Chapter 49

MISTY

After Lloyd washed my hands and feet, he pulled back the covers and helped me into bed. I was turned on, but he ignored my arousal, even though it affected him.

I couldn’t help grinning at the too-short sweatpants, which made him look like a little boy who’d outgrown his clothes overnight.

“Do you mind if I shower?” he asked, covering me solicitously.

“Doesn’t matter if you shower; by tomorrow, I’ll be gagging,” I quipped.

With my head propped in my hand, I watched him strip, admiring those broad shoulders and rippling muscles. He had divine proportions, and I understood why he had been chosen. He was imposing, and his steel-gray hair only added to that.

My mate was beautiful, and considering what he’d gone through, he was more sane than he had any right to be.

There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but I was too tired, and even though the bullet was out, the wound still throbbed.

He didn’t take long in the shower, and soon he was back, a towel slung low around his waist, water still glistening on his skin. I couldn’t help but openly ogle him, and he caught me, flashing a grin before ripping the towel off to dry his hair.

“I do the same thing when I get out of the shower,” I said, smirking.

“I know,” he replied, his tone casual.

I raised an eyebrow, astonished that he would admit to spying on me. “How do you know that?” I asked anyway.

“I spied on you the night you went to Sleazy’s. I watched you getting ready. It’s ~one~ of the reasons I followed you,” he confessed.

“What was the other reason?”

“You snuck out.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You know that’s borderline stalker behavior, right?”

“I’m a wolf. Stalking is what we do,” he countered with a playful shrug.

I giggled, realizing he didn’t fully get the whole stalker vibe.

“I was rather surprised to see you at Sleazy’s,” I said carefully.

“Just surprised?”

“And thankful. You showed up like a hero rescuing the damsel in distress…”

He snorted. “After watching the way you danced? There was no way I was letting human males ogle you—especially when they wanted more than just a look.”

His eyes narrowed, as if reliving it. “I was already bracing myself for one of them to snake a hand up your skirt and feel your bare ass.”

“Ah, yes. I was wearing a G-string,” I murmured.

I caught the flicker of discomfort in his expression and realized—Lloyd probably hadn’t even seen one before. To him, it must have looked indecent. Shifter culture didn’t exactly prepare him for nightclub attire.

The thought of him lurking in the background, keeping an eye on me, sent a shiver down my spine—oddly comforting. He couldn’t resist the mate bond even when he thought I was a witch. I sighed, wishing again that I still had my powers.

The mattress dipped, and he gently pulled me on top of him, warm hands caressing my back. I sighed against his neck, inhaling the comforting scent of allspice while bracing myself for the inevitable arrival of the rogue’s scent.

“Sleep tight, little mate,” he said.

Much later, I woke to find the bed empty and sat up.

~“Cammy?”~

~“Hmm?”~

~“Where is Lloyd?”~

~“He left quite a while ago.”~

~“Oh. Do you know where?”~

~“Vetus said reconnaissance. I’m at full strength now, and touching our mate helped. The bullet wound is healed, but your burns will take a little longer,”~ Cammy said tiredly.

~“Thank you, rest now.”~

~“I will,”~ she said, hunkering down, her eyes closing.

Reconnaissance?

I slipped out of bed and peered through the curtains; dawn was just beginning to break.

Last night’s conversation had been easy, and without trying, he made me feel wanted. If only Axel weren’t in the picture, we could focus on ourselves instead of worrying about his next move.

I glanced at the shower and then caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Crap! I looked like a wild child —my hair desperately needed a wash.

Carefully, I loosened the bandage around my neck and inspected the burns. The skin was still red and sensitive but had healed well.

I turned on the faucet, stepped under the hot spray, and let the water soothe me. Ten minutes later, I emerged, wrapped a towel around myself, and sat on the bed. Oddly, the room didn’t smell of rogue.

I had nothing to wear—again.

Lloyd slipped inside, wearing black pants and a T-shirt that unmistakably originated from the palace but no shoes.

“You don’t smell like a rogue,” I remarked, my eyes lingering on the backpack in his hand before the realization hit—it was mine, the very one I had packed for my visit to the palace. “That’s mine. Where did you find it?” I demanded in disbelief as I unzipped the bag to reveal the clothes I had left behind.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone, and I instantly recognized the casing Chelsea and I had bought together—hers gold, mine silver.

I snatched it from his hand, turning it over in my fingers. Unsurprisingly, it was dead, but locating a charger would be no problem.

“Where did you find them?” I asked in astonishment. “And where were you?”

“Your scent lingered at the door of a bedroom further down the hallway”—he pointed in that direction—“so I checked the room and found the backpack on a chair with your phone on top. Oh, wait.”

He dug in his pocket again, handed me the charger, and curled his finger beneath my chin to lift it gently. “The burns look much better, but I bet they’re still sensitive,” he observed, raising an eyebrow. “You should probably keep them dry.”

I remembered what my dad told me and had to know. “Did you feel pain when you were whipped?” I asked and hoped like hell he didn’t.

He sat beside me, his hand finding mine and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I did, but I also healed instantly. I see you can sit, so I assume your buttocks are healed?”

I nodded, feeling a bit sheepish. “Yeah, mostly. But are you going to answer my questions?”

With a smirk, he pulled me onto his lap, holding me tight. “Now let’s see. I don’t know why I don’t smell like a rogue. Axel came through a panel in the gallery, which led me to believe there were hidden passages in and around the palace. I followed the one from the gallery and ripped off every panel I could find so Axel can’t use them if he plans to sneak back here.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “You ripped off every single panel? That must’ve taken forever.” But the more I thought about it, the more his reasoning made sense. Axel would definitely use something like that to his advantage.

“You’ll be interested to know that this passage led from his study directly past the gallery and into the garden. I think he was making his escape, probably to meet Egon when he smelled you. Having you as a captive made his escape that much easier.”

I shook my head. What were the chances? Axel mentioned providence, but his luck had to run out at some point. “So what happens now?” I asked, uncertain about our next steps.

He sighed heavily. “I never wanted to be the alpha king—still don’t. To be brutally honest, I’d be perfectly happy to burn this place to the ground and walk away, but now… I have little choice. Every single palace occupant is addressing me as sire. It’s like they’ve already decided for me,” he paused, then added. “We need a pack link.”

“There’s something I don’t understand. You marked me, but I was never part of the royal pack. So why didn’t I start smelling like a rogue when the Knox Pack link broke?”

“Good question. I’ve wondered about that too. The only explanation I can think of is the witch’s essence—it might have prevented the rogue scent. Maybe that’s why I don’t smell like one either.”

“He didn’t expel anyone else, did he?”

“I don’t think so. The place didn’t reek of rogues.”

“I don’t want to live here either,” I began, but he silenced me with a gentle finger on my lips.

“We’ll figure it out,” he assured me softly, his arms tightening around me. “But right now, we have to focus on Axel and a few other pressing matters.”

“Can you establish a new pack link?” I asked, unease creeping into my voice at the thought of Axel still being connected to everyone in the Royal Pack.

“I’ve never done it before,” Lloyd admitted, “but I think I can.”

“Just promise me you won’t use a ceremonial silver knife,” I added, half-joking, half-serious.

He chuckled. “I thought it was odd too when Zack used one to accept me into Knox, but no, I have no intention of using a silver knife.”

“So, how are we going to find Axel?” I pressed, concern edging my words.

He lay back on the bed, pulling me down with him, his hand idly tracing patterns on my back. “I have an idea—actually, two,” he said, his voice thoughtful.

“And they are?” I prompted.

“Well, I’m not sure if they’re feasible and need your guidance. The twenty-first century is still a bit of a mystery for me, and I’d prefer not to sound completely clueless. For example, the mercenaries wore these devices on their heads, and if it weren’t for Adam, I wouldn’t have known what they were.”

I blinked in surprise. “Devices? Do you mean like goggles? Night vision goggles?”

“Yes, exactly. I could never have imagined something like that in my wildest dreams. I had no idea they could see me, even when I cloaked myself in shadows.”

My heart skipped a beat, realizing how close he came to being shot. “They could’ve shot you at point-blank range,” I exclaimed in horror. “What’s your first idea?”

“Bank accounts. Is there a way to check them?”

I frowned, trying to understand where he was going with this. “You mean checking an account that isn’t yours?”

“Exactly. Axel must have a bank account, and if we can see his transactions, we might be able to trace his purchases and uncover other properties he owns.”

I thought about it, nodding slowly. “That’s tricky. You’d need a hacker for something like that, and I’m not much help there. But maybe the palace has administered those accounts, and they have access. What’s your other idea?”

“How many properties have a landing…?” he asked, breaking off to search for the word.

“Landing pad for a helicopter?” I supplied.

“Yes. Maybe we can narrow down the search in that way.”

It was a good idea. “We should also search his private suite.” Axel couldn’t have had enough time to grab everything when we attacked the palace. “He might have a safe,” I added.

“He does, and I plan to do that today,” he said determinedly. “Also, trackers in cars? Explain that?”

We all grew up with and understood these things, but for Lloyd, it was a whole new world. “It’s a small device fitted in cars, so if they’re stolen, you can track them easily.”

“Can they be removed?” he asked.

“Probably.”

He brightened a bit. “Feel like breakfast? We could go to one of the places Tanner took me to.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I agreed happily, sliding off the bed. “Let me get dressed.”