Persephone’s missing person report was a joke. I hadn’t expected the cops to dig up much, especially after learning who Wilson had seen her with. It was a pack matter, not human. Based on her last known location and her history of venturing into the city, the human cops had concluded that she left of her own free will. There was no evidence of a struggle and she seemed to prefer the city, so their oh so brilliant deduction was that Persephone had disappeared voluntarily.
I clenched my fist and slammed my laptop closed. In all honesty, I probably wouldn’t have come up with anything better if I was in their position. Fortunately, I was in a much better position.
Sighing, I opened my laptop again and finished typing up my report for Loki. Every now and then, I flicked my eyes to the clock on the wall, the second hand ticking louder and louder the closer it got to sunset. There was just one section of the report I hadn’t filled out yet.
I stared at my computer screen, the cursor blinking on an empty space in the document. I’d already typed up several pages of information from the investigation – the missing person report, what Loki had told me about her disappearance, and my conversation with Wilson, up until he told me about the tattooed hand.
Finger poised above the “C” on the keyboard, I just couldn’t bring myself to type his name.
I glanced at the clock again. It was almost seven, and sunset was shortly after that. The second hand ticked louder, echoing around my office like the chime of a gong with each tick. Back on my screen, the cursor continued to blink, waiting for a command.
Groaning, I moved my fingers across the keyboard. “The Alpha of the Nightshade Pack.” It was all I could write.
The tattoo across his knuckles and down the back of his hand flashed in my mind again. I tried to imagine how Persephone had felt with that deadly viper resting on the small of her back, guiding her through the streets. A shiver ran up my spine as I remembered how the pressure of that hand could sear through my clothes, practically burning my skin. Persephone hadn’t felt that. She’d gone with him willingly.
Had she known what she was getting into?
My office door opened and Loki strode in like he owned the place. I grimaced. Had he really gotten that comfortable in my space?
He held his chin up, black eyes cold as day-old ashes. And still, my heart leaped like it was trying to escape my chest and spill out all over my desk.
I saved my document and slowly closed the laptop, motioning for Loki to take a seat. “Might as well come in and make yourself comfortable,” I muttered.
Loki smirked. “How can I resist when you are so warm and welcoming?” He peeled off his leather jacket and hung it delicately on the back of the chair before taking a seat.
“I’m not quite done with the report,” I admitted, ignoring the thump, thump against my rib cage.
“I’ll wait,” he drawled. He spread his legs out long and leisurely.
I narrowed my eyes, annoyed at how perfectly comfortable he could make himself. Not only did he feel justified in letting himself into my office whenever he wanted, and he could sit there like there wasn’t anywhere else he’d rather be.
“Can I ask you something?” I asked as I opened my laptop again and kept typing.
“I suppose,” Loki said, suspicion edging his tone, those cold eyes shifting towards me.
“I know Crimson Moon and Nightshade haven’t been getting along for a while. What’s the reason behind that?” I asked.
“There has to be just one?” Loki muttered, eyes rolling towards the window again.
“Did it start before you became Alpha?” I knew that Loki was one of the younger Alphas in the nearby packs.
The circumstances around him becoming Alpha had always been a little hush-hush, which essentially meant he took control by force. There were only a few ways that could happen. If someone within the pack killed the current Alpha and assumed their title rather than letting leadership fall to the Beta.
That was the kind of coup that could destroy a pack and was usually done by some power-hungry wolf that had ambitions greater than their stature and they usually ran the packs right into the ground. I knew that wasn’t Loki because Crimson Moon was thriving.
The other way was if a rogue or stray from outside the pack challenged an Alpha for leadership. They’d fight in a duel and the victor would be Alpha. Those takeovers were a lot smoother because if a wolf could defeat an Alpha one on one in a duel, they usually had the strength and skill to be an Alpha themselves.
Loki had grown up in Crimson Moon, though. I didn’t think he’d give me a straight answer if I asked for the story.
“There’s always some kind of tension between packs. I was younger when I became Alpha than Caleb was when he assumed the title. That always bothered him.” His lips tightened. Apparently, that was all he was going to say about it.
My blood quickened at the very mention of Caleb’s name. I hadn’t heard anyone else speak it aloud in years and I only did when there was no other option. My throat was tight. Every time I tried to swallow, it felt like I was choking.
“Something wrong?” Loki asked, arching an eyebrow. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Just a few ghosts that come back to haunt me from time to time,” I said, shrugging off his concern.
“Anything I can do to help?”
I raised my eyes to Loki’s. His features were soft and warm, inviting. He was concerned about me, really concerned.
“No, I’ll be fine,” I muttered softly, rolling my lips in to hide my smile. Of course, that didn’t hide the stinging blush on my cheeks.
I hit the print button on my computer and went across the office to collect the pages. I could feel Loki’s eyes following me, little beams of heat attached to the back of my neck like threads keeping me in his sights.
It was hard to ignore his look. I returned to my desk and shuffled the pages together, feeding them through a stapler. I handed the document off to Loki.
“This is my report. It should point you in the right direction,” I said. I went to the door and opened it. Loki wasn’t behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder to see him leisurely looking through the document. Groaning, I blew a puff of air out the corner of my mouth.
“Was there something else you needed?” I asked.
“I just want to make sure I understand everything,” he said, not even looking up.
“Loki I…”
He dropped the pages back into place and glanced over at me. “What is it?” he asked.
“I’m sorry I can’t help you anymore,” I said, looking at my feet.
“Is it because of Caleb?” Loki asked.
“Wh-” I gaped and shook my head. “Why would you think that?” I sputtered and looped my arms around myself.
“The tattoo. You think you’re the only one that recognized the description?” he countered with a chuckle and a half-smile.
I didn’t return his joviality. I rubbed the back of my neck and looked around the office. There wasn’t anything to save me from this awkward conversation. Apparently, I hadn’t been as covert with my own secrets as I thought.
“What would Alpha Caleb want with my sister?” Loki mused.
“I…” Slowly, I brought my eyes back to Loki’s.
For a moment, when I looked at Loki, all I could see was Persephone, shredded and left in the streets near my office or near my apartment. In a panic, I hopped over my desk and ripped the locked drawer off the desk, the metal rungs creaking and grinding. I dropped the drawer on the floor, only caring about the file from Zinnia.
“Genevieve?” Loki asked.
Completely ignoring him, I tore through the file and pulled out the pictures of the victims. I laid them out on my desk and shuffled through them frantically, searching their faces.
“What are those?” Loki asked.
Again, I ignored him. So many young women, all my age.
“Where is it?” I murmured, sliding pages off my desk as I dug through them.