Andre’s POV
My lips turned down at the corners, and my brows knitted. I was unhappy with the attention my kitten was showing a random stranger.
I accessed him. Was there really anything to be worried about? He was good-looking, and he looked reasonable and responsible, but that was probably all a guise.
The biggest crime masterminds were the ones in a tie.
I watched their entire interaction with tension and loathing. My body tightened uncomfortably when she hugged him.
I saw his golden eyes feed on her body as she talked and apologised to him.
Why was she acting like that around him? I didn’t like how much she cared about him. I wanted to stop her. I wanted to go there, grab her, and tell her that she could only fuss over me like that.
I watched his eyes beam slightly. I could tell that he was relishing the attention he was getting from her.
Fuck! He was getting too comfortable.
His looks all over her signalled greed and desire. I knew it. There was something off about him. He wasn’t the one to help a pretty girl and expect nothing in return. I was going to find out what his deal was.
But I was bothered. If he had been with Olivia for four days, he could have easily had his way with her. Why hadn’t he? Why hadn’t he taken advantage of the situation?
My brows knitted again. It was imprinted in my mind that he was after something, but it seemed to be something that was more pertinent than sexual gratification.
What worried me the most was how powerful Olivia’s pheromones were and how he had been able to avoid touching her.
I saw how much damage it could do, and I still dreaded what would have happened if I wasn’t there in time. It was unnatural and dangerous. It made her easy prey for men.
But this Jonas guy had resisted her for four days. Whatever his drive was, it was what was keeping him focused. No wolf would be able to resist that long, even with prolonged exposure.
I glanced at Pierre in the room. He looked a little uncomfortable as he watched their exchange, turning uncomfortably and looking at his phone unnecessarily.
“Pierre, have you gotten the background check done? I want it as soon as possible,” I commanded Pierre via the telepathic link.
“There is actually an update on that, Alpha. We have tried to access his documents, but they have been encrypted, and it fried one of our computers as we tried to hack into it. I think that you will be the only one who will be able to access it,” he replied.
I was angered but I decided to cut Pierre some slack. He had been of great value throughout the entire journey and my blind rage didn’t allow me to give him sure credit.
“Fine. Send me the drive details, but send the drive to Marcus, too. I’m sure he can get through it if we give him some time. But I want it cracked as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, so I pulled it out and saw that the drive details had been sent to my email.
Good. I will get to it later.
I turned back to watch Olivia, and I saw that bastard making a move to grab her.
Hell no! Not on my watch.
I stormed up to my kitten and lifted her off the ground, and she began to kick in protest.
“Hey! What is…”
“I think that’s enough, princess…”
I set her on the ground behind me and turned to face her saviour.
“Andre, I…”
“I think that you have said more than enough to the ‘kind’ man. Now, it’s my turn to talk to him…”
I turned to Jonas, and he threw me a stink eye. I threw one back to him, and the whole room fell silent as the tension radiated by the both of us rippled through the room.
“Well, my princess told me that you have done a lot for her during her little ‘adventure’. Thank you for looking out for her. Your efforts are appreciated, but I can’t let her go to Elvis Pine County alone or with anyone else. So we are going to have to cancel whatever plans you have made. I’m assuming responsibility for her now. In the meantime, you can name your price for all the troubles you have gone through for her, and I will have it settled.”
I glared at him, and he was silent for a while. His golden eyes swept the room, and I could tell that he was yearning to get a glimpse of Olivia, but I wasn’t going to let him. His eyes had feasted on her enough. He was lucky to still have his eyes.
He turned back to me, and he broke into a mischievous smirk. Every fibre in my body was yelling at me to twist his head off and be done with it, but I had to hold myself back.
I could be wrong, and he could be a fellow just trying to help, but who did that in these times?
“Name my price, huh? I understand that you were able to foot the bill for this fancy hotel, but I believe everyone has a limit. Can you really afford my price, pretty boy?”
My brows arched up.
What was he trying to imply?
My eyes washed over him, and I assessed him in one fair swoop. I perceived the mockery in his voice, and his golden eyes seemed to be taunting me.
What did he want to place his price at? He had nothing compared to me. For all I knew, he was a leech with impure intentions and a past that he was hiding. Only that could explain why it was so difficult to access his personal documents. It only intrigued me the more to know who he truly was.
“I think I should be able to cover it for you, considering the slum that you crawled out from…”