Page 7 of Therefore

Chapter Six

Emerson

I t wasn’t surprising to see the empty space next to me when I woke up. What did surprise me was finding my wrists cuffed to the headboard.

Oh, he’ll pay for that later.

With a pinch and twist of my fingers, I had my wrists free. I still couldn’t believe Trystan hadn’t figured out there was an emergency release. Although in fairness, the cuffs were a special order, and he’d been pretty distracted by an unexpected heat.

Rolling out of bed, I left the sheets as they were.

I wanted Trystan’s smoky vetiver scent to linger a little longer before I cleaned up.

Maybe I’d keep a pillowcase until he was back in my bed.

A smile stretched across my face. I wasn’t even mad Trystan was gone.

I knew the risk as soon as I uncuffed him.

But I had his name and something he wanted. We’d meet again very soon.

As I headed for the kitchen, I scrolled through my phone’s notifications. Plenty of emails, as usual. But two texts from my assistant, Pearl, stood out:

Transferred evidence back to the office. Usual place.

Don’t ask me to come over like that again. I can never unhear those sounds.

I made a mental note to send her flowers and a spa day voucher soon. This wasn’t in her job description, but there was no one I trusted more to deal with the transfer. At least, not without Norah ripping into me at every opportunity.

Speaking of the devil , Norah’s name flashed across my screen.

“Good…” I checked the time on the screen. Two-thirty. Crap. “Afternoon. How can I help?”

“Pearl said you were taking a sick day, but I don’t buy it,” Norah snapped, clearly not in the mood for fun pleasantries. “You’re the healthiest person I know. So tell me what’s going on.”

I grabbed a fresh bottle of water from the fridge and headed back to my bedroom. “I’m allowed to take a sick day, Norah.”

“If you were genuinely sick, I’d agree with you. Don’t make me ask again.”

The joys of dealing with another alpha.

Sighing, I sat on the edge of my bed. “Someone broke in yesterday. I had to deal with it.”

Norah’s voice immediately softened. “Are you okay? Did they get away with anything?”

“I’m fine. They got away, but I know what they were after—Fisher’s diary. What I don’t know is who told them I had it.”

“Think we have a leak?”

“Us, or the police,” I admitted. “I checked the evidence out formally, so there’s an easy paper trail if someone knows where to look.”

Norah went quiet for a moment, but I could hear her typing on her laptop. “Okay. Is the diary still with you?”

“No. Pearl collected it last night and returned it to the office. It’s safe. You can check with her.”

“Perfect. Do the police have any leads on our thieves?”

My chest tightened as I pictured Trystan’s face beneath me, deep in ecstasy. He was our thief, but not the source of the crime. If I could find out who he worked for, who requested the job, I could bypass an arrest for him altogether. At the very least, negotiate on his behalf.

“I didn’t report it.”

“You, what?!”

“The police could be the leak, Norah. You said it yourself.”

“So you got your damn PA to move it instead?” Norah growled, her alpha rage palpable even over the phone.

I took a breath. My inner alpha never responded well to other alphas asserting dominance, but I respected Norah as my boss and friend. If only my alpha would remember that.

“I had other things to take care of.” I spoke slowly, calmly. “And Pearl is as loyal as they come. You know that.”

“I know .” Norah huffed. “This situation just doesn’t sit well with me.

We’re supposed to be wrapping up this case.

Targeting the diary now doesn’t make sense, especially not with everything else we have.

The evidence against Fisher is irrefutable, and the police already checked over the diary.

Anything new we find would just be a bonus. ”

“We need to talk to detective Rhodes again. He’s been on this case from the very beginning. We can trust him.”

More clicks on the keyboard. “We have that meeting with him tomorrow. Make sure you’re there.”

“Of course.”

“And, y’know, feel better or whatever.” Norah tsk-tsked. I could almost feel her disapproving glare from across the city.

Guilt panged through my chest. I couldn’t tell her Trystan was the thief. My nature wouldn’t allow me to put him at risk in any way. But there were other ways of letting her in.

“I’ve met my scent-match,” I admitted, smiling to myself at the sound of Norah’s gasp through the phone. “He went into heat after the break-in, and I had to take care of him.”

“Emerson, that’s…” Norah paused, then laughed. “Oh, wow. You really had a hell of a night, didn’t you? I want the whole scent-match story, but I’m assuming you should get back to him.”

Well, funny story, actually. He cuffed me to my bed and ran out while I was asleep, and I have no idea where he is. It’s all going really well.

“Thank you. Sorry for being secretive.”

I meant it, too. Norah didn’t deserve these secrets, but I had to protect my omega. I told him he was my priority now, and I didn’t take that lightly.

“I’d probably do the same in your position. I get territorial any time someone so much as looks at Frankie. If he were an omega on top of that, in heat. ” She let out a low whistle. “Dangerous. Hope I get to meet him soon, though.”

“You will. He’ll be in my life as long as I’m breathing.”

Trystan may not fully understand it yet—if he did, he wouldn’t have run off—but now that I knew he existed, he’d never be rid of me. I’d call in every favour, do everything in my power to protect him, whether he liked it or not.

All I had to do first was find him.