MAXIMUS
Starlette had been moving really funny. I didn’t want to suspect my mate; I wanted to trust her, but she was making it really difficult. She went from disappearing inside the woods, smelling like my brother, to leaving the pack and lying about her whereabouts. What was she really up to? She made me really anxious.
And adding to my growing anxiety was my recent discovery about my brother, Lucius. What did he plan to do now that he had gotten his wolf? Was he conspiring with Starlette to betray me? Was that why I smelt him on her? Damn, my mind was going crazy with infuriating thoughts. I desperately hoped it wasn’t true, because if it was, I didn’t know if I could survive the heartache.
The door to the bedroom was pushed open, and Starlette walked in. I had been waiting for her.
“Where did you go to?” I asked for the nth time, hoping I would get a different response this time. The truth.
She took a deep breath as she approached me, sitting beside me on the bed. I refused to look at her, keeping my gaze fixed straight ahead.
“I lied earlier.” She finally admitted. “I didn’t go to my former pack for my sister’s birthday.”
Before I could ask where she went, she continued. “Please don’t ask me where I went to. I won’t be able to tell you. But I want you to know that it’s not about you or the pack.” She wrapped her hands around my arm. “You just have to trust me.”
“Why do you hide everything from me?” I asked, trying to keep my tone calm despite the anger threatening to rip my chest apart. She was my mate. She was supposed to trust me with everything and tell me everything. I hated that it wasn’t that way.
“This is not about you,” she murmured.
“Then who is it about?” I snapped, unable to hold back my frustration any longer. She flinched, releasing her grip on my arm. “I have enough to worry about-my brother, the attack on the pack. I shouldn’t have to fucking worry about trusting my own mate!”
“Your brother?” She asked, her voice curious. “Why are you worried about Lucius?”
“He’s got his wolf now. His eyes flashed red. I saw it clearly, but he’s denying it. I don’t know what he is planning.” I exhaled sharply in an attempt to cool off the burning rage in my chest.
“Oh…” She murmured. She didn’t seem surprised.
I finally turned to look at her, my eyes narrowing. “You knew.”
She went silent, and that gave me my answer.
“How long have you known?” I demanded.
“Not long.” She said quietly. “I found out the same way you did. But he wasn’t lying to you. He really hasn’t fully gained his wolf. His wolf was bound by magic when he was a baby. What you saw was just fragments of it trying to break free.”
My eyes narrowed. “Tell me. What else do you know that I don’t? Are you planning to betray me with him?”
I could sense she was hiding more.
Her eyes went as wide as a dinner plate, shaking her head vehemently. “No!” She denied strongly. “I would never do that to you. Never. I would never betray you. You just have to trust me. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know when the time is right.”
“The right time is now!” My voice grew dark.
She shook her head, her eyes starting to well up with tears. “Just trust me, please.”
Seeing the tears in her eyes broke my heart. I wanted to trust her but I couldn’t. Not when she was keeping so much from me. Trust required transparency, and she wasn’t willing to give me that.
“Trust me, please.” She whispered again, her voice trembling.
I stood to my feet, shaking my head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
I walked out of the room before the anger inside me could boil over and make me say or do something I’d regret. As I left, I mind linked Kade and Tom, summoning them to my office. I had a task for them-something we should have done before now.
They arrived shortly after I did, curiosity dancing in their eyes.
“Good news?” Kade asked as he settled into the chair across from my desk.
“No. I need you both to handle something,” I replied, glancing between them.
Tom didn’t bother to sit down. He crossed his arm over his chest as he asked. “What do you need us to do?”
“How quickly can we get CCTV cameras?” I asked them.
“We have some in store.” Kade replied, narrowing his eyes. “Why?”
“We’ll need more than that. I want surveillance cameras to be installed in every area in the woods, and I want it to be done as soon as possible.”
“But why?” Tom asked.
“To monitor all the activities going on in the woods, of course.” Kade responded.
“Shit!” He exclaimed loudly, and we narrowed our eyes as we focused on him. “Does that mean I can’t have seggz in the woods anymore?”
“With who?” Kade and I asked surprised, our voices in sync.
We had never seen him with any girl before. He hadn’t even found his mate. Or has he?
Kade and I stared at him expectantly, waiting for a response.
After a few seconds, Tom burst out laughing, pointing at the both of us. “Got you! I was just kidding.”
Kade and I both sighed, shaking my head. He’s such a clown.
“But seriously, that’s a good plan,” he finally said, his tone turning serious.
I nodded.
“He’s right. It’s a smart move, Alpha.” Kade agreed with him. “It’s something we should have done long ago.”
Yes, we should have put security measures like this in place ages ago. But it took Starlette’s suspicious behaviour to force me to act. I knew she’d return to the woods soon, and I needed to know exactly what she was doing there.