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The lawyer who was drinking wine alone?

Yeah, he’s no longer eating or drinking, for that matter. He’s no longer even pretending.

He’s standing rightin front of me, holding a…is that a taser?

Ice shoots up my spine and my lungs nearly collapse.

I look for another exit in this madhouse only to realize that the couple who were lovey-dovey a few minutes ago are no longer romantic. No longer civilians.

They’re guards.

I look around again and again, and my heart pounds violently inside my chest once I realize something horrifying.

No one in this restaurant is real.

No one here is a stranger.

They’re all herefor Julian.

Julian’s voice slithers behind me like a serpent meant to kill me with its venom. “I wanted to do this the easy way, peaches. I really did.”

He steps closer,“But you always force my hand. This could have been a celebration, you know? Our second chance. Our little family, whole again.”

He gestures to the guards.“But you ruined it.”

One of them steps forward.

Lina screams.

The world narrows into a tunnel.

All I know isI have to run.

Even if it’sthe last thing I do.

Chapter Twenty-Three

ALARIC HELLS

The only reason I left Lina and Lila, no matter how bad I wanted to stay at home, was because Elder Matthew called for an urgent meeting.

He said urgent meeting was about Irene and grilling me about abandoning trivial pack issues. The meeting had been going on for a day and a half and it was already up to my neck. Sure, we took breaks, but we’d been stuck on the same thing for the last thirty-six hours or so.

I could have let my wolf’s anger out, told the geezers seated in front of me in that conference room that my mind was eons away from Irene because I was head over heels in love with Lila Winter, but I didn’t.

Instead, I sat down and in about four hours, most of the elders there had lamented about me getting the position of interim Alpha and not working hard enough in finding my Mate.

One of the elders, Elder Lincoln, I think, had asked if I had any distractions that were deterring me from finding Irene. I wanted to tell him straight that I had a little girl waiting for me because the last time I’d seen her, she wasn’t doing okay. Sure, I’d given her a glass of water the other night and Lila said they’dgo to the hospital for a regular checkup this morning before I left, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t worried. Were it not for the elders summoning me for an urgent meeting I wouldn’t even be here.

I wanted to tell him that Lila, my fated mate, was waiting at home so I could make sweet love to her and praise every curve of her body all night. That despite me calling her yesterday to know how they were both doing, I still missed her terribly. I might have also wanted to tell him I had a few suspicions on Irene’s whereabouts as well as her identity.

Instead, I’d remained quiet.

Hours later, I watch as all the elders walk out of the conference room. I’m about to switch my phone on when the elder who barely talked during this entire meeting walks towards me.

Elder Tenno has a few years on him and by a few, I mean he’s older than Elder Matthew and a year away from kicking the bucket. He’s been the keeper of all the records for both Blackwood and Moonlight pack and an important member of the werewolf council.

I’d called him a day ago asking about any other records he had on Irene. The minute he regards me with cautious eyes, I know I'll be delayed from getting home for another hour. Make that one day and fourteen hours from my girls.