Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
LARK
Two days.
It’s been two days since I saw Noah, Lazarus, and Johan.
I have no idea where they are or when they’ll be back. The only one I can contact is Johan, yet he hasn’t answered a single one of my texts.
And I’m pissed.
Noah came by to tell me I would be eating on my own and that they would return after handling their business. I assumed he meant later that night.
Nope.
It’s now been two days. More than two days, actually, because this is my third dinner alone.
Harmony made me chicken pot pie from scratch. I should be in heaven. I should be loving every bite. But I can barely swallow because I’m too angry to enjoy this delicious meal.
How dare they drag me out here and leave, I seethe, stabbing at my plate. It scrapes loudly across the porcelain, and I don’t care. This is ridiculous.
I should just call my brother and ask him to pick me up.
But I don’t really want to go to New York City. That feels… too heavy right now. I also haven’t spoken to my brother since he told me our father is dead.
Something I still can’t believe he kept from me.
My phone vibrates on the table with an incoming message. I grab it, hoping it’s from Johan but seeing Aries’s name on the screen.
Got a minute? she asks.
I have several, I think, sighing. Then I push away from the table and tell Jimmy—a beta who assists Harmony in the kitchen—that I’m finished.
Once I’m back in my room, I head out to my new favorite chair on the balcony and dial up Aries via video chat.
It’s not my preference, but it seems to be the best way to placate my friends lately. They’re not used to me being out of Widows Peak. And they all know something is happening, just not what is happening.
Well, Luna knows, thanks to Noah. Sort of, anyway. But she’s kept my confidence. And she won’t tell anyone until I’m ready to share.
Not that I have anything to share since the pack that kidnapped me has disappeared.
“Hey,” Aries says, her screen black as she answers. “Hold on a second.”
“Are you jogging?” I ask, hearing the subtle sound of quick steps.
“Yeah, just getting out of the gym so I can better hear you and see you.” The screen shifts from black to color, allowing me to see Aries’s gray-blue eyes. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean for you to have to call me,” she says, reaching up to fix her blonde ponytail. I’m wearing my hair the same way, something we often have in common. “I just had a quick favor to ask.”
“I’m all yours,” I tell her earnestly. “Please cure my boredom.”
She smiles. “I had no idea New York City could be boring.”
I snort. “Trust me, it can be.” I don’t elaborate on the fact that I’m not actually in New York City. Apart from Luna, everyone thinks I’m home with my family. “Now hit me. What do you need?”
“Just some information about a pack that wants to come in to use the gym while visiting for work. Two alphas, specifically. I want to make sure they’re solid before I grant them access.”
I nod. “Understood.” I’ve done this for her before. Hell, I’ve done this for all the Widows in some capacity. We’re constantly running background checks on strangers, making sure they’ll fit in with the Widows Peak demographics. “Just shoot me their names, and I’ll do my thing.”
“Awesome, thank you.” She studies me through the screen, her shrewd gaze instantly putting me on edge.
Aries specializes in self-defense for a reason.
She knows when someone is in trouble.
And while I’m currently safe, she can probably see the stress in my features. But it’s not for any of the reasons she could imagine.
“You okay, Lark?” she asks, the question one I’ve heard too many times in the last few days.
“Yeah.” I smile. “Just bored, like I said.”
Bored. Worried. Pissed off. Lonely. Confused.
Yep. A whole smorgasbord of emotions.
Aries studies me for another beat. “You’re always helping us, Lark. Just know that we’re here to help you, too.”
I force myself to smile even though it feels weighted somehow. Sad. Because I know she’s right. I know my fellow Widows would do whatever it took to save me, if I needed it.
But I don’t.
I just want my scent matches to come back. So I can kill them, I think.
“I love you all,” I say to Aries. “And if I were in trouble, I would tell you. But everything is good here. Just… heavy. I’ll explain whenever I come back home.”
Or at least give them enough details to placate their interest.
They don’t need to know about the sins of my past or how Widows Peak became such a safe place for us all.
That’s my burden to bear. Not theirs.
“All right.” Aries doesn’t look like she believes me. But she doesn’t press me for details. None of the Widows do. We all have our dark pasts, some worse than others. However, trauma bonded us. And we’ll forever respect each other’s wishes as a result.
“Shoot me the names, and I’ll send over full profiles in a few hours,” I promise her.
“Thanks, Lark.”
“Anytime, Aries.”
She waves at the camera, and I wave back. Then I hang up and glance up at the moon.
“I don’t have a computer,” I realize out loud, my brow furrowing. “But I bet Johan has one I can borrow…”
I’ve refrained from going through their rooms even though I’ve figured out by scent who lives where.
But given that they’ve basically abandoned me, maybe snooping is allowed.
If I get caught, I’ll at least have a good excuse for poking around Johan’s room.
Smiling, I shoot Johan a text. I need to borrow a computer. Consider this me asking for permission to enter your room.
I don’t bother waiting for a reply. If he decides to finally reach out, then he can see what it’s like to go unanswered for a while.
I walk back inside, set the phone on the nightstand, and leave my room to head for his.
The door isn’t locked, something that prickles my nerves. Because it means I probably won’t find anything interesting in here.
But he should have a laptop somewhere.
I pause just inside his space, my stomach igniting with flutters as his bookstore-like scent welcomes me home.
Closing my eyes, I simply inhale, enjoying the aroma. It’s strange but I… I miss him.
Clearly, I’m insane.
That’s fine.
I’ll embrace it.
But I’m going to find a laptop in the process.
I learn the layout of his room first, taking in the modern decor and masculine touches. He has a large bed, one big enough for a party of five or more. But the sheets are crisp and tucked in. Something tells me Johan did that, not a maid.
It just goes with the rest of his space—organized and tidy.
I bet even his boxers are folded neatly in his drawers. I check and smirk. Yep.
I feel around inside, searching for any valuable tech.
Nothing. Just silky black shorts. I’m tempted to steal one, the inclination hitting me in my chest.
It would be soft in my nest. I shiver but decide to revisit that after I find a computer.
I don’t have a nest here.
And I’m pretty sure I won’t be building one.
Well, mildly sure.
Er, not sure at all.
“Focus,” I chastise myself, shaking my head and forcing myself to move into the adjoining study in his quarters. Obviously, that’s a better place to search for a laptop than his bedroom area, but I’m not sorry for snooping there first.
It only takes me a few seconds to find what I need in his cozy office space. However, I stay for a few minutes to admire his setup.
Four screens. All high-end. There’s a controller that suggests he often uses them for gaming, which explains the executive lounger chair.
He also has more than one laptop.
I take the one connected to the displays on his desk, deciding that must be the favorite.
“Don’t mind if I do.”
I tuck it under my arm, search for a mouse and a few other items, and then head back to my room.
Only to pause on my way past his bed.
“Hmm.” It makes more sense to work in here in case I need something else from his den.
I shrug and climb up onto his bed, then create a makeshift work nest in the pillows.
And open his laptop.
It takes me over ninety minutes to crack through his login. Ninety. Minutes. I’m both impressed and irritated. It’s never taken me more than thirty to break through login encryption before.
Yet this man has layers upon layers of security.
I’m barely even in his system now, and I’ve already passed through nine different screens. There are more security hurdles to access his files. But I don’t need those right now. I just want to establish an internet connection.
Which isn’t nearly as easy as it should be.
“Wow,” I breathe, utterly enthralled by his programming. This isn’t a normal laptop. No standard software. No apps. He’s basically built this mainframe from scratch.
My thighs are slick with appreciation.
I love a man who knows how to program, and this is next-level amazing. Probably the most intricate work I’ve ever—
“Lark.” Johan’s deep voice travels through the room, startling a yelp from me.
I was so engrossed in his data web that I didn’t even hear him enter.
Well, now that he’s here… “Your laptop is a work of art,” I inform him. “But I’m rewriting all your programming.”
That’s how I’ve decided to punish him for not responding to my messages.
And leaving me here for two damn days.
Which I almost comment on out loud, only he steps into view and I realize his black suit is soaking wet.
“Why are you…?” My eyes widen. “Oh my God, is that blood?” I set the laptop to the side and roll off his giant mattress. “Are you okay?” I ask, rushing toward him, trying to figure out where he’s bleeding.
He looks down, frowning, then runs his fingers through his messy hair. It looks like he hasn’t slept in days. And the haunted look in his eyes makes me wonder what the hell happened.
“It’s not mine.” His words are quiet. “It’s…”
“Go shower,” Lazarus says from the doorway. “I’ll talk to Aurora.”
Johan glances at him and nods. “All right.” He starts toward the bathroom, his hands already unbuttoning the soiled dress shirt. “Don’t be an ass, Laz.” He sounds exhausted as he voices the comment, but his eyes resemble ice as he looks at the don. “Be you.”
With that, he leaves the room, causing me to frown after him.
“If it’s not his blood…” I swallow and focus on Lazarus, taking in his pristine suit. “And it’s not yours…”
My heart starts to hammer in my ribs, my mind struggling to process what I fear might be true.
“Lazarus…” His name comes out like a warning. As though I’m trying to stop him from telling me something I don’t want to hear. All while begging him to help me understand at the same time.
A soft vibration flows through the air, his purr seeming to swathe me in a blanket of false comfort.
False because I know something is wrong.
False because I don’t trust him.
False because I’m scared.
“Everyone is okay,” he tells me. “Aurora.” He’s suddenly in front of me, his finger beneath my chin as he forces me to meet his gaze. “Everyone is alive.”
My throat works.
Because something about that feels wrong.
“What happened?” I ask, my voice a whisper. “Tell me where you’ve been.” On some deep level, I feel like it’s my right to make that demand of him.
He’s not mine.
I’m not theirs.
But if our futures are intertwined the way fate seems to intend them to be, then I want to understand everything.
“Don’t treat me like a fragile doll,” I add. “I’m not that omega.”
“I know you’re not,” he murmurs, his touch leaving my jaw as his knuckles brush my cheek. “You’re our intended queen.”
“Then explain this to me,” I say, my voice a little stronger. “Why is Johan covered in blood?”
His dark eyes hold mine, his expression hardening just the slightest bit. “Because something went wrong and Noah was injured in the process.”