Page 50 of Chased By My Grumpy Alpha
The suspicious edge to his tone makes me want to snort. The idea of Astra blackmailing me is amusing, to say the least.
“Since when do I answer to you, Seth?” I demand.
“You don’t, but I have to answer to your father, who’s angry you’re not back yet.”
I sneer. “Tell him I’m still on the wild goose chase he sent me on.”
Seth’s smile disappears. “Really, Lucian? What are you doing?”
I don’t have an answer for him, but I do have a task. “Look into Andrew Crew. He’s a human from a town called Turnville. Get me everything you can on him.”
Seth bristles. “Is he a threat?”
“No. He’s Astra’s supposed fiancé.”
My friend looks at me as if I’ve suddenly grown a second head. “You want me to look into her fiancé? And a human, to boot?”
“Do you have a problem with that?” I take a threatening step toward him.
“Problem? Me?” Seth lifts his hands in a pacifying gesture. “Why would I have a problem with your orders?” I stare at him, and he sighs. “Fine. I just hope you know what you’re doing here, Lucian.”
What am I doing? I came here to retrieve a fugitive and drag her back to face the consequences of defying the crown. Instead, I’m protecting her, healing her, hunting for her.
“She disobeyed a royal decree,” Seth continues when I remain silent. “Even if she was manipulated, even if she’s not a full shifter, she still defied the King. Your father.”
“Her pack was sending her to die.” The words come out flat, cold. “Knowingly.”
“That doesn’t change the law.”
“Doesn’t it?” I shake my head at him. “When the law is being used to cover up an attempted murder?”
Seth runs a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every line of his body. “So, what’s your plan? Hide her from the King forever? Pretend you never found her?”
I don’t have an answer for that. I don’t know what I’m planning beyond keeping her safe until she reaches her fiancé. But the thought of her marrying Andrew Crew makes my jaw clench.
“Just find out what you can about the human,” I say.
“And what should I tell your father when he asks for an update?”
“Tell him I’m still tracking the runaway bride. And Seth?” I meet his eyes. “Start looking into Alpha Gareth, too. I want everything—his finances, his allies, every dirty secret he has ever buried. I’m going to destroy him.”
Seth stares at me for a long moment, and I can see him trying to read my expression in the moonlight. “You’re playing a dangerous game.”
“I know.”
“She’s gotten to you.”
It’s not a question, and I don’t bother denying it. There’s no point. “Just do what I asked.”
Seth nods slowly, but his expression remains troubled. “I’ll have the information on the human in a few days.”
“Good.”
The portal opens behind him with a soft whoosh of displaced air, and then he’s gone, leaving me alone with thoughts I don’t want to examine too closely.
By the time I make it back to camp, Astra has shifted in her sleep again, one hand reaching out as if searching for something. For someone.
Luna looks up at me expectantly, and I realize the cat has been waiting for my return before relaxing her guard.
