Bound to Kill

Alexa

My fingers frantically tap on my laptop, searching for what happened to Darius’ girlfriend. The articles I read make my stomach sink.

Police search for missing woman in West Dunbartonshire

Kayleigh Higgins, 27, was last seen on April 4, 2020, at Loch Brunch Café in Balloch. Police are appealing for help from anyone in the area around 11.29 a.m. She was reported missing by her fiancé, Darius Clark, 24, and is said to have been wearing a plain purple tank and sweats. Please call the number below if you have information on her whereabouts.

I click a link for a report dated six months later.

Family appeal for help finding missing 27-year-old woman

Police are growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of Kayleigh Higgins, 27, who has been missing for six months. While they refuse to comment on the ongoing investigation, one leaked witness statement claims there was an altercation between Kayleigh and her fiancé on the day of her disappearance. The family urges anyone who saw Kayleigh on or around April 4 to contact authorities.

I read several more articles, the last one claiming Darius was a person of interest. My stomach sinks to the floor. Holy shit. Did Darius do something to her?

A wave of dizziness hits me, and my stomach twists and turns. I breathe deeply, fighting to keep my supper down. The thought of my Fated being involved in Kayleigh’s disappearance has me all kinds of fucked up. Memories of my own ordeal come flooding back. The terror and desperation to escape my captor.

I was seven. Mum told me not to go far, but I wanted to explore the forest. I heard footsteps behind me, and then something sharp pierced my neck, and everything went dark.

I woke in a glass cage in a basement—a lab with a bed and toilet. I yelled and cried, expecting my parents to wake me and say it was only a nightmare. But eventually, I realised the truth—it wasn’t a bad dream, and nobody was coming to save me.

My kidnapper poisoned my food with wolfsbane, so I couldn’t mind-link my family or feel my wolf. And he’d dose me with something to keep me sleepy and disorientated. The older I got, the harsher his treatment became. He started using silver chains on my wrists and ankles. I howled as the silver burnt away my flesh, but eventually, I began to suffer in silence. Then the experiments started: blood tests, scans, slicing into my flesh and watching in fascination as I healed. Again and again. Whenever the drugs wore off, I’d plot my escape. My revenge. That day came four years later.

“If you don’t cause any trouble, I’ll let you out of your cage for some fresh air when I get home,” my jailor promised.

“Yes, sir!” I watched the monster as he left and plotted his end.

He was an average human. Older in years, with a head of white hair. A scientist who somehow discovered shifters exist and have healing abilities. Upon his return, he released me from my cage but kept my hands restrained with silver cuffs in front of my body. That was his first mistake. The second was underestimating my strength and need for revenge. The third—failing to notice I hadn’t eaten food in days, so the wolfsbane was out of my system.

When he turned his back, I struck out fast, wrapped my chains around his neck and kicked the back of his knee with every ounce of strength I possessed. His body buckled, and he crashed to the ground, desperately pulling at the chain around his neck. As I choked him, I felt no remorse, only vengeance. My vision blurred; red was all I saw. I was lost to my thirst for blood.

That was fourteen years ago. I don’t remember much of my childhood and have no idea where I came from or the name of my pack. Maybe the drugs are to blame. Ever since I’ve been a loner and had an overwhelming desire to end bad guys. All of them. Even if that means taking out my mate. No matter how much the thought disturbs me. Pushing the memories to the back of my mind, I refocus on my job. I need to see a copy of Darius’ statement. As I power on my work cell, a message comes through.

Handler: You have one week to finish the job. If I don’t have results by then, someone else will finish it for you.

Fuck. I rub my temples, trying to relieve my headache.

Alexa: Why wasn’t Kayleigh’s disappearance in the file? Is she the reason for the hit? Do you have a copy of his statement?

He leaves me on read. I’ve never liked my handler, but he’s just reached the number one spot of people I’d like to stab in the anus with a cactus, then force-feed a vindaloo. I grind my teeth, cursing the useless Agent to get haemorrhoids. If I can’t get the statement from the SEB, I’ll have to get it from the Alpha.

When I reach the packhouse, I’m greeted by Beta Hunter.

“Hey you, glad you finally made it.” He flashes me a dazzling smile. “Let me show you around.”

I interrupt before we steer off course. “I was hoping to speak to the Alpha. I know it’s late, but it’s important.”

For a moment, Hunter stares off into the distance. “He’s out running but said he’ll see you when he gets back. Come wait inside.”

He opens the door wider for me to enter. The foyer has two grand staircases that curve inward, leading to the first floor. Expensive artwork fills the walls with a framed photo of the pack in the centre. It’s all white, walls, marble floor and wooden finishes. Hunter leads me to a sitting room, pours us both a drink and shares childhood stories with me while we wait on Darius.

“There was this one time when we were pups; Darius and I wandered too far. It was winter, so the lake was frozen. We ran to see who could slide the furthest.” He pauses to drink his liquor. “But the ice wasn’t strong enough to hold two growing wolves. It cracked and sucked me under.”

My eyes widen. Adult wolves hate water. To experience that as a pup...

“The cold seeped through my fur and into ma bones,” he shivers at the memory. “Darius mind-linked his da but knew the pack wouldn’t arrive in time. So he dived in after me.” My heart pounds, even though I know the story has a happy ending. “He dragged me to the surface, got us both out, then lay on top of me to heat me up until help arrived.” Hunter shakes his head as though in disbelief after all these years. “I know he can be an arse, but he’s the most loyal, fearless and protective person I know.”

I use all my senses: his pulse is steady, he sits still and firm, and there’s no fishy odour to detect a lie. He’s telling the truth. Or, at least, what he believes.

The rest of our conversation is lighter, filled with banter and laughs. Hunter is funny, humble, and kind; he is the easiest person to talk to. And he’s easy on the eyes. Why can’t he be my mate?

But as quickly as the thought comes, I refute it. We gel well, but my heart doesn’t skip a beat like it does with Darius. Hunter is like the best friend I never had. Although he was initially attracted to me, he put those desires aside when he heard about the bond—going so far as trying to endear me to the grumpy Alpha wolf. Can Darius really be a killer?

I feel Darius before I see him. The bond seems to strengthen each time we meet. I lose my composure; looking at him takes my breath away and muddles my thoughts.

“Let’s talk in my office.”

My stomach flutters at the sound. Internally, I berate myself for letting his deep voice affect me.

“Thanks for keeping me entertained, Hunter.”

“It was my pleasure, Lexi. Darius, be nice to ’er!”

The Alpha growls but remains quiet otherwise, and I bite my cheek to halt the stupid grin I feel coming on. I think Hunter is my favourite person.

We enter a small study—tidy except for the paperwork that scatters the desk. As usual, Darius has a face like a dad who slept in, stepped on a Lego, has no milk for his kid’s cereal and can’t find the car keys.

“What was so urgent you had to show up at this hour?”

I roll my eyes. It’s only half-eleven. “Can we not fight, just this once? Remove that stick from your ass for the next ten to twenty.” I think his mouth twitched in an almost smile.

“Why are you here, Lexi?” A tired sigh escapes him.

“I looked you up online. I wanted to know more about the man the Fates chose for me.” He looks uneasy.Interesting.“After all, you did try to claim me at the bar earlier.”

His cheeks pinken. “I may have lost control of my wolf, briefly. But I assure you, I have no interest in claiming you.”

“That would be more believable if I couldn’t feel your desire through the bond,” I shoot back.

Darius smirks. “You’re not exactly giving fuck off vibes yourself. I can smell your arousal from here.”

My cheeks begin to flush because he’s not wrong. “As much fun as you are to be around, I came to ask about Kayleigh.”

His features harden instantly. “You show up here unannounced and throw my missing fiancée in my face?” I note he said missing, not dead. “You think being my Fated gives you the right to make demands of me?” The vein above his temple pulsates. He stands and leans on his desk, towering over me with a snarl on his face. “I had nothing to do with her disappearance!”

Thank the Fates. He’s telling the truth. But that doesn’t excuse his attitude. “Listen, asshole, the internet doesn’t paint you in a good light.” I huff my frustration. “For some reason, I thought you deserved the opportunity to give your side. That maybe, just this once, you would cease being an absolute prick for five minutes.”Jesus, why does arguing with him turn me on?

“You are the most infuriating wolf,” he claims.

Pot, meet kettle.

For the longest time, he stares at me in silence. I think we’re at a standstill, but he surprises me. “What do you want to know?”

I exhale, relieved he’s willing to open up. “Everything. The police didn’t arrest you but brought you in for questioning.”

The Alpha sits on his leather chair and looks me in the eye while telling me his story. “We fought at our local cafe after I found out she was sleeping with my friend for months.”

“I’m sorry!”

Darius carries on like I never spoke. “I left her at the cafe and went to a bar to blow off steam.” A pained look scrunches his face. “I stayed for hours, imagining she’d be waiting for me to beg forgiveness. But when I got home, the place was wrecked.” He exhales heavily. “There was broken furniture and glass everywhere. Nothing was missing except Kayleigh.”

I stay silent, fearing questioning him will make him clam up.

“I called the police to report the disturbance and Kayleigh missing. They brought me in, my alibi stuck, so I was released.” He drops his gaze, rubbing his temples. “The pack looked for her for a while, but there was no scent trail. And because she’s human, there was no link to follow.”

Truth. All true.“Why are you telling me the truth?”

His head snaps up, and he glares daggers. “Cos my wolf is a pain in my arse and won’t give me any peace.”

I bite back the laugh bubbling inside, but there’s no containing my grin. Which only makes Darius angrier. I feel his fury through the bond. It’s like a waterfall battering rocks below, threatening to annihilate anything in its path. With tremendous effort, I straighten my face. “Did you question the friend she cheated with? Did the police?”

His jaw tightens. “After I beat the shit out of him, he admitted Kayleigh asked him to run away with her. He refused, and no one has heard from her since.” I see the anger and pain in his eyes. “She tainted my name. Her family blame me for her disappearance. The least she could do is call them; tell them I’m not some goddamn monster.”

“Darius, I—”

He stands abruptly and rushes to the door, cutting me off. “There’s an issue that needs my immediate attention. A feral wolf is in pack territory.”

My eyebrows rise. “Is there anything I can do?”

Darius opens the door but pauses to look back at me. “Just stay out of the way,” he growls before running down the hall.

I narrow my eyes, anger simmering and stirring my wolf. He may be innocent of harming Kayleigh, but he’s a grade-A asshat. My phone pings as I make my way to my car.

Handler: Side job for you. Sending details...

I open the link and see it’s the feral wolf Darius is hunting; with a wicked smile, I insert my key in the ignition. And here I thought this trip wouldn’t be any fun.