GRAYSON
The moment my feet met the ground after jumping out of Belleâs window, I reached out to Kyle.
~âKyle,â~ I said to him through mind-link.
His response was immediate.
â~Well, hello there, Alpha. Nice to hear the sound of your voice on this fine morning. Although, I would have thought you would beâ¦well, ~occupied~ after finding the luna yesterdayâif you know what I mean.â~
I forgot how much he could talk. I ignored his inappropriate commentâno time for his antics today. ~âI need you to come to Maine,â~ I said, getting straight to the point.
He didnât respond for a few seconds.
~âUh, yeah, I donât know if you know this, but you sort of put me in charge of an entire kingdom when you left, so Iâm a little, um⦠~extremely~ busy at the current momentâ~â
~âI donât care,â~ I interrupted. ~âThis is more important. There is no kingdom without its queen.~ ~I need you here right fucking now. Belle is refusing to listen to me.â~
~âThatâs because she knows whatâs good for her. Smart girl.â~
I growled through the link, ensuring he could hear my anger and impatience.
~âJeez Louise, okay,â~ he said. ~âSomeone is not in a joking mood today. I can be there by the end of the day if I take the private plane. Will that work for you?â~
~âFine,â~ I grunted. ~âShe needs someone to talk to who she can trust, andâ¦thatâs not me at the moment.â~
~âSo youâre bringing in the big guns, eh? Iâm leaving now. Iâll keep you updated on my ETA.â~
~âIâll text you her address.â~ I was already taking my phone out of my pocket.
~âSee you soon, Alpha.â~
Just as I felt Kyleâs presence flee from my mind, I heard a loud ringing sound coming from Belleâs window. An alarm. I stiffened. I had only just left her apartment a few moments ago.
I looked down at the watch on my wrist. It was a little after four in the morning. She had been up until two.
Where could she possibly have to be so early in the morning that was more important than her getting sleep?
The correct answer was nowhere. She should not be up right now.
I heard her groan and then turn off the alarm. The sounds of her moving around the room came next.
I began to pace once again, wanting nothing more than to go up there and demand she go back to sleep.
My vampire pushed me to use the power of the Mortars on her, while my wolf wanted me to use my alpha tone. I pushed them both aside.
Minutes later, I swiftly moved to the front of her apartment building when I heard the sound of the front door open and close.
She exited the building warily, her gaze scanning around her, no doubt looking for me. I was too far in the shadows for her to see me, though. But I knew she could still feel me watching her.
Fury consumed me when I saw that she was wearing that fucking waitress uniform again. My eyes scanned her form. She was so beautiful.
I had to hold back a groan as I watched her hips sway while she walked. As much as I loathed the uniform, I couldnât deny that it made her look damn good. Too damn good.
I didnât know if I would be able to get through another day watching her prance around in that fucking outfit.
I followed behind her quietly, sure to stay far enough away so that she wouldnât see me. I had to hold myself back from dragging her back to her apartment and having my wolf sit on her again until she slept.
Seemed to work last time she needed rest.
I paused my walking when she abruptly stopped and grabbed one of the heels on her feet. She peeled it off her foot, uncovering her battered skin beneath.
Her foot was covered in blisters and red, irritated skin. There were blood and scabs, too, due to those damn heels she was forced to wear.
âShit,â Belle muttered under her breath, her shoulders sagging. After throwing her hair up into a bun, she took off her other shoe and continued her walk fucking barefoot on the concrete sidewalk.
My wolf growled so loudly in my chest that I was surprised when Belle didnât turn around to look for me. My wolf lurched my body forward, urging me to go to her.
I forcefully shoved him down. I was already fighting against my nature by not allowing myself to tend to her; I didnât need my wolf working against me too.
I continued following her, my body stiff and sore from holding myself back.
She walked barefoot for nearly half an hour until she reached the same diner she had spent all day at yesterday.
My wolf vibrated in my chest, furious to see that she was back here after working so late last night and not getting paid.
Thankfully, though, there were two other waitresses there, already working. So she wouldnât be by herself.
I pushed my wolf down once again, took a deep breath, and entered the diner behind her.