Chapter 37

ELEANOR

“Why are you cooking?” Xavier mumbled into my ear as his hand went under my T-shirt.

“I felt like cooking,” I answered. I stopped what I was doing and turned around to wrap my hands around his neck.

“What are you doing here? I didn’t expect you back so soon,” I said, and the smile on his face vanished.

He had a concerned look.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Marquez caught the rogue who collided with my car,” he began, and a shiver ran down my spine.

I could still feel the force of that impact, lingering deep in my subconscious like a bruise that hadn’t fully healed.

“Is he dead?” I asked him, but Xavier shook his head.

“I wish, but we need him alive to catch the real culprit behind all this,” Xavier answered, and I nodded my head.

“Thank god we're getting close. Maybe then I’ll finally catch who killed my mom,” I said.

“I won’t spare anyone who tried to harm you, Ellie,” Xavier promised.

Our eyes locked in a charged, lingering stare before he leaned in, and my eyes closed on their own.

His lips met mine, soft and wet, and the touch ignited a fire deep within me as a current of electricity surged through my body.

The kiss started slow, but it soon gained momentum. My legs quickly wrapped around Xavier’s waist as he placed me on the countertop.

I was losing oxygen at a rapid rate, but I didn’t break the kiss.

My hands roamed all over his face when it finally settled at the nape of his neck.

“Xavier.” I moaned.

Xavier broke the kiss between us while he trailed wet open-mouthed kisses along my jawline and neck, making me arch my back.

“Hmm.”

“Is this real?” My question stopped his kisses as he looked up at me.

“What do you mean?”

“We have a contract. Does this mean that the contract is void?” I asked him, and I saw conflicting emotions run through his eyes.

“I…”

“I bought the cheese!” Xavier took a huge step away from me as he heard his mother’s voice, and my face turned bright pink in embarrassment.

“Oops! I didn’t know you two were busy christening the kitchen counter. You should have placed a board in the hallway,” Mrs. Costa joked while I quickly hopped down from the counter.

“We weren’t doing anything serious,” I said in a high-pitched voice, but from the smirk on her face, I knew she didn’t believe me.

“Did you get the cheese?” I asked her, and she nodded her head and placed the cheese on the kitchen table.

“I’ll meet you later,” Xavier said, and he quickly left the kitchen while Mrs. Costa and I continued cooking.

Once I was done with the lasagna, I served a slice on everyone’s plate and placed it on the table.

“Could you be a dear and call everyone to eat?” Mrs. Costa asked me, and I nodded my head and walked out of the kitchen.

After everyone was seated, we began to eat.

Lunch went by fairly smoothly, except for the strange tension between Xavier and Mrs. Costa. Even Mr. Costa seemed to notice, as he kept looking at them both with a confused expression.

Once the dishes were washed and stacked, Xavier left for work, and Mr. and Mrs. Costa went out to meet a friend.

“~Shall we go and have a slice of apple pie?~” Erica asked me, and the thought of Mrs. Tanner’s apple pie made my mouth water.

“~I guess we could pick up some desserts,~” I said and quickly got up from bed and changed my clothes before I left the house.

As I looked at the fresh desserts, I saw Iven standing outside the bakery.

He was talking to someone over the phone, and he looked stressed.

After a few minutes, he hung up and made his way to the car.

~Where is he going?~

“~I think we should follow him,~” Erica said, and that’s what I did. If he had any connection to who killed my mother or the rogue attacks happening on this pack, I was determined to catch him in the act.

I looked up and down the street and spotted his car heading toward the pack border. Without wasting a second, I hurried to Xavier’s car and climbed in.

I shifted it into drive and took off, keeping a steady distance as I followed him onto the highway. We drove for about thirty minutes before he exited, and I followed closely behind, careful not to lose him.

The road was narrow, and there were trees on either side.

~What is this place?~

After a few miles, buildings began to appear as we entered a small town. I pulled over to the side of the road, got out, and continued on foot, following his car from a safe distance. He didn’t drive far before parking in front of an old diner.

I stopped behind a nearby shop, peeking around the corner just in time to see him walk inside. As I stepped closer, trying to get a better look at who he was meeting, a sharp, familiar scent hit me.

Rogue.