Chapter 184

POV Scott

All in all, the meeting with Sarah went well. I chose my outfit and demeanor well, and she relaxed more than she had planned to. She was obviously shocked at my mention of walking with her to reveal the moon, but I was off with the dead horses—odd, they were always there in the dream, dead and rotting.

I was closer with the statue of Zane. What had she said? “I haven’t dreamt of a statue of Zane either.”

So, was she dreaming of some other statue? In my dreams, Zane’s imposing, larger-than-life statue was of solid white marble, and it reflected the moonlight almost to the point of blinding me. I knew it was a symbol for the way he was blocking out my light and trying to keep me from my goals.

She’d looked lovely in the café wearing a blue dress that, of course, brought out her eyes. When we were mated, I would have her wear blue all the time, and I’d lay her out on blue silk sheets. It was a pleasant fantasy.

Then I had to frown, remembering, “Ninety percent of wolf culture deals with the moon.”

Well, that was certainly true. Frankly, it got a little dull sometimes, the way the moon dominated our lives.

“We’re not fated mates, Scott, and if this is all you’ve brought me here to say, this conversation is over.”

Yes, I hadn’t cared for that at all. Who was she to think shared dreams meant nothing? Humans don’t have shared dreams. My power over her had to be considerable to overcome her limitations so impressively.

I was reaching into her mind, her subconscious, and she acted like it was an inconvenience or a coincidence. She would learn better.

Perhaps I wasn’t getting through to her because humans didn’t have fated mates either. Perhaps S could make her understand the primal forces she was dealing with. He certainly was doing a good job hammering away at my case.

MyHelperz could tone it down a bit, though, crude little bastard.

It had obviously shaken Sarah to learn someone had infiltrated the villa despite all its security. It was good, though, for her to realize Zane couldn’t keep her safe. Oh, he talked a good game, but he was just a wolf, and an unsophisticated alpha at that.

It irritated me that I didn’t actually know who the person was. Too many details were outside of my control, and I didn’t like that. Perhaps it was time to take on a more active role.

I checked the time. Zane would have told her about the autopsy report by now. Would she feel sad at the story of the young mother dying, pushing out the life force of her blood along with her sickly second child?

I picked my tablet up from the side table near my chair. Soon, I was scrolling the comments on Cavendish.com. It was good to stay up to date.

Ballareeena: Have we finally gotten a better video of Grace singing? The two online suck.

GinnyWolf: I like the guy singing Rocking the Boat. He’s hilarious. He’s a classmate of Grace’s, right? I wonder if he’s a friend.

XXKKOO234: Link to videos of Grace, pls.

Ballareeena: Rockin’ the Boat has stage presence, that’s for sure.

MyHelperz: You’re perving off some firstlevel, creep.

GinnyWolf: @MyHelperz, can you go two minutes without saying something nasty?

JaneDayviellers: It’s odd, but I’m wondering if Alpha Zane’s pups are both going to end up famous artists. Sarah’s influence, perhaps?

XXKKOO234: Like she was sent into his family to keep them from being pack alphas?

JaneDayviellers: Not everything is a conspiracy, you no.

Oh, this was dull. I skipped over to Instagram. To my delight, there was a photo of me and Sarah drinking coffee. We looked like a couple, intimate and more than friendly.

PetthjoIsGreat: That’s the brother, Scott, right? He’s a beta?

ArcoNova: Yeah. What’s he doing with Sarah? Moving in on Zane’s woman?

I growled low in my throat.

My phone rang, the one I rarely used, so I wasn’t surprised to see the name on the screen.

I answered, “Well, what a pleasant surprise.”

“Good to hear it, and nice to hear your voice as well. You’re making progress?”

“Slowly and steady. Who is it you’ve got at the villa?”

“What’s it to you? They know what they’re doing, including bugging out if they’re detected. Don’t worry about it.”

“I think you’re forgetting I’m not one of your little pawns, my dear. Last time I checked, anyway, we were partners in this endeavor.”

“And we still are, but you know what Ben Franklin said about secrets.”

“That three can keep a secret if two of them are dead. Is that a threat?”

“Of course not. You are in a mood this evening.”

“I suppose my impatience is showing.”

“Slow and steady, darling. Besides, I have some news that should cheer you up.”

“Oh?”

“I’m coming home. Business here has wrapped, and I’m free. Take me to dinner this weekend?”

I smiled. “That is good news. I was starting to feel a little abandoned.”

“Never. I’ll text my flight details.”

“See you soon.”

We ended the call, and I found I was in better spirits. With a little burst of energy, I got up and put on something decent to wear. I could do with a drink someone else shook up for me, and I was in the mood to cruise a bit.

Yes, I decided as I put on a tasteful cologne that brought out my pheromones nicely. A little uncomplicated sex would be just the thing.

I walked out to my car and breathed in the night air. Something nipped at my ankle hurting quite a bit, but when I looked down, I didn’t see anything. I turned my phone’s flashlight on, but whatever it was hadn’t left a mark.

Odd, I thought, but then I put it from my mind. I had better things to think about.