Chapter 7: The unexpected

Serena's POV

​When I reached the end of the block, my screen lit up again. It was another message from Cole.

​What flowers, Hun?

​Thank God. I pressed the call button, and within seconds, his deep voice filled the line.

"Cole!" I screamed into the phone, sheer terror gripping my throat.

​"Serena, what's wrong?" he demanded, his voice instantly shifting into a sharp, commanding Alpha authority.

​"He's been here! He's been in my house—he sent me roses!" I sobbed, aware that my frantically rushed words probably made no sense.

​"Okay, take a breath. Calm down," Cole urged, his tone low and steady. "Where are you right now?"

​"I'm a block away from home. On St. Tenual Drive."

​"Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes."

​True to his word, his car came roaring to a terrifying stop on the sidewalk right where I stood waiting.

He slid out of the car with quick precision and was instantly by my side.

"Don't worry, baby. You're fine. I'm here now," he said, his fingers gently loosening my white-knuckled grip on the knife and easing it safely out of my hand.

​"Explain to me what happened. What did you see?"

​"Malcolm knows where I live. He has found me," I panted out, my chest heaving. "He sent me a bouquet of roses. They were left on my porch outside the front door... and he has been inside the house."

​"That son of a bitch." Cole tightened his fists, a lethal edge bleeding into his voice. He took a breath, forcing himself to look down at me with absolute reassurance.

"Don't worry. I've already sent Henry and the pack guards—they are at the house right now searching it. You are not safe there. You are coming back with me to Sunset Falls. My home... our home."

​I didn't argue with Cole. I allowed him to guide me to the passenger side of the car, completely relieved as I climbed inside.

I hadn't even realized we were outside the mansion until the car ground to a halt.

​I looked over at the ocean and the beach. From this high up the winding, hilly road, the people sunbathing and children playing on the sand looked miniature—almost minuscule, like tiny dots moving against the vast shoreline as they tried to catch what little daylight was left.

Down there, they were completely oblivious to my panic. They probably couldn't hear a thing from our height except for the distant rumble of cars on the public road; the sound of people talking was entirely swallowed up by the distance.

I breathed in the salty air. I could never tire of this, I thought. Can I really settle here as Cole's Luna? Can I make this place my home?

​The car door on my side swung open. Cole reached down, offering his hand. I placed mine into his large palm and let him lead me toward the house.

​He turned toward a man standing in the driveway. "Stan, park up the Lambo," he said, tossing him the keys.

​"Yes, Alpha," Stan called out, catching the keys without even looking.

​As we entered the house, Maisey was at our side to greet us.

​"Maisey, please see to it that Serena has everything she needs."

​"Yes, Alpha," she responded.

​We came to the foyer where a few guards stood at attention.

"Thomas, make sure that you and the men are in the office in twenty minutes. Henry should be back by then." Cole then turned back to the kitchen helper.

"Maisey, I would like to speak to Serena alone."

​"Yes, sure, Alpha." She quickly stepped away into the kitchen.

​Cole turned to me, his expression deadly serious. "Serena, this is your home now. You're not going back to that house."

​"But Cole, it's..."

​Cole silenced me with a single stare.

​"I can't take the risk of something happening to you. Even if I have your house guarded and you have a chaperone, it still wouldn't be completely safe. No, you're safe here, where I can watch you.

Come," he said, guiding me toward the back of the house.

​We went down a narrow staircase and walked through what seemed like a maze until we reached a large room filled with glowing CCTV screens.

​"What's all this?" I asked, looking around.

​"It's where we monitor everything. All activity in the house and surrounding it. It leads all the way down to the public road."

​He walked over to a safe in the corner of the room and expertly turned the combination lock until it clicked open. He looked at me, and it felt as though he was looking deep into my soul.

"Can you use one of these?" he asked, pulling a small handgun from the safe.

​"Y-yes," I stuttered, my eyes widening. "But..."

​"Well, I need you to be safe when I'm not around," Cole interrupted smoothly.

​"But you have all this security here," I said, splaying my hands and turning my palms face-up to emphasize my point.

​"Yes, I know, but just in case. Your wolf is dormant, so it would be near impossible to defend yourself against another wolf that wanted to attack. There will always be someone around to protect you, but it's always good to be extra cautious. No?"

​"Yes, you're right," I admitted. "Luckily, my grandmother was tough as old boots. I learned to shoot at sixteen years old to protect myself, especially since my wolf wouldn't surface. She was worried about me. So I can see what you mean, wanting me to have this for protection."

​"Good. It sounds like me and your grandmother would have got on well." He smiled briefly, but it vanished just as quickly, replaced by his steely Alpha gaze.

"Put it safely away in your room. It's not loaded. Take these bullets—we'll load it later—and keep it in the room's safe."

​"Okay, my Alpha."

​Hearing my warm endearment, something intense flickered deep in his eyes. But the look was gone as soon as it came. We went back up to the kitchen in silence.

​"Maisey, please take Serena to my suite."

​Maisey looked genuinely shocked. "Your suite, Alpha?"

​Cole looked away from me, fixing Maisey with a chilling, steely look. "Yes, to my suite. Do you have an issue with that, Maisey?"

​"N-no, Alpha. Of course not."

A pack member took me up to Cole's suite. It wasn't just a room, but an entire floor. He had his four-poster bed on one end of the room, adjacent to a balcony that had a spectacular view of the ocean.

Being up so high made it feel like a beautiful fortress. And then he had his walk-in closet, which was a whole other room in itself.

​I took a shower and felt refreshed. I had ordered meatballs and spaghetti for dinner topped with four cheeses, a side salad, and a large glass of sparkling water with lime. I even went for strawberries and cream for dessert. I was absolutely famished and couldn't wait for my food.

​I sat at the table by the balcony dressed in loungewear, my hair hanging damp from my shower.

​I sat there for what seemed like ages. I glanced over at my phone—it was getting late. Maybe they had forgotten about me. I phoned down to the kitchen.

​"Hi, it's Serena," I said.

​"Yes, Serena, it's Joshua. Can I help with anything?"

​"I was wondering about dinner? I ordered it some time ago, but I'm still waiting. When can I expect it?"

​"Um, dinner? Did you not get your meal?" Joshua sounded completely confused.

​"No, I didn't get anything," I responded patiently.

​"Maisie said she had brought it up to you around an hour ago. Did you not get it?"

​"No, Joshua, I did not get the meal. I've been sitting here waiting for it. I thought maybe you had forgotten."

​"No, I didn't forget. I definitely gave it to her. Maybe there's a misunderstanding. I've packed everything away for the night and I'm about to leave, but I could rustle you up something quickly."

​"Thank you, Joshua, that is nice of you, but I don't want to hold you up. It wasn't your fault," I said, not wanting him to be delayed from going home. "Hold on, I'm coming down."

I put the phone down before he could protest.

​I put on my slippers and went down to the kitchen.

​"Hey, Joshua," I said as I walked in.

​"Serena, I'm extremely sorry. I don't know how this has happened. I gave it to Maisie to give to you."

Joshua was already pulling wrapped dishes from the fridge, looking stressed. "There are still plenty of meatballs left, but the spaghetti is finished."

​He glanced toward the back door, frowning. "Maisie has already left for the day, otherwise I'd ask her what she did with it."

​"Honestly, I'm fine. I can prepare this myself. I'll just make a toasted meatball sandwich. You get off home, Joshua."

​"Are you sure?" Joshua asked, lingering by the counter.

​I practically had to usher him through the door. "I'm good. Have a nice evening." I waved him off and got back to preparing my meal.

​I actually enjoyed it, and I had some ice cream for dessert, ending up eating it all right there in the kitchen.

​I started wondering where Cole was. I hadn't seen him all evening. Earlier, he said he was going to have a meeting with the pack guards, but other than that, I hadn't heard anything else.

​I cleaned up and left the kitchen. The foyer was empty, so I decided to have a look outside the house in the driveway. Four pack members stood outside. They looked up when I approached.

​One came quickly toward me. "Alpha wouldn't be happy with you being out here in the dark," he said, even though the driveway and surrounding areas were well-lit with a state-of-the-art lighting system and sensory lights.

​"I just wanted to know where the Alpha is?" I asked.

​He looked toward the rest of the guards. They shuffled their feet and looked away.

​"Miss, you can't be out here. It's cold. Alpha has gone to run some errands with a few of the wolves. He'll be back soon. Please go back inside."

​"Okay," I responded. I turned to go back inside when I saw car headlights beaming up from the road. A sleek, black Mercedes-Benz bypassed us and headed straight toward the underground parking garage. I couldn't see who was in the car because of the darkly tinted windows.

​"It's Alpha," the guard said. "Please, miss, go inside."

​Instead, I ducked past him and ran toward the underground garage before the shutters could close. My sudden movement tripped the security system, setting off the alarms.

They rang loudly in my ears, red lights flashing on and off continuously. A bunch of the pack members ran toward me, some already shifting into their wolves.

What on earth is going on? I thought.

​A whole group of them poured out of the garage and out of the car. "Miss, go upstairs into the house!" one shouted.

​Then, Cole slid out of the passenger side of the car. He was covered in blood, his clothes completely torn to shreds.

​I ran toward him. "Cole! What's happened to you!" I screamed.