by Lola Gabriel
Chessa realized it was well past ten. The call must have been the agency giving her the details of her next job.
“Oh, of course,” she replied. “We’ll be fine now. Thank you.”
“Thank you, Freya,” Ally repeated.
“Anytime,” Freya said. “In fact, if you ever need an overnight nurse again, ask for me by name, okay?”
“I will,” Chessa’s mom assured her.
Chessa stood up.
“I’ll walk you down,” she said.
Freya nodded and followed Chessa down the stairs. Freya gathered her things, and they said their goodbyes, Chessa thanking her again. She watched her walk to a blue car parked outside of the gate. Freya gave her a wave and got in. Chessa returned the wave and closed the door. She headed back up to her mom, but she was barely halfway up when there was a knock on the door.
Chessa frowned. Surely for someone to get to the door that quickly, they would have had to have been in sight before she closed the front door, and she didn’t remember seeing anyone. She debated ignoring the door. It would only be a salesman, anyway; she wasn’t expecting anything. There was another knock, and Chessa sighed and turned around, going back down the stairs. Maybe her mother had ordered something off Amazon or something.
Chessa pulled the door open, surprised to see Freya standing there with a sheepish smile.
“Did you forget something?” Chessa asked, pulling the door open wider so Freya could come in. Freya shook her head.
“Actually, I know this is a lot to ask, but my car won’t start, and I wondered if you’d be kind enough to give me a ride home? I have to get changed and get to another job, or I’d walk, but I’ll never make it in time.”
“Um,” Chessa said. “How far away do you live? I just don’t like to leave Mom for too long.”
“Oh, I understand. It’s only about fifteen minutes by car, twenty, tops.”
“Okay,” Chessa said. “Just give me a minute to tell her where I’m going.”
She could justify leaving for under an hour, and Ally did seem really well today. She would feel awful turning Freya away, especially when her mom had gotten on with her so well. And the agency was clearly short-staffed having lost Bridget, and she would hate to think someone didn’t get the care they needed because of her being paranoid.
Chessa ran upstairs and into her mom’s room, explaining the issue with Freya’s car and asking her if she would be alright on her own for a little while. Her mom assured her she would be fine and practically shooed her out of the room. Chessa went back downstairs and grabbed her cell phone and her car keys.
“Thank you, I hate to impose like this,” Freya said as they walked down the garden towards Chessa’s car.
“Oh, honestly, it’s fine, don’t worry about it. I haven’t used my car since I got here—after living in the city, everything here seems so close—and it’ll do the engine good to get used.”
“Once I get to work later on, I’ll call my breakdown recovery service and get the car towed away,” she said.
Chessa nodded and unlocked the car. The two women got in.
“That way,” Freya said, pointing. Chessa drove off in the direction she indicated. “You live in the city?”
Chessa told her all about life in California and then why she had come back. She didn’t mention Noah; it would only get complicated, and it was really no one else’s business. Freya told her about a couple of years she’d spent traveling before coming back home. She kept directing Chessa as she talked.
“You really live out in the middle of nowhere, don’t you?” Chessa commented as she drove out of the town and towards the mountains.
“Yeah.” Freya smiled. “It makes me look pretty anti-social, doesn’t it? But it’s not like that at all. I inherited the house from my grandmother when she passed away, and I can’t bear to part with it for that reason.”
Chessa turned right when Freya told her to. They were really in the middle of nowhere now. Chessa thought it was beautiful, looking over at the expanse of fields, the green blanket broken only by hedge rows and the occasional tree.
“What’s it like out here in the winter?” she asked.
“Picturesque,” Freya replied. “But a bit scary. I’m always worried I’ll get snowed in. It’s only ever happened once, but believe me, that was enough.”
“Oh, I can imagine,” Chessa said.
In front of her, she saw gates looming up, high brick walls on either side of them. She was struck by the similarity between Freya’s home and the clinic she’d been at yesterday. Instantly, her mind went back to the test and the wait for the results, and she was surprised when she realized she had managed to forget about them for a couple of minutes. Maybe driving Freya home really had been a good thing. Maybe it had been exactly what she needed, just to talk to a stranger about mundane things.
The gates started to open as she approached them, and she saw that Freya had opened them from her cell phone.
“Handy app.” Freya grinned. “Saves me having to get out of my car and do it manually.”
Chessa followed the driveway along a road lined on either side by tall trees. Finally, Freya’s house came into view. It was an old colonial style house. Chessa gasped when she saw it.
“It’s beautiful,” she said.
“Thanks,” Freya said. Chessa pulled up the car, and Freya unclicked her seat belt. She reached for the door handle. “Thanks again, Chessa,” she said. “You’re a total life saver.”
“No worries,” Chessa replied.
“Oh, just one more thing,” Freya added, turning back to her.
Before Chessa had time to register what was happening, Freya’s fist connected with her temple, and her vision went black. Freya smiled to herself as she watched the trickle of blood run down Chessa’s cheek as her head slumped forward.
Freya got out of the car and walked around to the driver’s door. She pulled it open and shoved Chessa roughly to the side. She unclipped her seat belt and then pulled Chessa’s cell phone from the dashboard. She dropped it to the ground and stomped on it until it smashed.
“You won’t be needing that anymore,” she said, smiling as she reached into the car and began dragging Chessa’s limp body out by her armpits.
9
Noah sat in his father’s office, his insides swirling with nerves. This was it. Gideon had called him not long after Chessa had left his apartment and told him he had her test results. He had refused to discuss it over the phone, and his tone of voice had given nothing away.
Noah had ended the call, trying to work out if the request to see him in person was a good thing or a bad thing. It could mean that Chessa didn’t have the Sanmere protein in her, and his father wanted to see him in person to make sure he was still intending to go through with his end of the deal and marry Raina. It wouldn’t be to console him or offer any emotional support. That wasn’t really Gideon’s style.
It could just as easily be to tell him that Chessa did have Sanmere in her blood, and to arrange when he would turn her and when the mating ceremony would take place. His father would want his word that this would all happen quickly. If that was the case, he would get no arguments from Noah. He would do it all that very day, if Chessa was up for it.
The not knowing was starting to really take its toll on Noah, and it was taking everything he had to remain seated, patiently waiting for his father to come to him. His mother had informed him Gideon was on an important conference call with some of the other district alphas, and he had requested Noah wait for him in his office. Noah had debated going through his father’s papers, but he knew Gideon well enough to know that there was no chance he would have left the test results lying around like that.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity but couldn’t have been longer than about twenty minutes, Noah’s father appeared in his office doorway. He came in and patted Noah on the shoulder before taking his seat. He eyed Noah stoically for a moment. Noah got the impression his father was enjoying d
ragging this out and making him wait, but he told himself he was being ridiculous.
“Well, let’s just get this over with, son,” Gideon said. “Rip off the band-aid, so to speak. I’m sorry, Noah. Chessa doesn’t carry the Sanmere protein.”
Noah felt as though the bottom of his world had been ripped away and he was falling through a black void of despair. Although he had tried not to get his hopes up, he had pretty much convinced himself that Raina was right and Chessa was his soul mate and would have the protein. He cleared his throat, struggling to swallow around the lump that filled it. How could this have happened? How could the universe be so cruel as to deal him such a savage blow?
He told himself to calm down. Raina was right. Chessa was still his soul mate. This just meant their time together would be shorter. It meant they’d have to cram an eternity into the next six decades and live every moment like it counted. The thought soothed him a little. He knew convincing Chessa to give them a shot would be hard, but he would do it. He would make her see that one lifetime with her was worth a thousand with anyone else.
“Noah?” his father called. “Are you listening to me?”
Noah blinked, pushing the emotions to one side.
“Yes, Dad, I heard you,” he said. “I’m sorry. I just… I expected a different result, that’s all. I just needed a moment to wrap my head around it.”
“I understand,” Gideon said. His next words, though, indicated that he didn’t understand at all. Not even one little bit. “You must go to Raina and apologize for being so inattentive. Make it up to her, and between the two of you, set a date for the mating ceremony. I expect it be within the next few weeks at the latest. Do you understand me?”
“I… What? I can’t think about that now,” Noah argued.
“We had a deal,” his father reminded him. “Your mother and I have lived up to our end of it, and now it’s your turn. It’s time to be a man, Noah, and learn that being the future alpha of this pack comes before your own needs.”
“Jeez, Dad, I get it, okay?” Noah snapped. “But I have to call Chessa and let her know. Just give me today to say goodbye to her. Please.”
Gideon gave one single nod of his head. “One day, Noah. No matter what happens today, I expect you to sort this thing out with Raina. I will be expecting your call tomorrow to confirm that has happened. Is that clear?”
“Crystal,” Noah said. He stood up and left the office without adding anything. He didn’t have another word for his father—none that wouldn’t lead to a slanging match, anyway, and he didn’t have the energy for that right now. He had less than one day to convince Chessa to leave town with him, and that was going to be even harder because of her mom. But if he could get her to agree, he could lie low, let his father think he had left town until Ally was back to health.
He was barely out of the door when his mother appeared before him.
“I’m so sorry, son,” she said, pulling him into a hug.
Noah stood stiffly, allowing her to hug him but making no effort to return the gesture. As his mom held him, he heard his father on a call in his office.
“Freya? It’s Gideon. Proceed immediately.”
Noah wondered briefly who Freya was and what she was proceeding to do. The name didn’t ring a bell with him. She wasn’t one of the alphas of the district, and she wasn’t one of the pack. He didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything except making Chessa see she couldn’t leave him again.
He disentangled himself from his mother’s embrace and left the house without looking back. His parents had made their choice. They could have let him leave with Chessa, enjoy their time together, and then he would have come back ready to lead the pack. But no. Instead, they’d chosen to force him to give up the love of his life. He felt no guilt at betraying them, although he did feel bad for the pack.
He wandered aimlessly along the street, pulling his cell phone out to call Chessa. He found her number and dialed it, hating himself for even having to make this call. The phone rang and eventually went to voicemail. He hung up without leaving a message. There was no way Chessa was getting this news via a voicemail. The more he thought about it, the more relieved he was that she had missed his call. If she was there in front of him, it would be easier to convince her that he had thought this through, that he wanted her, not Raina.
His walk became more purposeful as he changed directions and headed to Ally’s place. There was a part of Noah—a part he didn’t like—that gave him an alternate idea from throwing his life at Chessa’s mercy: he could just lie. Tell her she had the Sanmere protein, but that she couldn’t turn until she was twenty-nine. It would give him two years to make her see that they could be happy. As tempting as it was, though, he couldn’t do that. He could never lie to Chessa, not about something so big. No, he would do this the right way, even though he was dreading it.
He was halfway there when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out, expecting it to be Chessa returning his call. He would tell her he was on his way over. He looked at the screen and frowned. It was Raina. Clearly, his father had lied about giving him the day. He’d called Raina and had her call him.
Noah debated cutting the call off and sending it to voicemail, but he reminded himself none of this was Raina’s fault. She didn’t want to be mated to him any more than he wanted to be mated to her. He had to give her the benefit of the doubt here. He had no idea what his father had told her. He took the call.
“Hey, Raina,” he said.
“Noah? Are you alone?” she asked.
Noah could hear panic in her voice, and he frowned slightly. “Yes. Is something wrong?”
“Maybe. Yes. Noah, I need to talk to you. Now.”
Noah opened his mouth to tell her he was busy, that he was on his way to Chessa’s place to break both of their hearts. But Raina sounded genuinely scared. Would it kill him to take an hour or two out of his day to hear her out? It was not like he was in any hurry to see the look on Chessa’s face when he told her she didn’t have the Sanmere protein.
“What’s happened?” he asked.
“Please, Noah, just come over,” she pleaded.
“I’m on my way,” he said. “Text me your door number.”
He turned and headed for Raina’s place. The text came through almost immediately. The number and a single word: Hurry.
Noah was practically running by the time he reached Raina’s building. He pressed the button beside her apartment number and waited to hear her voice on the intercom. Instead, the door buzzed open. He stepped inside.
He took a moment to get his bearings, and he worked out Raina was on the second floor. He took the stairs, figuring it would be as quick, if not quicker, than waiting for the elevator. He found Raina’s door. She pulled it open mid-knock and ushered him inside. Noah could see the agitation in the stiff way she held herself. Her skin was pasty white. He felt his heart skip a beat. Something was very wrong here, and he suddenly had a feeling it was about more than him or his father.
“Raina?” he said. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Raina took Noah by the hand, leading him to a pale cream couch. She sat down heavily, pulling Noah down with her. She kept hold of his hand, squeezing it hard enough that it hurt a little.
“A friend of mine got wind of a Matchmaker in the area. I know the majority of people think it’s just a rumor, but Harvey managed to track her down. He’s been trying to infiltrate her lair and end her, but he hasn’t been able to do it yet. He got word that the Matchmaker had a lead on a woman with Sanmere in her blood. He’s been watching the lair, and he saw the Matchmaker taking in an unconscious woman. Noah, her description matches Chessa to a tee, even down to the red streaks in her hair.”
Noah felt relief flood him. He never would have imagined a situation where he was grateful that Chessa didn’t have Sanmere in her blood, but here was one right now.
“It’s not her, Raina. My father had a test ran at his lab, and he’s just called me over to give me the resu
lts. Chessa doesn’t have Sanmere in her blood.”
“Shit, I’m sorry, Noah. I was so sure she had the Sanmere protein! But I’m glad it’s not her. Freya is apparently one of the most barbaric Matchmakers Harvey has ever come across. She likes to torture her charges before she sells them on. I mean, nothing that would leave a mark, but mental stuff, you know?” Raina turned to Noah and trailed off when she saw how pale he had turned. “Noah?”
Noah’s mind was whirling. He had heard that name just earlier today.
“It’s her, Raina. My father… he lied to me. He was so fixated on having a male heir, he lied about Chessa having the Sanmere in her blood. Her dream…”
“What?” Raina demanded. “Noah, you’re not making any sense.”
“Raina, my father sold Chessa out to a Matchmaker so that we couldn’t be together! When I was leaving his office today, my mom stopped me and held me. My father, he thought I was gone. Or he didn’t care that I heard because he didn’t expect me to work it out. He was on a call, and he told someone named Freya to proceed immediately.”
“Are you sure that’s the name he said?” Raina asked.
“I’m certain. I remember wondering who it was because her name wasn’t familiar and then telling myself I didn’t care.”
“Look, Noah, I know I was the one who brought this up, and the descriptions match, but it’s quite a stretch to go from one line of a phone call to assuming your father, the alpha of our pack, is handing humans over to a Matchmaker.”
“You’re right. I know it sounds crazy, but everything in me told me Chessa had the protein. You thought so yourself! I know how I can make sure, though.” Noah pulled his cell phone out and thought for a moment before typing out a text and showing it to Raina when he was finished.
“‘I just wanted to say a personal thank you,’” Raina read, “‘for getting the test pushed through so quickly. And for getting me the right result.’”
“My friend did the test,” Noah explained. “He was under strict instructions to only reveal the results to my father, but when he gets this, he’ll know I have the results now. Either he’ll confirm that Chessa does indeed have the Sanmere, or he’ll assume that I was secretly hoping to be let off the hook.”