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I headed inside and got myself a room. The hotel smelled of chlorine and cigarettes. As I headed to my room, the smell of alcohol and musk mixed with everything else, and I cringed. So, I hadn’t picked a good hotel, but it was going to be fine. I would only stay a day and leave. It was just one stop, and I wouldn’t even remember it later.

I unlocked my room and stepped inside, flicking the light on. The light flicked on and off for a solid moment before flicking on. The room was filled with a dim light, showing a single bed and a small desk pushed against a closed window. The room wascold, and I shut the door, walked towards the air conditioner, and turned it off.

I looked at my watch and checked the time. It was a little past ten. I should just sleep. I headed into the bathroom and cringed as I took in a semi-decent bathroom. The tub looked gross, but the sink and toilet looked freshly cleaned.

I looked at myself in the mirror. A tired version of myself stared back, looking as I had expected. My dark brown hair was pulled back in a bun that was half falling out. My dark green eyes stared at me, looking lifeless. I was pale from lack of sun, and slightly bigger because, lord knows, I didn’t have time to work out. I dug out a baggy sweater and a pair of jeans from my closet. I felt tears build up, knowing this was the downward spiral for me.

I would never get a good job again, at least not one in science. The council would look for me and if I wrote anything about this life on a resume, they would find me. I think that hurt more than anything. Just how fucked my life had become in a matter of moments.

Tears built up, and a few broke free. I quickly wiped them away and flicked the light off. I opened my bag, grabbed a pair of pajamas, and quickly changed into them. Afterward, I walked towards the bed and yanked the sheets up. I wanted to hide under the covers and never reappear.

The sheets at least smelt clean, so I sank into them and stared at the window. I could hear the wind howling outside. I shivered, pulling the sheets even tighter against myself.

My mind doesn’t settle, though. It keeps churning, going over every mistake I have made. It kept telling me how I’d screwed everything up. I should never have accepted the jobfrom the Council. I was just a mediocre scientist, and my research would never amount to anything.

I curled into a tighter ball, feeling tears breaking free as my mind spiraled even more. I couldn’t make it stop. Because it was all true. I had failed.

I heard the sound of a door click, and my body tensed up. I watched as light flicked into my room and then went black again. The sound of the door shutting made my heart race as my hair stood up on my body. Someone was in my room.

I searched for anything and grabbed the lamp on the side of my bed, holding it close as I quickly turned around. I pulled the lamp up, prepared to hit whoever was in my room. I would have to run since I didn’t have my phone. I doubted the police would even help me, considering I was a runner.

Light filled the room, and my eyes widened as I took in Henrik. He looked exhausted as he stood there. His eyes narrowed on me, and his jaw ground together, but he looked relieved at the same time as he stared at me.

“What the hell are you doing, Katie?”

Chapter 4 - Henrik

I was feeling a lot of emotions until I saw Katie. It wasn’t every day you got a message from the Council to go track a person down. I had no clue why they sent me, but I wasn’t going to argue with them about it. It was better that I went than any of the other Alphas. They might not have been kind when they found her.

I knew how important Katie was to the survival of the pack right now. She was the one person who understood what was going on and was kind enough to keep trying. No one else had even come close. Other people were working on this and trying to figure it out, but no one was getting results like her.

And I needed her to find mine. If I wanted to keep my status as Alpha, she would be the only person who could find my mate. I didn’t know what was going on, but I was going to get answers.

“What areyoudoing here?” Katie snapped as she stood on her bed holding a lamp. I would have laughed if I were so frustrated with the drive here. It started raining halfway, and now I was soaking wet and cold.

I crossed my arms. “I asked you first.”

She scoffed. “You’re the one breaking into my hotel room!”

I looked back at the door, which hadn’t even been locked. Could we really call it breaking in if the door was technically open? “The door wasn’t even locked.”

She lowered her hand holding the lamp and ran her other hand through her hair. She shook her head as she sat down on the bed. “Why are you here?”

I scowled. “I got a call from the Council that you're running away? Are you kidding me? Seriously? Running?”

She glared and looked away from me. “This doesn’t concern you. You shouldn’t even be here.”

I laughed. “It does. The Council called me. Are you trying to ruin your life?”

Katie fell silent, not answering my question, and I took a deep breath, trying not to snap at her. I was running on low sleep and had a long day of meetings. Half of this was because I was soaking wet and wanted to warm up, but I certainly wasn’t doing that here in this hotel, which looked like it needed an inspection.

I sighed. “Katie, grab your stuff.”

“No.”

I ground my teeth together. “Katie, I’m not joking. Grab your stuff. You can’t honestly be thinking you’ll stay in this shitty hotel.”

She crossed her arms. “There is nothing wrong with this place.”