Page 25

Bellamy

A djusting the angle of the final camera, I return to my computer and sift through the new feeds around the property to make sure everything’s up and running.

It’s so much easier to stalk your girlfriend when you have free access to her home to hide new cameras.

A soft ping has me minimizing the feeds, opening up a new window with the records I’ve been waiting for. Can’t be too thorough when someone takes an interest in my mate.

“Seriously?” I huff, frustration growing the longer I scroll.

The guy’s never had so much as a cavity.

The only real blemish on his record is a C in shop class, and even then, it looks like a pity passing from the teacher.

Dane Nocturne may excel at running a business, but from the few pictures from his middle school science fair and high school yearbook clubs, there’s a good reason he hired my mate; he can’t create shit himself.

But I’m not finding any skeletons in his closet or ties to anything shady.

His mate is a little more interesting at least. At first glance, Sophia Nocturne’s practically a ghost. Her only digital footprint is doctor visits and medical bills.

But after reading up on how medically frail she is from her records, two things are clear.

There’s nothing to indicate she was previously abused, and she’s receiving the best care Mr. Nocturne can buy.

Doing one more scan of the documents I’ve compiled on them, I finally admit to myself that I’m on edge when it comes to mysts in general and am looking for problems. But I’m not seeing any red flags.

Sighing, I close the tabs and bring up the cameras again, flicking through each individually to ensure they’re running without issue and searching for blind spots.

Arson shoving a salt lick in our new pet’s cage, Myles working on his part of our surprise in the basement; nothing interesting.

As I get to the next feed, though, I stop, grinning at the screen as Ever strips off the giant comforter from the bed and flips it the bird, replacing it with five blankets.

“Clever girl.” No more fighting over the blanket at night, or whoever’s on the end freezing when someone rolls over.

Makes it easier to swap out the wet spots, too.

“What the hell, you pervert?” Ledger’s voice directly behind me has me startling in my chair. “You’re spying on her?”

I realize this looks bad. Installing a camera in our bedroom without exaaaaaaactly telling our mate may not have been the best move in hindsight. But I’m not taking any chances when it comes to her safety.

“I mean, look at her.” I gesture at the screen to plead my case. “Why would I waste time watching anything else?”

He leans over my shoulder, scowl softening into a yearning look mingled with desire as we watch our mate rearrange the pillows, appreciating the way she crawls over the massive bed, every curve on display.

“Fuck,” he breathes, knuckles whitening as he grips the back of my computer chair.

For a few minutes, we simply watch her until he finally gets it.

Sure, a little voyeur kink is inevitable in my line of work, but at its core, watching Ever has never been overtly sexual for me.

She’s my obsession. It doesn’t matter if she’s simply scrolling on her phone, reading, or playing games.

Watching her soothes something inside of me that’s hard to describe.

I need to know where she is. What she’s doing.

Assure myself that she’s safe and happy.

Or if there’s anything she needs, but would never ask for, because she’s never had anyone love her the way she deserves before.

Until me.

Until us.

If this is what it feels like when she hasn’t even claimed me, I don’t understand how anyone can survive losing their bonded mate.

Speaking of…

Spinning my chair around, I face Ledger with a victorious grin. “I almost forgot to mention! I’m not sure what load of crap your dad fed you, but… he lied. I was able to track down your mom’s number if you want it.”

Ledger stills. “If this is some sort of twisted joke, it’s not fucking funny.”

Smile dropping in confusion, I hastily swivel around and bring up the file on my computer from when I was researching the guys when I first came to town.

His nails slowly grow into claws as he reads everything popping up on the screen.

Once he reaches the bank statement that shows her last card transaction was two days ago, and the recent traffic cam photo of her alive and well, surrounded by her mates?

He snarls an animalistic sound, snatching his hand off my desk and leaving deep grooves slashed in the wood in his wake.

Face twisted in fury, he storms off, slamming the front door shut behind him hard enough to rattle the windows.

Myles walks into the room, frowning at the hall Ledger disappeared down. “What the heck was that about?”

Regret wraps a noose around my throat as I rub the back of my neck. “I was trying to surprise him, but… I think I royally fucked up.”