*Keera*
I stood in front of my dresser, closing the top buttons of my shirt as I prepared to get back to work. My wounds were almost healed and I was slowly losing my mind, lying in bed all day everyday. I was ready to get back to the case. The sooner we could catch the killer, the sooner I could return home. My stay in the pack hadn’t been as horrible as I’d thought it would but I was more than ready to leave now. I didn’t want to hurt myself more by sticking around and having to deal with Grayson and Ria.
My team had managed fine without me but I was back now, and they no longer had to do all the work by themselves. Just as I was about to head out, a knock sounded on my room door, breaking the silence in the room. I hesitated for a moment before calling out, “Come in.” The door swung open, and for the first time since I’d arrived at the pack, Ria walked into my room. I arched an eyebrow in surprise, determined to not let her know just how shocked I was by her presence.
She hadn’t even paid me a visit while I’d been recovering. My hackles immediately rose. What did she want? What were the odds that she was here after Grayson had decided to mate with her? Her presence always made me uneasy and today was no exception. I watched her closely, trying to gauge her intentions. “Good morning, Keera,” She chimed, her voice dripping with sweetness. “I figured you were long overdue for a visit.” Her gaze swept my room before settling back on me.
I could sense the malice lurking beneath her smile. “What do you want, Ria?” I asked. There was no use beating around the bush. This wasn’t a friendly visit from a friend. Ria had been anything but friendly to me since I’d been in the pack. It was clear as day she hated humans, but she had also seemed to have a personal vendetta against me. I wasn’t about to act like it had gone unnoticed. Luckily, she wasn’t willing to act like she had no idea what I was talking about either.
She immediately dropped her sugary smile. “What do I want?” She sneered. “I want you and the rest of your team to finish your job and leave the pack to where you belong.” I was tempted to ask her if that was all but I knew it would only rile her up more. She seemed to have an even bigger announcement to make. She ran her fingers across my bed, smiling deviously when her eyes met mine. “Grayson has agreed to mate with me,” Her words were like a bombshell. She narrowed her eyes, watching me closely for a reaction.
The room seemed to spin around me as I struggled to process the information.
My heart felt like it had been ripped apart. I had asked Grayson to agree to her request but a part of me had held out the hope that he wouldn’t. That hope immediately disintegrated with the weight of her words. It was going to happen. They were going to perform the werewolf mating ceremony together. “You must be thrilled,” I managed, trying to keep my expression neutral. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of seeing just how much her words had hurt me.
“Oh, I am,” She purred. “I can’t wait to finally be with him.” Her expression became dreamy for a second before she centered herself, slanting a look at me. “I had worried a little you know,” She admitted mockingly. “Worried that he would slowly become drawn to you.” She flashed her pearly white teeth. “I should have known my connection with him would be a lot stronger than his connection with anyone else.” I bit down on my lip, willing myself not to rise to her bait.
I knew I could hurt her by letting her know I had asked and practically forced Grayson to make that decision. But what was the point? It wouldn’t change anything. Grayson had made his choice, and it wasn’t me. I forced myself to listen to her takes of how she would run the pack together with Grayson, refusing to let her see me crumble. I stood tall, my expression frozen in a mask of indifference. She went on and on and when she saw I wasn’t going to eventually fall for her nonsense, she left the room.
I gripped my dressing table tightly, trying to calm myself down. I had known Ria would try to rub Grayson’s decision in my face but I had never expected anything as serious as this. My room door got pushed open again, and I turned, expecting Ria to be back, but it wasn’t her at the door. Ginny walked in tentatively. “Hey,” She said when she got me. “How are you?” Her voice was gentle and filled with empathy. I couldn’t help but wish they would all just leave me alone. I didn’t want any of their concerns right now.
I tried to brush off the lingering pain from Ria’s taunts. “I’m fine,” I replied, attempting a reassuring smile. Ginny’s gaze lingered, and I knew she sensed I was holding back something. She didn’t quite believe me, and I couldn’t blame her. My emotions were still raw. “What brings you here?” I picked up my wrist watch, making a show of letting her know I’d been on my way out. She watched me closely, choosing her next words carefully.
“Grayson’s decided to mate with Ria,” She informed calmly, clasping her hands together. I schooled my expression, careful not to reveal that Ria had already delivered the news. I didn’t want Ginny to know about Ria’s visit. “He announced it to the council members just minutes ago.” She continued. How was I supposed to respond to that? If he’d announced it to them it meant he’d made up his mind.
“I’m happy for him,” I said, forcing a smile. “And you should be happy too,” I immediately added before she could point something out. Like the fact that I didn’t exactly look happy. “It’s what you wanted, right?” I reminded her, trying my best to not sound accusatory. It wasn’t Ginny’s fault that the situation was fucked up and she was only making sure her brother did not end up hurt. I completely understood why she wanted Grayson with Ria and not me.
Her expression faltered. “I thought it would be best for Grayson and the pack,” she admitted. “But now I’m not so sure.” Her brow furrowed. I didn’t ask why she was having second thoughts now, even though I desperately wanted to know. Had she finally realized Ria was a total bitch? Had Grayson said something to her? Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I saw the sadness in Grayson’s eyes when he announced his decision.” Her eyes met mine. “I know he wouldn’t have made that choice without your insistence.”
Her words cut deep and my heart twisted. I hated how much she knew me. She reached out, her hand covering mine. “Grayson cares for you deeply.” Her words brought tears to my eyes. “I didn’t know how much until I saw him make that announcement with nothing but sadness.” She gave me a sad smile. “And I can’t fault him for getting so attached to you. You’ve always been a nice person.” She moved her hands away. “I’m really sorry about graduation, Keera. And I’m sorry for the way Grayson acted. I had to keep the secret. It was the only way-”
“Ginny, Ginny,” I cut in. “It’s okay.” I gave her a small genuine smile. “Really. I admit, I was extremely hurt. But I understand now. And I forgive you.” I silently begged her to let the topic die. I didn’t want to think about it ever again. It was in the past now. “Please let’s not talk about it anymore.” She nodded in agreement and moved the topic to something else. I finished dressing a few minutes after she had left and headed downstairs to the conference room.
I pushed open the conference room door, scanning the space for the documents I needed. The room was quiet since no one else was inside. I quickly spotted the files I needed on the table and grabbed them, flipping through the pages to ensure I had everything. The sunlight streaming through the window highlighted the dust motes dancing in the air, and for a moment, I felt a sense of calm wash over me.
Just as I was about to leave, my gaze landed on the bank of screens. Something caught my eye. One of the cameras wasn’t transmitting. I frowned, walking closer to investigate. My mind began to spin. What had happened? I was sure all the cameras were transmitting before my fall. Had any of my team members seen this? I tried to access the camera’s backup footage, but it was unavailable. What was going on? I wondered. Was it a glitch… or something more? I was in the middle of trying to find out what had gone wrong when the door swung open.
Grayson walked in.
Our eyes met.
And suddenly the feelings I’d spent long hours burying resurfaced. The tension in the room was so thick, I doubted a knife could cut it. Grayson’s presence always left me unsettled, like a whirlwind stirring up emotions I’d rather keep buried. We both ignored the electricity crackling in the room. The door closed as he walked in, running his hand through his hair. I noticed the grim expression on his face and my heart picked up. This wasn’t a friendly visit. “One of the CCTV cameras was shattered,” He informed.
I nodded. “That’s what I was just looking into.”
His eyes locked onto mine. “There’s more,” He continued. My stomach dropped at the troubled look in his eyes. “We found a body,” He announced. I felt all the air leave my body. Fuck. The killer had struck again. I couldn’t help the tide of guilt that washed over me. I should have been doing my job. Instead, I’d let myself get carried away by things that didn’t matter. I immediately pulled out my phone. “Lexi, please meet me at the eastern border of the pack. Grayson found a body.” Her affirmative came through immediately.
I began gathering crime scene equipments, ignoring Grayson’s stare. I walked passed him to get the tapes, avoiding his gaze. We left the room together when I was done and I turned to lock the conference door. He was still watching when I put the keys back inside my pockets. “Keera.” I recognized his tone. It was the same tone he’d used when we were alone. The tension between us lingered, my heart ached. I met his eyes, seeing his desire to have a conversation.
“Not now, Grayson, please.” I whispered.
I was gone before he had the chance to respond. It didn’t matter what was going on between Grayson and me, the case was more important. After almost two weeks of laying low, the killer had struck again. I couldn’t help but feel we were close to the breakthrough we’ve been desperately searching for. Between the shattered camera and the killer’s newest victim, there was bound to be a loophole.
Lexi and Kathleen were already at the scene when I got there. We didn’t bother celebrating the fact that I was actively back on the case. I handed Kathleen the equipments I’d brought with me as Lexi led me to where the body lay. The victim was female, young, not more than fifteen to seventeen years of age. I felt my hate for the killer return as we got to work. She was only just a child, for goodness’s sake! What kind of psycho took out a child.
My eyes widened as I examined the body, realizing something that was bound to help with the investigation.
The virus was still present in her body.