Aiden’s Pov
“Areola, the daughter of Elder Morty, is missing,” Lucas reported through the mind link.
“When was the last time she was seen?” I asked.
“She went missing on the same day Shenaya died, Alpha.”
“Is there anything else I should know?” I pressed.
“No, Alpha.” With that, I closed the mind link.
I hadn’t slept properly for weeks because every time I closed my eyes, I saw Shenaya’s body dangling from the tree, her pale face had been haunting me. The pain was unbearable, so I had to give control to Smoke for a while. Smoke was the most dangerous wolf anyone could encounter, and I was relieved he didn’t cause any damage while he was in control.
As I grieved, I remembered feeling a broken bond with a pack member on the day Shenaya died. It happened around 7:00 p. m. and that was the exact time Shenaya rushed out. If a pack member died, I would feel the broken bond as their Alpha.
If another pack member died on that day then, I should have felt two broken bonds but instead, I felt one. Something didn’t add up so I had Lucas look up any missing pack member, and now I knew there was.
“Bring me the doctor who attended to Shenaya’s body,” I ordered Vans, my Gamma, through the mind link.
“Coming right up, Alpha,” he responded almost immediately.
I have always kept things professional between me and my subordinates because I have heard stories where subordinates overthrow their Alpha. The only friend I had was my sister, Lucy. I still hadn’t apologized to her for how Smoke treated her the other day. I made a mental note to do that later.
I picked up a file on the table to go through it. I had buried myself in work since Shenaya’s death. I couldn’t go to my room because everything there reminded me of her.
A knock on my office door brought me out of my reverie. That must be Vans.
“Come in,” and the door pushed open to reveal Skylar.
“What do you want?” I questioned her with disgust.
“I’m here to check up on my mate,” she said, trying to use the mate bond between us to get what she wanted.
“I don’t need you here, Skylar,” I told her gently, feeling Smoke trying to pull his mate closer.
“But I need to be here with you,” she said, her voice trembling as she almost teared up.
“Skylar, I thought we both agreed to let each other go because we were both in love with someone else. What the hell is this?” I felt irritation rising.
‘Don’t scold her, she just wanted to be close to us.’ Smoke defended but I ignored him
As dangerous and powerful as Smoke is, he is weak towards his mate.
‘Let’s let her stay’ He pleaded with me because of her delicious smell, but he also wanted to know what happened with the person she was in love with and why she suddenly wanted to be with us.
Skylar took a deep breath, looking away as if gathering her thoughts.
“Aiden, things have changed. The man I fell in love with is not who I thought he was. He’s dangerous and manipulative, and I realized I made a mistake by trusting him.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “And you expect me to believe this?”
Of course, Smoke believed her immediately.
“I know it sounds somehow, but it’s true. He showed his true colors, and I saw how much I was being used. I came back to you because I realized that despite everything, you’re the only one who would genuinely care for me. After all, you are my Fated Mate.”
Smoke growled softly, torn between anger and the pull of the mate bond. I struggled to keep my emotions in check.
“Skylar, you’ve caused enough trouble. I can’t just forget what happened.”
“I understand, Aiden. But please, let me prove to you that I can be different. I want to help you find out what happened to Shenaya. I owe you that much.”
I looked at her, conflicted. Part of me wanted to push her away, but another part, driven by Smoke, wanted to believe her.
“Fine. You can stay but don’t think for a second that I trust you. If you have anything to do with Shenaya’s death, I’ll make sure you pay for it.”
“Of course” She nodded.
As she left the room, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was far from over. I was still thinking about what could have happened to Areola when I heard another knock.
“Come in” and the door pushed open to reveal Vans and Dr. Mac, the pack doctor who attended to Shenaya’s body that night.
“Sit” I ordered, neither of them could question me so they just did as they were told.
“When was Shenaya’s time of death again” I asked again to be sure
“It was 7 pm Alpha,” she said with a shaking voice.
“But you said 10 pm earlier” I raised my brows.
“It was a mistake” She lowered her head in shame.
How could she make such a mistake when she was on the list of my problems right now?
Shenaya was with me by 7 pm, how could she have died by that time? What the fuck is going on?
“What else do I need to know about the dead body?” I growled at her
“And if you make a mistake again that will be the end for you and your entire family” I threatened her and she jumped in fear.
“As we both know Alpha, Shenaya was pregnant but the body that was brought to the morgue isn’t”
“What?” my whole body jumped. The doctor froze in her sit.
“Why am I just finding out about this now” I held her neck ready to rip her throat out but Vans quickly came to her rescue.
That wasn’t Shenaya and I Think I knew what this is all about.