand against the table.

Mrs. Crane flinched.

“I'm done with this conversation.” Kieran gulped down the wine and stood up. “I have other engagements.”

He walked toward the door, with his Beta following closely behind him.

“Rafael wants her!”

Kieran stopped in his tracks.

Slowly, he turned around and glared at her.

“What did you just say?”

“Rafael. He wants my daughter, Evelyn,” Mrs. Crane said quietly.

“What business would the Drakon Pack Alpha have with your daughter?”

Kieran began walking slowly toward her.

“Don't you want to find out?”

Kieran moved swiftly.

His hand wrapped around Mrs. Crane's neck, lifting her slightly off the ground. His eyes were bloodshot, and the veins in his neck bulged.

“Don't you dare play games with me, Mrs. Crane,” he growled. “What business does the Drakon Pack have with your daughter?”

“I don't know.” Mrs. Crane struggled to breathe. “Please. I just don't want my daughter in his hands.”

“And what made you think I would be any better?” Kieran's grip tightened. “You clearly don't know me, do you?”

“My lord… please…”

Kieran released her and shoved her away.

She crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.

“Get out!” he growled.

Mrs. Crane quickly got to her feet and scurried out of the hall.

“She is quite old. She must have been really shocked.”

Derek turned to Kieran as soon as the door closed.

“She will survive it.” Kieran took another drink from the wine bottle.

“Do you believe her?”

“She wouldn't dare lie to me.”

“But do you believe her?”

Kieran walked toward the window, the wine bottle still in his hand. He stared out at the grounds below.

“She said Rafael wants her daughter. She wouldn't lie about something like that, would she?”

“Why would the Drakon Alpha want her? She's just a wolf who hasn't even shifted yet.”

“I guess we'll have to find that out.”

Kieran turned to look at Derek.

“Send out the scouts. They should keep an eye on both mother and daughter and report everything to you.”

He walked over and placed a hand on Derek's shoulder.

“You report everything back to me.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

****

Back to the Present

Kieran took another drag from his cigarette and turned to Derek.

“The girl wasn't found anywhere near the house?”

“No. She wasn't.” Derek shifted his gaze to the ground.

“Mrs. Crane… how did she die?”

Kieran watched him through narrowed eyes.

“She was reported to have been attacked by a group of wolves.”

“A group of wolves?”

“Yes. According to the scouts, they had the Drakon's bearing.”

Kieran scoffed.

“That damned Rafael.”

His jaw tightened.

Of all the people who could have been involved, it had to be Rafael.

The two Alphas had been rivals for years. Their packs had clashed more than once, and Kieran had never trusted the Drakon Alpha. Rafael was ruthless, calculating, and always seemed to have a reason behind everything he did.

But wanting Evelyn?

That made no sense.

“Why does he have to be so damn brutal?” Kieran muttered.

Derek gave him a dry look.

“That's rich coming from you.”

Kieran ignored him.

His mind returned to Mrs. Crane's words.

There had to be something about Evelyn that Rafael knew and he didn't.

“Do you think he might have taken the girl?” Derek asked.

Kieran's expression darkened.

“How did the scouts lose her? I thought they were supposed to keep an eye on her.”

“They were distracted.”

“Distracted?” Kieran repeated, his voice dangerously low.

Derek swallowed.

“Yes, Alpha.”

Kieran turned away from him and stared through the window.

Rafael had always been one step ahead whenever their paths crossed. Kieran hated that about him. But he refused to believe Rafael had managed to take Evelyn right under his nose.

Not without leaving a trace.

“He couldn't have gotten to her,” Kieran said, more to himself than Derek. “I need to know why Rafael wants her.”

He dragged the cigarette across the ashtray until the ember went out, then dropped it.

His eyes hardened.

“Find her.”

Derek looked at him.

“And bring her to me.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Kieran turned back toward the window, watching the darkness outside.

For the first time in years, something about Rafael's actions didn't sit right with him.

And Kieran intended to find out exactly what it was.