That’s when I felt it.
A shift in the air. A sudden breeze where there should’ve been
none.
And then-
Pain.
A sharp, electric surge bloomed at the base of my neck. My
phone ttered to the floor, and Ava’s voice shouted something
from the speaker.
I couldn’t hear her anymore.
The world spun sideways.
My knees buckled.
I fell.
Darkness swallowed everything.
And I didn’t feel a thing.
Alexander’s POV
I stood before the long mahogany table in my parents‘ living room, staring at an array of glossy photographsid out like a carefully curated gallery of eligible women. Profiles, lineage, aplishments–each smiling face chosen for political
advantage or business merger. I had barely nced at them
when my phone buzzed on the side table.
Unknown number.
I debated ignoring it, but instinct made me reach for it anyway.
“Alexander speaking.”
“Alpha Alexander?” A breathless voice rushed through the line.
“It’s Ava.”
I straightened slightly, gaze flickering toward the doorway.
“Yes?”
“I–I think something’s wrong. Olivia called me ten minutes ago.
We were on a call. Then the call suddenly disconnected with a
thud. It happened right outside her house. She said she lost a
stalker earlier on the highway. She didn’t seem too shaken, but I
“Slow down,” I said calmly, already walking toward the
hallway. “When exactly did this happen?”
“Just now. I tried calling her again–no answer. Her phone’s off.””
I stood before the long mahogany table in my parents‘ living room, staring at an array of glossy photographsid out like a carefully curated gallery of eligible women. Profiles, lineage, aplishments–each smiling face chosen for political advantage or business merger. I had barely nced at them when my phone buzzed on the side table.
Unknown number.
I debated ignoring it, but instinct made me reach for it anyway.
“Alexander speaking.”
“Alpha Alexander?” A breathless voice rushed through the line.
“It’s Ava.”
I straightened slightly, gaze flickering toward the doorway.
“Yes?”
“I–I think something’s wrong. Olivia called me ten minutes ago.
We were on a call. Then the call suddenly disconnected with a
thud. It happened right outside her house. She said she lost a
stalker earlier on the highway. She didn’t seem too shaken, but I
“Slow down,” I said calmly, already walking toward the
hallway. “When exactly did this happen?”
“Just now. I tried calling her again–no answer. Her phone’s off.”
“Where are you right now?”
“I’m on my way to Duskhollow Pines. I’m ten minutes away<b>!</b><b>” </b>
<b>“</b>I’ll handle it.” I ended the call and turned back toward the table.
My mother raised an expectant eyebrow. “Leaving already?”
“There’s an urgent matter to attend to.” I offered a faint smile.
“I’ll review the profilester.”
Before she could object, I’d already stepped outside, dialing property management as I moved. “This is Alpha Alexander. I want ess to the security feeds at Duskhollow Pines- immediately. Last thirty minutes. Garage area and perimeter
gates!”‘
While I waited, I called Gai.
“Did you locate Olivia?”
Gai answered, his tone brisk. “We tracked her phone entering Duskhollow Pines twenty–five minutes ago. She drove in alone, no sign of forced entry. Her car pulled into the underground
garage–then nothing.”
“And the tail?<b>” </b>
“We spotted a ck Chevrolet Malibu outside the convenience store three days ago–the same one was seen trailing her again
today. But it didn’t enter the neighborhood. It waited outside,
then circled around.
“License te?”
“Fake. Swappedst night. Our guy’s on it”
I looked out the car window, fingers tapping against the steering wheel. “If the stalker didn’t enter, someone else inside
the Pines may have done it. Or they had ess. Find out who’s
in that car. Pull property entry logs–any pass holder who
entered in thest two hours. g any with previous
employment ties to the Windsors or Hawthorne“”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“And Gai.”
“Yeah?”
“If they’ve taken her, we don’t call the police yet. Whoever did
this is clean. <b>I </b>want names.”
As I hung up, Ava called again.
“Anything?” she asked, this time moreposed.
“No response from the property office yet,” I said. “But we
caught movement. A suspicious vehicle left Olivia’s garage
within thest fifteen minutes. My team’s tracking it now.”
“She told me about the stalker before she got home,” Ava said,
voice low now, “She said he’d been following her since the
service station. You think… Ethan sent him?”
I exhaled slowly. “We can’t be so sure yet. Although, I admit that
he is the most suspicious guy right now!”
There was silence on the line.
“Ava.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t panic yet. She may have just turned off her phone.””
“She was mid–sentence.”
That didn’t sit well. I knew Olivia’s tone. She wasn’t easily
shaken, and if she said she was being followed, she was
probably right.
“Then we assume worst–case until proven otherwise,” I said. “I’ll
speak to security again once I reach. In the meantime, let me
know the moment you arrive at the neighborhood. Don’t
approach the house alone.”
Ava murmured her agreement, and the call ended.
Back in my vehicle, I nced once more at the now–dark screen
of my phone. The women on the table, the matchmaking talks,
the diplomatic smiles–irrelevant. I had something else to <b>settle </b>
now. Someone had followed Olivia across counties. And
someone else had helped them get through the gates.
This wasn’t random.
I knew that much.
Ethan’s name lingered in the air, but my instincts said it wasn’t
just him.
This was messier than it seemed.
And far more calcted.
A whileter, I stepped out of my car. My phone tucked
between my shoulder and ear. In one hand, I held Ava’s frantic
voice; in the other, the glow of my screen showed the GPS trail
of <i>a </i>ck Chevrolet Malibu trailing Olivia’s car earlier. Gai
stood beside me,ptop open, scanning data.
Chapter