Chapter 169

That weekend, James had called me over to his house with an urgency in his voice, mentioning something about Victoria.

Ever since James had told me about his new relationship with Victoria, I hadn't been able to stop thinking about them.

As much as it wasn't any of my business to pry, I wanted to know as much about them as I could. I loved hearing him talk about how he felt about her or what they were getting up to.

I didn't have any real girlfriends, so talking to James about relationships was the closest thing I could get. And if he was willing to talk, I was willing to listen.

But the tone in his voice on our phone call earlier made me feel a bit nervous. He made it seem like it was something important. I couldn't tell if the news was going to be good or bad.

I rushed over to his house which was luckily in the same neighborhood as Grandma Jo's house. Memories of James, Lucas, and I hanging out as children went through my mind as I drove with a fond smile on my face.

It helped ease any apprehension I had about whatever James was going to tell me about Victoria.

As I finally arrived at his house, James wasted no time and was already coming outside to greet me.

"Hey," I said as I got out of my car. I slammed the door and tried to gauge the emotion on James's face.

He wasn't giving anything away which left me feeling even more confused.

"Come in," James said urgently.

"You're freaking me out with the way you're acting," I admitted honestly, following closely behind him. "I'm worried."

He sighed deeply, closing his front door behind me. "So am I. My parents aren't here, we can sit and talk in the living room."

I nodded and the two of us walked to his family's open living room. James's parent's house was beautiful and very luxurious. Even though James lived in the same childhood neighborhood as Lucas and me, his house was one of the largest ones in our subdivision.

His parents were both Alphas and while they weren't as wealthy as Lucas or Victoria, they were still incredibly well off. James was their only child, and he was treated to anything that he'd ever want.

He was spoiled, but his parents refused to allow him to be snobby like other alphas. He was respectful and extremely appreciative of his life. He knew he was lucky to be able to have so many nice things, and he never rubbed it in anyone's face.

My gaze wandered around the expansive living room, appreciating the grandeur that surrounded me.

A massive marble fireplace stood as the centerpiece, decorated with an array of exquisite-looking trinkets and vases, each telling a story of its own.

Before I could allow my eyes to investigate further, James began to explain his concerns to me.

"I think something's going on with Victoria," he said, fidgeting nervously on the couch next to me.

I stared at him, unsure of what that could mean. "What do you mean? What's going on?"

"She's been acting really strange lately," he told me with a furrowed brow. "She hasn't answered any of my calls or texts all day. It's not like her at all. Usually, she texts me immediately after I send something—what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Seriously?" I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "That's what's so urgent? You called me over here because she isn't answering your text messages?"

"She isn't answering my calls either." James shot me a reprimanding look. "Shana, you don't get it. She always responds, and she's been acting differently all week. I don't get it."

"Did something happen between the two of you?" I asked, trying to figure out if something was done or said that would make Victoria act differently.

"No." James shook his head immediately. "Nothing happened between us. I mean, things were going so well, or at least I thought they were."

"Well, what's the last thing she said to you then?" I questioned. "Maybe it can give some hint as to what's going on."

James pulled out his phone and scrolled through his messages.

"Her last text said, 'Lol! I thought the same thing. Sometimes I feel like you can read my mind,'" James read out loud. "After that, I sent her another text, and then a goodnight text. This morning when I checked my phone, I saw that she didn't respond, so I sent her a good morning text. I waited all day and she never said anything else."

According to Victoria's last message to him, it didn't seem like she was upset with him. Why would she just blatantly ignore him like that? It didn't make any sense.

Was she ghosting him?

The thought made my blood boil. It was evident how much James liked Victoria, and I didn't want to see him get his feelings hurt. He didn't deserve it.

"I'm sure there's some kind of reasonable explanation," I said, reaching out to give him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Maybe something came up with her family?"

"Maybe..." James trailed off. "Or what if something happened to her?"

James's thoughts were going above and beyond and I couldn't quite understand where he was coming from. "Like what, James? You're overreacting. Just take a deep breath... I don't think anything serious happened to her."

"I don't know, Shana." He didn't have a concrete answer. "Call it a gut feeling, but something's not right. I just know it."

"What do you mean?" I asked again. "What do you think happened?"

He shrugged, growing more frustrated. "I just have a bad feeling."

I tried to give him a reassuring smile, even though I didn't share his concern.

Was the situation weird? Sure. But did I think something bad had happened to Victoria? No.

I knew her parents were similar to Kendrick... maybe they had just taken her to some kind of Alpha event, or she was tied up in some meetings.

I didn't think it was anything that James should worry himself sick over. I felt deep down that Victoria would answer him eventually. I just needed to offer James my comfort and reassurance that I was there for him.

"Look, James, I can't do much to help you. I don't even know Victoria that well," I said in a soft tone. "But she belongs to a prestigious Alpha family. Maybe she's just busy or going through something. Give it some time, she'll get back to you when she can."

"I guess you're right..." James let out a sigh. "I don't know. Ever since her accident, I'm just afraid something bad will happen to her again, and that was the worst day of my life. I never want to go through anything like that again."

Pain filled my chest at how James was feeling. I didn't realize this was why he was so stressed out.

"James, she'll be okay. I promise you." I gave his shoulder a squeeze, hoping that it would ease him a little bit.

Just as we were discussing this, there was a loud, impatient knock on James's front door.

We both jumped, completely caught off guard. Was that Victoria?

James hurried to open the door, probably thinking the same thing as me.

When James opened the door, we were both surprised to find someone standing there.

But it wasn't Victoria...

It was Edwin, Lucas's cousin.