Chapter 252
The Answer Was Right Under My Nose
Thane
“What are you doing?” Ayla asks as she sits down beside me on the couch. I noticed her ability to plop down has left, and now she has to lower herself doe to her growing belly, and I love it.
“Getting ready to go over invoices while simultaneously trying to decide if I call another alliance meeting to hear the chatter around Sonne.” I have decided to focus all of our efforts on Stevens, who should lead us to Mikhail and the pack traitor. We may have the largest pack, but with increased border patrol, more data to comb through, and taking shifts on surveillance of Stevens, I cannot spare anyone to watch the Triad Group or Kian’s brothers at the moment.
“Thane, where is the helmet for your bike?” Cyrus asks as he jumps into the living room area from the stairs, shirtless.
“Where is your shirt?” I asked as Ayla snorts.
‘Stop being jealous and tell me where your bike helmet is p>
“Fine, put a shirt on and find it in the hallway closet.” I really do not like the idea of him being half–naked in front of my mate. Mated or not.
“This invoice is for the kitchen and bathroom of our roomies‘ new dungeon, also known as their home. Apparently, sweeping the floor makes it move–in ready. I feel as though we should never visit.” I hand the invoice over to Little Wolf.
“Just tell them they can stay until it is properly renovated. I want them to have a safe home.” Ayla passes it back to me just as the front door bursts open with Raven running through it and past the couch we are sitting on.
“What the…” I stand as a figure runs through the door, holding a knife and wearing something familiar.
Ayla instinctively raises a shield as Raven laughs maniacally throughout the house. Cyrus, wearing a motorcycle helmet, bounces off the shield and lands on
his back on the floor.
3
At least he has a shirt on.
“Ow…” Cyrus groans, flipping the visor up on the helmet.
“What the hell are you doing?” I growl, looking at the knife in his hand and back up to him. Ayla drops the shield behind me.
“Raven finished Monica’s book, and we are acting out the highlighted scenes. Don’t be such a prude.” Cyrus sits up.
‘You’re acting out a book scene? You’re chasing her with a knife on purpose?” Little Wolf asks as I hear the back door slam shut.
“Yeah.” Cyrus closes the visor to my helmet I will have to burn.
‘What happens when you find her?” Ayla asks, and I can feel her curiosity through the bond. Cyrus had better answer her appropriately. She is his Lasa
“Oh, if I catch her I get to fu…” He doesn’t.
Ew…
“Get the hell out of the house, Cyrus! Go find your mate!” I yell, kicking his side. Cyrus stands and runs toward the back door.
ค
III
1/3
10:10 Tue, Jan 20 & G.
The Answer Was Right Under My Nose
“No fair, I want a do–over,” I hear him yell out the back door. I turn to look at Ayla on the couch with huge eyes.
“You wanted me to tell them what again?‘ I ask, coming around to sit on the couch again.
“That we will help them pack. She shakes her head as I laugh. I knew she would see it my way eventually.
1
“This invoice is for Damon’s truck, and this one is for his house p>
“Wow, I didn’t know they found one. How exciting. I’m going to text her something sweet about it.” Ayla says excitedly, and I smile, thinking about how much she has grown as a person in such a short amount of time.
“While you’re doing that, ask her if she can get me a job at the brothel to pay all of these invoices p>
“Did you just make a joke?” Ayla smacks me playfully in the chest.
“I think I did. Don’t tell anybody.” They wouldn’t believe her anyway. She’s the only one who gets the softer side of me.
“Is this going to bother you if I read it?” Ayla holds up a blue sparkly book, and I have to control my urge to roll my eyes.
Della’s journal. One of many.
“If you want to subject yourself to it, go ahead, but please don’t read it out loud. I do not want to traumatize our pup p>
“You’re full of jokes tonight,” Ayla says as a howl sounds deep within the forest.
“Ew.” Ayla laughs, knowing Cyrus found his mate. “Wait, where’s the opossum p>
“I do not want to know, Little Wolf p>
I go through more paperwork and draw out a diagram of possible scenarios that could happen with revealing what we did to Sonne. Ayla is on the second book of Della’s journal series, also known as the documentation of her obsession with me, when she gasps loudly and sits up abruptly on the couch.
“What? What’s wrong?” I sit up with her as she stares at the page with her mouth open.
“Della had a mate. ” Ayla turns the book toward me, and I grab it and start reading.
“When was this dated?” I read how the mating bond snapped into place for Della at a pack football game. Instead of being happy, she was angry because it
wasn’t me.
2014,” Ayla answers.
‘She rejected him.” I sit back in shock. “She rejected her mate bond for me. I had no idea. Does it say who it is p>
“I don’t know, I need to read further. Are you okay?” Little Wolf looks concerned. I should probably elaborate more on what I am feeling and thinking, so she does not get the wrong idea here.
I’m fine. I feel sorrow for her mate. That he didn’t get the chance at a life with Della. I am really confused why she would do something so dumb. We weren’t even intimate then. There was a great emphasis on the fated mate bond and its importance when I was growing up. I don’t understand how anybody could reject their mate.” I find myself growing angry that she could be so dumb. She was raised better than that. Or so I thought.
I will keep reading. Maybe we can find out who it is.” Ayla picks the book back up and sets it on her lap.
2/3
80
10:10 Tue, Jan 20 G
The Answer Was Right Under My Nose
Please be careful. If you start to get upset, stop.” I’m not sure how much Ayla can tolerate reading about Della’s obsession with me, but I know that Aramana will tolerate reading about it much less than her human counterpart, and I want to keep my dick attached.
“I will. I kiss her on top of the head and pile all my papers back into a pile on the coffee table.
“You know, my sister was still alive when Della found her mate. Would rejection be a reason to get rid of my sister? Enough to try and kill me now, all these years later p>
“Why the huge gap in time from selling your sister to now?” Ayla turns towards me.
“I don’t know. The only thing that has changed in my life is you.” I turn toward Little Wolf, staring as I search through all my thoughts. ‘I had another she- wolf in my life that I cared about.” That is when it started. When I found out I had a mate.
“The poisoning,” Ayla whispers.
“And I had a fated mate p>
“The car bomb.” Her eyes go wide.
“I announced our pregnancy p>
“Monica…where we were dancing right before p>
‘Della’s mate is our traitor.” I sigh, picking up a journal to dig into now.
“He doesn’t want you to have anything to love, because he can’t.” Ayla shakes her head, picking her journal back up.
“Damn it p>
Adminj