Chapter 13
Shadow From the Past
Gabriel
“Damn it! Not this one. She’s just an ordinary rogue.”
I turn away and stride back toward our black Rider SUV while Beta Drake stays behind. I don’t understand why he even bothers bowing and apologizing to someone that insignificant. Whatever. By the time he’s done, I’m already stretched out in the plush seat, exhaustion sinking deep into my bones.
Since we sent out the announcement this morning, reports have been flooding in from every direction. Different names, different sightings, different rumors. Even after narrowing the leads down to the most promising ones, I still have nearly ten places left to check today.
Damn Alastair. If he had just told me where he met Alexa last night, I wouldn’t be running this ridiculous hunt across half the region.
Or maybe I should have listened to my uncle and ignored Alastair’s provocation instead of clinging to false hope that I could bring her back. The truth is simple. I am tired.
I don’t care about anything right now except resting. My back aches, my eyes burn, and my body feels sore from sitting too long while channeling energy. The search is wearing me down, and frustration coils tight in my chest.
Drake climbs into the driver’s seat and turns to look at me. He’s exhausted too after driving the Rider for hours, but he understands how important this mission is.
We have wasted six years chasing shadows. Finding Alexa is becoming harder with every passing day. Every Gamma I sent out returned with nothing. And then there was Harlow. That traitor ruined every careful plan I built. I grind my teeth at the thought of him.
“Alpha Gabriel, where to next?” Drake asks.
I lift my wrist and glance at my gold watch. Nine at night. Too late to return to Silver Moon. Too far, and we are drained.
“Find the closest place we can sleep,” I say. “Some kind of hotel.”
The idea of staying in neutral territory makes my skin crawl, but we have no other choice. Staying with another pack is out of the question, especially smaller ones. The damage to our pride alone would be unbearable. A hotel is the better option.
I despise neutral zones crowded with humans. Anyone can walk in and out freely. For a moment, I even consider how much territory could be gained if that cursed ancient pact didn’t exist. So much wasted potential.
Drake checks his phone, then glances back at me. “There’s an inn nearby that caters to magical folk. Want to try that?”
He holds the screen up. I lean forward and study the map, my eyes narrowing. “Southern Star?” I frown.
“From what it says, it’s a three-star place. Also runs as a nightclub.”
The map is designed to show locations with magical energy, which helps us avoid human-only spaces, but half the time it leads us to nothing more than a witch’s cottage in the middle of nowhere.
I click my tongue. “A magical nightclub? In a neutral zone? Sounds like a dump. Find something else.”
Drake hesitates. “There was a report this morning. Someone said they saw Miss Dawson working there. As a server.”
I scoff, irritation flaring hot. “Are you serious right now? You expect me to believe that? Back home, she was treated like a servant. Why would she choose that life again, especially in a free neutral zone?”
Drake falls silent, his head lowering. Color creeps up his neck as he bites his lip, clearly embarrassed.
“Fine,” I mutter. “We’ll go. Might as well watch you prove yourself wrong.”
“If you don’t believe it and don’t want to go, we can skip it,” Drake says, clearly uncomfortable.
“No,” I reply, waving him off. “I’m worn out. Southern Star’s close enough. Let’s just get there.”
He lets out a long sigh and straightens in his seat, focusing as he channels energy into the Rider.
I lean back, arms crossed, still doubtful of the lead.
But Southern Star is nearby, and right now, rest matters more than pride.
And who knows? We can check the lead while we’re there. Two tasks at once. Efficient.
* * *
I can’t hide my amazement when I finally see the person I’ve been searching for all this time.
Standing right there beneath the dim lights of the club, Alexa’s face appears in flawless clarity.
Her wavy brown hair is longer with more volume, like she’s been styling her hair.
Her soft oval face is thinner, showing a firmer jaw line.
But that bright, unmistakable gaze is still the same as I remember as six years ago.
My wolf recognizes her instantly. The shock breaks apart into a sudden rush of joy. Emotion floods my chest, fierce and overwhelming, and all I want is to pull my mate into my arms. The graceful Alexa Dawson is here. She’s back.
“Alexa!” I grin, unable to stop myself.
I don’t understand how the hell she’s working as a server in a place like this, but to hell with that. As long as she returns to Silver Moon as Luna, no one ever needs to know about her time pouring drinks in some neutral zone club.
“Excuse me, sir. Here’s your room key,” she says calmly, handing it to me.
I freeze.
I call her name, but she ignores it completely and presses the key into my hand. The joy drains out of me, replaced by sharp shock and rising anger. She doesn’t even acknowledge me?
I grab her wrist before she can step away. My breath comes heavy, thick with irritation at her cold indifference.
“How dare she pretend she doesn’t recognize us?” Zeev snarls inside my head.
“Stop this nonsense, Alexa. You know who I am,” I growl.
“Sir, please let go.” Her eyes widen with fear as she tries to pull free.
“No. You’re Alexa Dawson. Why are you acting like this?” I catch her wrist again, firmer this time.
There’s no way I’m wrong. Up close, there’s no doubt. This woman is Alexa. Even though I don’t catch the familiar scent of jasmine and vanilla, Zeev insists her wolf carries the same energy as before. My wolf has never been wrong.
“She could be using a scent blocker, but that’s her,” Zeev mutters.
We’re still bonded. We never completed the marking ritual, but we never went through rejection either. And now she’s trying to run, pretending I don’t exist?
“Let me go, sir,” she says again, struggling against my grip.
“What’s going on here?”
A deep voice cuts through the tension as a man approaches the lobby. I turn and notice several people watching now. A middle-aged man steps toward us, his expression hard.
“Let go of my staff,” he says evenly. “If you don’t, I’ll escort you out myself.”
I lift my chin, meeting his gaze head-on. “And what right do you have to throw me out? I paid in full for my room.”
“I’m the owner of this club,” he replies flatly.
I snort. “You’re the owner? Fine. Then hear this. I’m the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, and I’m taking my Luna back.”
“Too bad,” he says, his voice dropping. “In this club, I’m the Alpha. You’re just a guest. And I won’t hesitate if you cause trouble here.”
My eyes widen as he steps closer, his face inches from mine. His jaw is tight, his growl low. The stench of tobacco and sour alcohol clings to his breath, mixed with the sharp rogue scent of someone without a pack.
“If you hurt my staff, I’ll toss you out,” he sneers. “Don’t worry, you’ll get your money back. Along with a nice new hole in your backside.”
He reaches behind him, pulls out a long shotgun, and cocks it with a sharp click.
“Whoa. Easy there, cowboy,” I mutter, raising my hands.
The sight of the weapon makes my blood run cold. I release her wrist immediately. Drake moves fast, stepping between us in a protective stance. A gun like that is no joke, especially if it’s loaded with silver bullets.
“I just wanted to make sure she was someone I knew,” I say, trying to sound reasonable.
“Do you know him, Brianna?” he asks, never taking his eyes off me.
“No,” she says firmly. “I don’t know him.”
Damn it.
She keeps playing along, but now isn’t the time to push. Not with that man and his shotgun watching my every move. Fine. If she wants to play games, I can wait.
“You heard her,” the owner says. “She doesn’t know you.”
“Fine,” I reply. “Then we’ll head to our room and rest. You can lower the gun. I won’t bother her again.”
A crooked grin tugs at my lips. After a moment, the owner reluctantly slings the shotgun back over his shoulder. I lower my hands, smooth out my suit, and tilt my head toward Drake, gesturing at the key lying on the floor.
Drake picks it up, and another man guides us away. As we pass by, I stop for a brief second.
“See you later, Alexa,” I whisper. Her eyes widen and her shoulders tense. But under the owner’s hard glare, I rush to leave.
We head up to the second floor and enter a room with a solid wooden door. The light inside is brighter than the hallway and the club below. The moment we see the beds, we each claim a twin, separated by a narrow gap.
“Not bad for a place to crash,” Drake says, letting out a relieved breath.
“Damn it,” I snarl. “That was clearly Alexa. How dare she mess with me like that?”
I punch the pillow, rage burning behind my eyes. To hell with the comfort of this room. My thoughts won’t let go of her reaction, or the way she looked at me like I was a stranger.
“Let’s slow down and think,” Zeev says, his voice rough but steady. “She’s Alexa, but they’re calling her Brianna. Something isn’t right.”
“Maybe she has amnesia,” I scoff under my breath, gripping the pillow. “And where the hell is Harlow? That bastard should’ve been nearby.”
“At least the report this morning checked out,” Drake says, glancing at me as he kicks off his shoes and pulls off his shirt.
I scoff again. I’m not ready to admit I was wrong about underestimating my Beta. It never crossed my mind that Alexa would sink this low, working as a server in a dirty place like this.
“You should cool off first, Alpha,” Drake says. “Maybe Miss Dawson will soften if you keep your attitude in check.”
“What does my attitude have to do with her denying me earlier?” I frown, genuinely baffled.
Drake exhales and stretches out on the bed. “Who knows? Maybe she reacted out of heartbreak. You ordered everyone to stay quiet when she was taken by those mafia guys. And then there was the thing with her stepsister.”
I glare at him, pushing my energy outward. Drake jolts, his body snapping upright as his head bows in submission.
“It was a misunderstanding,” I mutter, brows knitting as that memory resurfaces. “And no matter what, she’s still my mate.”
* * *
After a short nap and a hot shower, we head downstairs for dinner. My exhaustion lingers, but curiosity gnaws at me harder. If this is my last chance to see her, I refuse to waste it on sleep.
“Here’s your order, sir. Enjoy.”
Alexa sets a plate of barbecue sirloin in front of me, her smile tight and awkward. It takes everything in me not to pull her into my arms right then. As she turns away, I reach out and catch her hand.
“Thanks, Alexa. Once I’m done eating, we need to talk. Somewhere private,” I say with a grin.
She looks at me blankly. “Let go of me, sir. If you grab my hand again, I’ll scream.” Her voice is cold, sharp as a frozen lake in winter.
I sneer and release her wrist, lifting both hands. “Fine. I’ll wait till you work up the nerve to talk to me.”
She doesn’t answer. She spins around and hurries back into the kitchen. The rejection lands hard, a dull ache spreading through my chest. Even Zeev grows restless, pacing inside my mind as he reaches for the bond.
“I can feel it,” Zeev says, tense and certain. “She misses us. Her wolf is hurting too.”
“Eat first, Alpha,” Drake says, already cutting into his steak.
“This isn’t the time to eat,” Zeev growls. “Seeing her this close and still being denied makes me sick.”
“You’re sure?” I ask him, my gaze fixed on the kitchen door she disappeared through.
“I’m certain. Go get her. Now.”
Zeev’s fury pushes me up from my chair before I even think. I leave Drake behind and move fast toward the kitchen. With every step, Alexa’s presence grows stronger. The same familiar energy. Soft, fragile, stubborn. It’s right there, just beyond the door.
“Alexa,” I say, stopping in front of it. I press my forehead against the wood. “I know you’re in there. We’re mates. I can still feel you.”
My voice drops, rough and low. “Please. Come back to me.”