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Chapter 9: A Suspicious Alpha
Chapter 9: A Suspicious Alpha
(Aaron’s POV)
Amanda kept fidgeting under my gaze, her discomfort evident.
“Did the trash contain anything else unusual?” I asked, my tone sharp. Her eyes darted nervously before she shook her head. Logan growled in my mind, not satisfied.
My jaw tightened as I stared Amanda down.
“And you’re sure this report came from yesterday?” My voice was sharp, leaving no room for hesitation.
“Yes, Alpha,” she said, her voice trembling. “It was soaked, mixed with the clothes Luna Freya wore after the rain.”
I stared at her, my mind racing. Freya had deliberately thrown this away. The fact that it was damaged by the rain connected it to that night outside the Blue Moon Club.
Logan paced restlessly inside me, urging me to act. His agitation seeped into my thoughts like a buzzing tension.
“Why would she stand in the rain?” I muttered under my breath. It didn’t make sense. If she’d wanted a ride, she could have called one. If she hadn’t, what had she been doing?
Amanda’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Alpha, I–I didn’t mean to snoop. It was just…”
“Enough,” I commanded. My tone silenced her immediately, her head bowing as submissively as any lower–ranked wolf.
“You’re dismissed,” I said, gesturing toward the door. She fled without a second glance, her for
as if escaping a storm.
ps hurried
I stood there for a moment, staring at nothing in particular. The image of Freya soaked in rain, clutching
herself tightly as though trying to shield something, flashed vividly in my mind.
Why had she been so reckless? What could possibly have driven her to behave this way?
I exhaled, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “She’s your mate,” Logan growled, his voice rough and impatient.
“Check on her. Find out why.”
This wasn’t typical behavior, even for Freya. As distant as our relationship had become, she never threw caution to the wind so completely. Something wasn’t right.
Logan wouldn’t relent. His instincts screamed louder, compelling me to move.
“Fine,” I muttered under my breath as I headed for our chambers.
(Freya’s POV)
My fingers hovered over my keyboard as I re–read the email draft. Between the lingering dizziness from my fever and the weight of everything happening around me, my focus had been scattered.
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Chapter 9: A Suspicions Al…
Bella stirred uneasily. She’d been pacing inside me all morning, her growls faint but steady.
“Calm down,” I whispered to her.
She didn’t respond, just growled louder.
“This peace won’t last,” she said suddenly, her tone sharp, a warning.
I frowned. “You’re overthinking again.”
homes
The faint scent of pine and snow hit me then, cutting through my thoughts like a blade. My heart clenched. That scent was unmistakable–it was Aaron.
I turned in my chair just as his tall frame filled the doorway.
“Aaron?” My voice came out before I could stop it, and I hated how startled and vulnerable I sounded. “What are you doing here?”
He stepped inside the room, his golden gaze focused sharply on me. The intensity in his expression made it hard to think straight.
“This is my room too, Freya,” he said bluntly. His tone carried that edge of authority that always unsettled me. “Or did you forget?”
My throat tightened, my stomach twisting in confusion. Why was he suddenly here? The way he stood, the way his eyes didn’t leave mine–it felt deliberate, almost calculated.
“You stayed home last night?” I asked, my words slow, cautious.
His eyes narrowed slightly, though his expression remained unreadable. “Where else would I be?”
The way he said it, so calm, so casual, sent yet another surge of unease washing through me. I had been convinced he spent the night with Caroline at Sequoia. Did this mean I had been wrong?
The air between us grew thick, each second of silence stretching uncomfortably.
(Aaron’s POV)
Her surprise didn’t sit well with me. Why would she assume I hadn’t been here? My eyes drifted briefly to the nightstand, where the untouched bowl of healing herbs sat like a glaring red flag.
“Why didn’t you take your medicine?” I asked, crossing my arms.
Her hesitation was slight, but enough to catch my attention. She glanced away like she couldn’t face me properly.
“I feel fine now,” she said, her voice too quick, too defensive. “I don’t need it anymore.”
Logan growled inside, his senses picking up on the evasion in her tone. “Can’t you see through this?” Logan asked, frustrated.
The lie might’ve worked on someone else, but not me. Stepping closer, I softened my tone, though suspicion edged each word.
“Like you didn’t need the medical report you tore up and threw away?”
She froze. Her whole body went rigid, betraying the calm façade she desperately tried to maintain.
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<Chapter 9. A Suspicions Al
“Medical report?” she repeated, her voice cracking slightly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Logan snarled, urging me to push further, to pin her into a corner until the truth came spilling out. But 1 stopped myself–barely.
I moved to sit beside her, closing the physical space between us. Her reaction was immediate. She stiffened, her violet eyes flickering briefly with unease before sharpening into something harder to read.
“We’ve known each other for over twenty years, Freya,” I started, keeping my voice calm and even. “Do you really believe I wouldn’t notice when something’s off?”
Her chin rose slightly, defiance flashing in her gaze. Whatever vulnerable moments she showed before, she
buried them behind her walls now.
“You don’t know me as much as you think, Aaron,” she said, her words bold.
Her retort stung more than it should have, but I didn’t let it show. Instead, I studied her. The small movements she made unconsciously, the way her fingers twitched against the blanket’s edge, the defensive stance she hadn’t fully relaxed–all of it spoke louder than her words.
I leaned in slightly, enough that my presence consumed the space between us. My wolf stirred, his instincts driving me closer, compelling me to notice every small detail about her.
Her scent was sharper now, different. Almost sweeter. It pulled at Logan, at my wolf’s desire to protect what was rightfully ours.
“You feel it too, don’t you?” I murmured, my voice lower, softer now. “The pull. The closeness between Logan and your wolf.”
Her breath hitched barely enough for someone else to notice, but I did. Her eyes widened just slightly before narrowing again, her defenses rising like an impenetrable wall.
For a fleeting second, something flashed across her face. Conflict. Fear. Shock.
But she recovered just as quickly. Her expression steadied, her voice clear.
“Our wolves may be connected,” she said, her words clipped and certain. “But let’s not pretend that changes anything between us.”
Logan growled at that, his frustration a burning heat in my chest.
Her hand drifted briefly to her stomach, the gesture hesitant and fleeting, but it caught my attention nonetheless. My gaze narrowed. Something wasn’t right.
“She’s hiding something,” Logan said, his voice a low snarl in the back of my mind.
The longer I stared at her, the more unsettled I felt. Whatever she was concealing, she was willing to go to desperate lengths to keep me–and everyone else–from discovering it.
“Freya,” I said, my voice softer now, almost coaxing. My hand moved instinctively, resting atop hers gently. “What are you hiding from me?”
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