Page 37 of Challenged
“Aksel, the supernatural police force stopped by this morning. They wouldn’t tell me what they wanted but they insisted on seeing you. I told them you weren’t in and they left.”
Everyone is listening but I’m not sure what the problem is.
“Adelina, I’m a councilman, member of The Alpha Team, and my father recently passed. It makes sense that they would come to talk to me for any of those reasons,” I say.
She hesitates. “You’re right. I just- it seemed weird.”
I roll my eyes but Anna elbows me in the gut and I get the message- be nice.
“Thanks for telling me. Keep me updated on anything. I won’t be in for a while so plan on that.”
“Got it. I saw you stopped in to get your mail and that package. It came with no return address.”
“Right, I did. Thanks,” I say.
We hang up and I set the phone down on the table before wrapping my arm around Anna.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t be concerned about the police?” Rion asks.
Blaze, Griffyn, Felix, and I shake our heads.
“It’s normal. Adelina is just new,” I say.
Anna turns to look at me. “What package?”
“I forgot about it. I grabbed it when Felix and I went to the office.” I shrug.
“Well, go get it and open it. Now, I’m curious,” Anna stands up and pushes me to move.
I go grab it and look for them again. They moved onto the couches.
I step into the living room, the weight of an unopened package in my hand. Blaze, Anna, Rion, Felix, and Griffyn are all gathered, pretending to watch TV but I can see their minds racing.
“Got it?” Felix asks, his deep voice curious but not overly concerned.
“Apparently,” I respond, my gaze flicking down to the brown paper-wrapped parcel. It doesn’t look particularly interesting, and honestly, I couldn’t care less about its contents right now.There are more pressing matters at hand. I had to grab my mail because if it gets out that I’ve disappeared, Blaze might be in trouble.
Anna’s eyes flick towards the package. “What’s in it?”
Her question startles me out of my brooding thoughts. With a shrug I carefully peel back the paper wrapping. As I open the box, my heart skips a beat. Inside lies a substantial amount of wev.
“Shit,” I mutter under my breath, staring wide-eyed at the contents of the package.
The others instantly pick up on my surprise, shooting up from their seats to get a closer look. Griffyn, Anna, and Rion all wear expressions of nervous concern, aware of the danger that the substance poses to them.
“Is that…Wev?” Rion asks cautiously, his voice barely above a whisper. He doesn’t need to say more; I can feel his anxiety like an electric current in the air.
“Looks like it,” I confirm grimly. My mind races, trying to piece together why someone would send me such a lethal substance. This is no ordinary gift or prank.
As I stare down at the drug, my thoughts churn relentlessly, struggling to make sense of it all.
“Did you order this, Aksel?” Rion’s voice is strained, his emerald eyes flicking between me and the package.
“Of course not!” I snap, my gaze locking onto Anna’s mossy green eyes, silently pleading for her to believe me. My heart thuds loudly in my chest, every beat echoing my growing frustration and anger. How could anyone think I would willingly bring such a deadly substance into our lives?
As the implications sink in, a cold realization washes over me. This must be the work of the Garmentas and their drug empire. They had warned me that they would be in touch, and now it seems they’ve made good on their promise.
I rake my fingers through my hair, trying to contain the fury bubbling inside me. “This has to be connected to the Garmentas.”
