Fated Mates: Book 1 of the True Mates Series (17 page)

“No,” Nick interjected. “Heath will take her home. Cady, you can ride with me back to The Enclave.”

“I can take a cab,” Cady said brusquely.

“I insist,” Nick said, grabbing her arm. He clearly was not taking no for an answer.

“Cady…”Alynna began.

“I…I’ll be fine Alynna,” Cady said, straightening her shoulders. “Mr. Vrost and I are headed to the same place anyway.”

“Fine, but if he….” Alynna wasn’t sure. Nick looked like he had murder in his eyes, but she doubted it has for the lovely redhead, but rather, directed to her handsome companion from earlier.
Hmmm…this was definitely interesting
. Too bad Joseph seemed to have disappeared.

“Alright,” she looked at Heath. “Let’s go back to The Hamilton.” Alynna walked by Nick, giving him the stink eye, and Heath trailed behind her.
 

***

Alex took a deep breath as they exited Blood Moon, the cool, evening air clearing his senses. A vice-like grip constricted around his chest when he thought of Alynna.
What the heck was I thinking, bringing Jenna here?
 

The blonde Lycan had been flirting mercilessly with him every since he transferred to New York, though he had always rebuffed her advances. As he was walking out of Fenrir that night, Jenna had cornered him in the elevator, begging him to come for a drink. She said some regular at Blood Moon had been stalking her for the last couple of weeks - could he do her a solid and just pretend to be her date for one night to help send a message to the guy? She also offered to pay for his drinks. He could hardly turn away such a request - free beer just for cozying up to an attractive female.

He had expected Alynna to be holed up at the hotel, not out and about with Cady. He immediately regretted his decision as soon as she saw her. Of course, Jenna kept up appearances (though the mysterious stalker hadn’t shown up). After a few beers, he just couldn’t stand being there, being around Alynna and not being able to talk to her or touch her. It was a good thing Jenna said she wanted to leave Blood Moon right away and he was eager to get home and try to get some sleep.

They split a cab and arrived the front door of the main building that was at the center of The Enclave. He opened the door for her, greeted the security guard at the front desk and headed to the elevators, then pressed the “up” button.

“So, Alex” Jenna drawled in low voice. “Thanks for keeping me company tonight.”

“Uh, sure,” he shrugged. “Too bad that guy didn’t show up.” He looked up at the numbers on the floor display above the elevator door as they began to descend.

“Yeah too bad,” Jenna put her hand on his arm, giving his bicep a light squeeze. “So, how about a nightcap at my place?”

Alex shook his head. “Sorry, I need to get some sleep, I’ve got an early day.”
 

Jenna pouted. “Just one drink, please?” She batted her eyelashes at him, and moved closer, brushing the curve of her breasts against his arm.

Alex mentally recoiled at her touch. “Uhm, I’m on duty with the Alpha tomorrow,” he lied. “Have to be on full alert.”

Jenna sighed. “Alright, well…” She was interrupted by the ding of the elevator. The doors opened and she stepped in. “Are you coming?”

He shook his head. “Actually, you go ahead. I’ve got to talk to Chris,” he motioned to the guard. “Something the Alpha wanted me to check for him.”

The blonde shrugged. “Well, ok. Goodnight then, but if you change you mind, you know where I am,” she said saucily, and gave him a wink.

Alex let out a deep breath as soon as the elevator doors closed. He watched the numbers go up, and then stop at Jenna’s floor before he pressed the up button again. When the doors dinged and opened, he gave a last wave to the guard and headed into the mercifully empty elevator.

***

Cady watched Heath and Alynna walk away. Letting out a breath, she turned around. “Well, I suppose we should get going.”

“Not going to stay with your boyfriend?” Nick’s tone was cutting, with little emotion.

“He’s not…I mean I just met him and we…ugh!” she turned around and began walking the opposite direction. She was not in the mood to duke it out with Nick Vrost tonight.
 

Cady was surprised, if not confused by his actions. Yes, she and Nick sometimes clashed on certain issues, especially when it came to Grant, but he had never been so…mean to her. She sighed. Nick was usually indifferent to Cady, not exactly ignoring her, but always keeping a respectable distance. She was confused as to why he’d been acting so strange for the past few weeks.

“Taxi!” she called out to a passing yellow cab. It stopped a few feet from her and she chased it.
 

“Cady…” Nick called out. “I have a car, we don’t need a cab.”

“
You
don’t need a cab,” she sneered. “I do.” She grabbed the door and yanked it open.

Nick slammed his palm on the door and shut it. “Stop it, Cady.”

“I’m not one of your Lycan employees, Mr. Vrost,” she said icily.
 

“No, you are not,” he said in a frustrated voice. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Look, stop being ridiculous and just come with me. There’s no need to waste money on a cab when I have a car and we’re headed the same way.”

“Hey lady,” the cab driver called from inside. “Are you comin’ in or not?”

Cady sighed, too tired to argue. “Sorry,” she shrugged. The cab drove off and Cady stared after it, wondering if she would regret her choice.

“Let’s go.” She said, walking towards Blood Moon’s parking lot, where she knew he would be parked. Nick followed beside her, not saying a word.
 

Cady walked over to his sleek, black Mercedes and to her surprise, Nick opened the door for her. She stepped in without another word, settling herself into the passenger seat. Nick walked to the driver’s side, climbed in smoothly.

Cady opened her mouth, but suddenly froze when Nick leaned over to her side, his body practically covering hers. The spicy smell of his cologne filled her nostrils, a scent that wasn’t unpleasant. That scent…it seemed familiar, but not. She felt a slight shiver as the warmth of his body seemed to radiate and overwhelm her. She could have sworn she felt the lightest touch of his breath and lips over her neck.

“Mr. Vrost, what are you—“

A loud click interrupted her and she felt the seatbelt tighten across her lap and chest.

“Don’t want you to get hurt, now do we?” Nick asked as leaned back into his seat and started the engine.
 

Cady wrinkled her nose. “I—thank you Mr. Vrost. As was I saying earlier, there’s really no need for your concern. Alynna was in no trouble—“

“And you would know because you were with her the whole time?” Nick interjected, this voice dripping with accusation.

“It’s not my job to keep an eye on Alynna, that’s why we have security on her,” Cady countered. “I was there with her as as friend. After office hours. She was lonely and going stir-crazy trapped in that hotel room. She wanted company and to get out.”

Nick kept his eyes on the road. “And you let her leave?”

“She’s not a prisoner, Grant himself said that.” Cady stated matter-of-factly.

The Lycan remained silent, but Cady could feel the tension radiating off him, filling the car, and making the air between them thick enough to cut with a knife. Mercifully, they pulled in to The Enclave’s private garage.
 

She unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed the door handle to let herself out.

“Ms. Gray…” Nick called, his voice low and hoarse.
 

Cady froze, her fingers remaining still. She turned her head. “What is it?” she asked in an impatient voice.

Nick’s ice blue eyes stared back at her. For a moment, she thought he looked almost hesitant, very un-Nick, who was always sure of himself, each gesture and movement efficient and well-executed.
 

“Good night.”

She nodded, without a word and stepped out of the car and into the glass doors towards the elevators.

***

Alynna collapsed on the grass, sweat pouring down her forehead, neck, and back. She grabbed water bottle, taking a swig of the clean, cool water. It was the fifth day in a row she’d been up at the crack of dawn to go jogging in Central Park. Her bodyguard of the day, Patrick, didn’t have any problems keeping up (he was physically fit, being a Lycan and a member of Grant’s security team), though she could tell he wasn’t exactly expecting to run a couple of miles at the start of his shift.
 

“Are you alright, Ms. Chase?” he asked as he offered her his hand,

She took it and let him help her up. “Never better, Patrick, never better,” she huffed. “I think it’s time to go back.”

Unable to do little else with her time, exercise became Alyssa’s way of letting off steam. After that night at Blood Moon, she wanted nothing more than to drive herself to exhaustion, so she could stop laying awake in bed, wondering about Alex and that bimbo Jenna. They left together that night, and she couldn’t erase the image of them in bed together in her head. It only enraged her, and she could almost feel the wolf inside her growling and snapping, wanting to be let out so she could rip the other Lycan’s throat to shreds. By keeping herself occupied, she was able to stop herself from thinking those thoughts, especially when she collapsed in bed at night after a long day.
 

They walked back to the hotel, which was only a few blocks away from where they had ended up. As soon as she got to the room, she showered, got dressed and her
 
breakfast (pancakes and bacon, extra bacon) plus a pot of coffee was waiting for her on a room service cart next to the desk and her laptop.
 

For the next hour, she answered emails, mostly from Cady, Grant, and a few more inquiries from people looking to hire a PI. She didn’t want to ignore any of them, since they could be referrals from previous clients, but she couldn’t take them on right now. While she wasn’t shutting down 100%, she couldn’t leave them hanging, so she referred them to other PIs she knew and trusted.
 

Stretching her hands over her head, she looked at the clock. Eight am. Seeing as she had thrown herself into her “Lycan studies” full time, she met with Dr. Falkner almost everyday. She was learning a whole lot about Lycans, though there was very limited scientific information. The afternoons she spent with Cady, learning about customs and etiquette, as well as information about the families and clans who would be coming to the ball. Thank god, Cady was taking care of the party arrangements, as she frankly didn’t know how to pick the right silverware or centerpieces for such an occasion. In between, she would usually grab a quick bite to eat at the company cafeteria or any of the cafes in the building, but today, Grant had invited her to have lunch in his office.

Wolf lessons, however, had stopped, at least for now. Apparently, Grant had assigned Alex to another important task and between 24 hour shifts with her and the preparations for the ball, the security team was spread thin and no one else could be tasked to help her. Alynna was relieved - as far as she could tell from her lessons, there wasn’t any real need for her to learn to shift back and forth, but as long as she could control it in public places, she was fine. Grant had said he would make time after the ball to help her but he needed a few weeks to clear his schedule of a few pressing matters. He also encouraged her to use the gym at Fenrir (and close it down if necessary) if she wanted a safe place to shift, but Alynna had yet to take him up on that offer.

Showered, dressed, and full, Alynna left the hotel room, Patrick trailing right behind her. They walked in silence, headed towards Fenrir, as they did every morning for the past week.

After her Lycan lessons with Dr. Faulkner, she went straight up to Grant’s office. As she stepped out of the library, she stiffened slightly, as something familiar took over her senses. It was as if Alex’s scent (and his presence) was teasing her and she knew he had just been there. She sighed when she looked around and didn’t see the Lycan anywhere, and walked to Grant’s office.

Jared smiled as he stood up to greet her. “Ms. Chase! Mr. Anderson is expecting you.”

“Thanks Jared!” she smiled back. “And how many times do I have to tell you, it’s Alynna!”

The young Lycan laughed nervously. “As many times as you want, but I can’t call you that,” he lowered his voice. “As least not when the Alpha is around.” As one of Grant’s trusted assistant (and only other Lycan working on the floor), he knew who she really was.
 

She winked at him saucily. “I got your back, Jared, no worries!” He gave her a thumbs up as she entered the office.

The smell of fresh-baked dough, tomatoes, and mozzarella filled Alynna’s nose and made her mouth water and stomach grumble. “You didn’t!” she said in an excited voice.

Grant smiled at his sister and stood up from behind his desk. “I did!”

Alynna practically skipped to the pile of white and red boxes on the bar off to the side of Grant’s office. “Mama Jean’s!” She ripped open the box on top of the two stacks and took a deep breath! “Oh my God, Grant!”

“You approve?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

She nodded. “I think I need a few moments alone,” she joked, hopping on one of the bar chairs. “By the way, did you buy out all there pizzas for the day?” The double stack totaled about a dozen pizzas.

Grant laughed and sat right beside her. “Well I heard that you’d been eating a lot, I didn’t want to be left hungry.”

She gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. “You said I could order anything from room service!”
 

Grant picked up a piece and motioned for her to get one, not that Alynna needed any more encouragement. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Besides it’s probably your Lycan metabolism kicking in. I remember when I was growing up, the staff at home could hardly keep the fridge stocked when I was around.”

“Hmmmm….” Alynna moaned as she took a bite of the pizza. “I think maybe…just one box for me!” she said happily. “And maybe one to take back to the hotel?”