Alpha Ascending

by Alicia Montgomery

  “So, who are you—” Vrost stopped when he saw Sofia. “Detective … Selinofoto?”

  “Mr. Vrost.” She glanced at Astrid, who was tucked into his side. “Care to explain why you’re here?”

  “I came to pick up my wife for lunch.”

  “Your wife?”

  “She works here,” he explained, nodding at Astrid.

  Works here? So, Astrid wasn’t Lucas’s fiancée? Fuck. That was embarrassing. “I see.”

  “How do you know the Detective, Zac?” Lucas asked, his voice edgy.

  “She came to investigate the disturbance at Blood Moon. That night there was a fight, remember?”

  “At your bachelor party,” she added.

  “My what?” That finally seemed to get a reaction from him.

  “Mr. Vrost told me that you were having a party at the private room in Blood Moon,” she began. “That’s why you were drunk and half-naked.”

  He cocked his head at her. “We’ve met … before?”

  And she knew he meant before the other night, of course. “You weren’t sober, and we weren’t introduced.”

  “Lucas.” Zac walked over to him. “It was a crazy night, so I’m sure you don’t remember everything that happened.” He looked back at her, a strange look on his face. “And you, Detective? You remember everything? And you’re here to find out more about that night?”

  “Of course I remember.” He seemed confused by that. “And I’m not here about that night. Your partner, Mr. Jonasson, made it very clear that you wouldn’t be pursuing any charges. I’m here about another matter.” She turned to Lucas. “So, are you sure no one else can confirm your location Thursday night?”

  “Are you going to arrest me?”

  She bit her lip. “Like I said, this is only a preliminary interview.”

  “So you have other suspects?”

  She gave a non-committal sound, hoping not to give away too much. “I should be on my way.” She got to her feet. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Anderson.”

  “You’re welcome, Detective.”

  “I’ll see myself out.” She pivoted on her heel and strode toward the door. The hairs on her neck prickled, and she knew he had his eyes on her. She straightened her shoulders, her spine stiff as steel as she walked out. She kept her posture rigid even as she left the office and made her way to the elevator. It was only when she was out in the street that the tension drained from her body.

  She closed her eyes, ignoring the people around her. It didn’t go as bad as she imagined. Initially, she thought she’d be embarrassed if he brought up the roof deck incident. After all, she had practically offered herself up to him, allowing him to buy her a drink and take her somewhere private. But he didn’t give any indication that he even remembered her. Maybe he was drunk that night too and didn’t recall. Or he bought lots of girls drinks and almost kissed them that she didn’t even stand out.

  This made things simpler. For one thing, she thought she’d have to pass the case on to someone else if it came out that she’d met him before. Of course, him not having an alibi made things complicated, too. Not only would he stay on her suspects list, but now she would have to look into all those other cases as well. Vrost seemed to think she wouldn’t remember that first night at Blood Moon. Was someone supposed to make her forget? How? Bribing an officer was a serious crime. Could it be that Fenrir was not only tampering with witnesses, but buying off cops too?

  She took one more glance at the Fenrir building, straining her neck to look at the top floor. The sun blinded her for a moment, and she shielded her eyes with her hand. She didn’t mean to give them so much information about her suspicions. But her instincts were telling her something was not right and that there was more to this than meets the eye.

  The idea of unraveling this mystery both thrilled and terrified her.

  Chapter Four

  Lucas was pretty sure minutes had passed since the detective left, but he was still staring at the door. Part of him still couldn’t believe what had happened. That after days of being haunted and tortured by slate gray eyes, orange blossoms and olives, and smooth skin under his fingertips, she had walked right into his office. His wolf whined as soon as she disappeared, its head sniffing around, trying to soak in as much of her scent as possible.

  Stop it, he commanded his wolf. What the hell was wrong with his animal? Couldn’t it sense that Detective Selinofoto was the enemy? That she had dared to threaten him? And the clan?

  “Uh, Lucas?”

  Astrid’s voice broke him out of his trance. He glanced up at the couple, his gaze zeroing in on Zac. “Bachelor party, really?”

  “You stumbled out, half-naked and delirious while I was talking to the detective,” he explained. “I didn’t know what else to say. She wanted to go inside, and I couldn’t let her see what the mages had done.”

  He supposed that made sense. “Why didn’t you say it was your party? You’re the one who just got married.”

  “I wasn’t exactly with Astrid then,” he reminded him. “And I was playing the part of the owner, remember?”

  “Hold on.” Astrid held up a hand. “Can someone please explain to me what’s going on? You’ve met this detective before?” she asked her husband.

  “Remember Deedee’s party, when the mages attacked The Lounge?” he said, referring to the private area in the back of Blood Moon. “We had to clear the main club and some cops came. Detective Selinofoto was there, and she got a little too nosy.” He gestured toward Lucas. “She saw Lucas after he shifted.”

  In bloodlust. He could almost hear the unspoken words. That’s why he couldn’t recall much. His jaw tensed. They’d met before—even before the night on the roof deck—but he didn’t remember. But why didn’t she say anything? “I thought we took care of all the witnesses?”

  “Me too.” He looked at Astrid. “Your father gave her the forgetting potion.”

  “Huh.” She tapped a finger on her chin. “Maybe it didn’t work on her or he didn’t use a strong enough batch.”

  “But what was she doing here today then?” Zac asked.

  “A security officer called up here and told us that a detective wanted to talk to Lucas.”

  “And you let her up?” he asked Lucas. “What did she want?”

  When he saw her in the security cameras, he had been so shocked that he immediately told them to let her upstairs. That, and his curiosity was piqued. What was she doing here?

  “She seems to think Lucas was involved in a murder,” Astrid said.

  Zac looked at them incredulously. “Okay, you both are going to have to explain this one to me.”

  This time, it was Astrid who brought Zac up to date, starting from when the detective asked Lucas about Thomas Dixon. “… and then you walked in,” she finished. “Frankly, it was ballsy of her to just come in here and accuse him of murder.”

  “Ridiculous,” Zac said. “Why don’t you ask your father to pay the detective a visit? Surely he can formulate a potion that will work on her? That way, she won’t remember any of this ever happened and she’ll forget about Lucas.”

  His wolf made its displeasure known with an angry growl, the deep rumble vibrating in his chest. He didn’t have to guess that the wolf didn’t like Zac’s words.

  “Magic doesn’t work that way,” Astrid said. “At least, not the forgetting potion. It can only erase recent memories. She might forget she ever came here today, but she won’t forget that night. Though, I have heard it’s possible …” She drifted off, her brows wrinkling. “Magic like that, something that would strip the memory of an entire event or person, it’s extremely difficult.”

  Relief poured through him, knowing her memory couldn’t be totally erased. “Making her forget seems a bit drastic,” he said, his voice controlled.

  “That’s why we have the police commissioner in the know,” Zac said.

  The New York Lycans had connections everywhere, including the highest law enforcement offices in the city. It
was necessary to keep their existence a secret.

  “We can always ask him to put pressure on the detective,” Astrid continued. “Then she’ll back off Lucas.”

  “Let’s not use our connections yet,” Lucas said. “Besides, we won’t know what she knows.”

  “What do you mean?” Zac asked.

  “You heard what she said. She seems to know that we do something to make sure no human ever remembers us.” She practically egged him on, telling him that she knew about witnesses conveniently forgetting anything that had to do with them. His gut was telling him she was hiding more.

  “I wonder if this so-called murder is just the tip of the iceberg,” Astrid said. “She knew about when you and Adrianna were kidnapped. I’m sure my dad had to give the potion to people who saw you get kidnapped outside your school.”

  “I bet she’s been digging into other cases involving us.” And him. What else could she have found out? Did she uncover what happened when he was a teenager? With Caroline? Anger surged through him at the thought. When he glanced at Zac, the worried look on his face told him he was thinking of that night, too. After all, he and Adrianna had been there.

  What was Selinofoto’s end game, anyway? Did she think she could bring him down? She was a human, despite what his nose was telling him, and no match for him. If she was getting her kicks trying to dig up the past, he’d show her exactly what it was like to go up against a Lycan.

  “I have to agree with Lucas,” Astrid said. “I think she was hoping to gauge your reaction, Lucas. Maybe she knows more but needed to confirm something else. Something bigger.”

  Zac frowned. “Don’t you have someone who could alibi you for that night?”

  “Of course,” Lucas admitted. “The security team saw me go into the house, and I didn’t leave until morning.”

  “Then why didn’t you tell her that?” Zac asked in an exasperated voice. “You could have gotten rid of her right away.”

  “She said I wasn’t under arrest. I don’t owe human authorities an explanation for my whereabouts.” He was going to be Alpha of New York, the most powerful Lycan clan in the world. “And my connection to her murder victim is thin.” True, while he wasn’t sad that one of his kidnappers was dead, that didn’t mean he had a motive. Any good lawyer would have shredded the detective’s circumstantial evidence, and Fenrir kept the best on retainer. He decided he would actually enjoy watching his lawyers tear into her investigation.

  “So, what are you going to do now?”

  “If she knows something, we can’t let her keep digging. She already knows too much and connected too many dots.” He turned to Astrid. “I want to know everything about this detective. Have Mika pull up everything we can about her. Then, make sure someone keeps an eye on her.”

  “Are you sure that’s smart?” Zac asked. “If she finds out we’re watching her, she might not take it well. And she’ll be even more suspicious of you and she won’t let go.”

  A small part of him was hoping that she wouldn’t, and that she would keep coming back to see him. He wanted to watch her try, and play right into his hands. She thought she had the advantage, but she’d soon find out that he always came out on top. From out of nowhere, an image popped into his head of him on top. Of her. Naked and thrusting into—

  “Just do it,” he barked at Astrid forcefully. He heard a growl coming from Zac. Understandable, seeing as she was his mate and carried their pup. But she was also going to be his Beta and better be prepared to obey his orders. Still, he’d never seen Zac look at him with a murderous look in his eyes before. “Please,” he added in a gentler tone, which seemed to mollify his friend.

  “Will do. Zac, let’s go get lunch, yeah?” She ran a hand down his arm, trying to soothe him. “I’ll see you later, Lucas.”

  As he watched them leave together, he felt a pang of envy. Astrid and Zac were True Mates, an unusual pairing that meant they were fated to be together, and now they were about to have their first child. Lycan children were rare, and only two of their kind could produce a pup. If a Lycan were to mate with a human, they would have human children, if at all. The one exception was True Mates.

  He brushed that envy aside, as well as other emotions clouding his judgement and focused on the detective. What were her motives? Did she suspect anything about the existence of Lycans? That only meant that they would need to keep a closer eye on her.

  This was a dangerous game he was playing with Sofia Selinofoto, and this would take all his attention. Because there was no way he was going to lose.

  Chapter Five

  Sofia didn’t know how long those men had been following her or who sent them, but she had two guesses on the latter. Bianchi or Lucas Anderson. She didn’t know which one she wanted it to be.

  After she left Fenrir Corp. yesterday, she went back to the station. Despite how the meeting with Lucas Anderson ended, she was still able to gather good information. But to process it all, she needed to step back. Plus, there were other cases on her plate, not to mention with her testimony in the Bianchi case coming up in a few weeks, she needed to brush up. The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to follow up on leads, tying up loose ends, and going back to old case files. She was exhausted by the time she went home, though she did remember to check in with the desk sergeant as she promised Bushnell.

  That morning, as she was entering the station, she felt like someone was watching her. But before she could turn around, her cellphone rang. It was an important call, from a lead on a robbery case so she ran to her desk to take down notes.

  By mid-afternoon, she needed a dose of caffeine. There was a local coffee shop she frequented that was just a few blocks from the station. It was when she was heading there that she caught the dark sedan from the corner of her eye. This was not the first time she had seen it, she realized. Last night when she was going home, it was waiting a block from her apartment building. This morning, when she stopped at a light, it was two cars behind her. When she went out to grab lunch, she passed by the sedan as she crossed the street.

  And now, there it was again, crawling along the street beside her. She saw an opportunity when she spied a delivery van stopped up ahead. Picking up her pace, she walked past the van, leaving the sedan behind. She circled around the front of the van, then reappeared on the other side, heading straight for the driver’s side.

  “Hey!” She rapped her knuckles on the glass. Though it was tinted, this close she could make out two figures inside. The driver started, his head jerking toward her, then looked at the man next to him. She shoved her badge against the window and lifted her jacket to show them she was packing. “Open up! NYPD.”

  It seemed like they were contemplating what to do, but with the van in front of them, there was no escape. The window rolled down.

  “Are you following me?” she asked. “Who are you working for?”

  The driver and his passenger remained silent, but the guilty looks on their faces was a definite yes to her first question while the expensive matching suits they were wearing answered the second. Bianchi’s men were usually lowlifes and thugs, not guys who looked like they stepped out of a GQ magazine cover. Just to be certain, she snatched the driver’s phone from his hands.

  “Hey!” he protested. “You can’t do that!”

  She held a hand up. “I can have you arrested for harassing an officer of the law.” The phone was locked, but she dialed the emergency contact number, then waited for an answer.

  “Fenrir Corporation, Security Department. How may I direct your call?”

  That was all she needed. “Tell your boss to stay away from me.” She tossed the phone back at him and marched away before she did something stupid.

  Adrenaline pumped in her veins, making her forget about the need for a caffeine boost. She walked back to the station, hoping the exercise would make her anger dissipate. However, as she seethed, it only made the fury worse.

  That arrogant bastard! It had barely been twenty-four hours, and he a
lready had his goons following her. If she had any doubt that he was hiding something, they were all gone now. Her visit shook him up, and now he was having his people tail her, and God knows what else. Probably look into her background. Not that she had had anything to hide. It wasn’t like she had any weaknesses. Although …

  Dad. And Pappoús.

  She sat up straighter. Surely Lucas Anderson wouldn’t try to harm two old men. But she didn’t know him at all, and who knew how ruthless he could be? With all his money and power, surely he could crush anyone he thought beneath him. The fact that families and loved ones were always vulnerable to retaliation was like a shadow that hung over detectives and other law enforcement agents. They could be easy prey to people who would want to put pressure on police officers.

  She made a decision. A stupid one maybe, but if she didn’t nip this in the bud, she might regret it later. Hesitation and waiting on the sidelines had gotten her in trouble. Now she would face the lion and show him she wasn’t afraid.

  Just as Sofia had thought, Lucas Anderson didn’t leave the office until hours after most normal people went home. It was just after nine o’clock when she spotted his familiar, tall form exiting the Fenrir Corporation building, heading toward the sleek black town car waiting by the door. She had been waiting in her car, parked across the street from the building. Sliding out of the driver’s seat, she made a beeline for him.

  He was reaching for the door when she approached him. The look he gave her was one of complete surprise. “Detective? What—”

  “Don’t play dumb,” she warned. “You know why I’m here.”

  That cold mask slipped back on. “I do?”

  “You think you can have me followed and I wouldn’t notice it?” she seethed. “Did you look into my background too?”