~~
David
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Reece had told me that there was an FBI agent coming to help with the investigation and that they wanted to meet with him. He wanted me to go and vet this person, see what they were like and if we could trust them. So, that was why I had been on my way to the police station right now.
"Dammit, why does it seem like I am being punished?" I asked the empty car as I drove. "I have a feeling I didn't do enough during the battle and now I am in trouble." I hung my head and sighed as these things made me feel a little more than slightly depressed.
When I arrived at the station I found out that there had been two FBI agents there. The first left to go visit with Reece in person.
'FUCK!' I screamed inside my head. 'Reece is going to be mad that I couldn't stop her from going to the estate.'
The second FBI agent had gone to get them checked into their hotel rooms and I had just missed him as well.
'DAMMIT!' I couldn't win with this damn situation.
Well, I failed on my mission two for two so far. I was also supposed to get as much info from the local police as I could. There was no way I was going to fail with that part. I spent all day gathering the info they had. I needed to figure all of this out and organize it. The problem was, there was just not enough information to warrant anything.
I spent all day that day and the next gathering information by interviewing every street cop and detective that had even sneezed in the direction of this case. I was thorough and meticulous when it came to information like this. I needed to keep things clear and make sure that anything and everything was accounted for.
Reece had told me that I was going to be working directly with the FBI after I had gathered all the information that I could so I was doing the best that I could so that they wouldn't think that I was incompetent.
Today Reece had called me so that we could meet up with the FBI agents together. I had been busy over the weekend and was not able to connect with them, they had gone to interview the victim families while I handled my part so we were separately busy. Now, though, it was time for the big meeting.
I just hoped that they were not too angry over Reece sending us to work with them. I know that at least one was a wolf, based on what Reece had told me, but I don't think that they both were. This was going to be tricky. How were we going to work together if we had to hide things from one of them every step of the way?
They were staying in a house that Reece owned now instead of the hotel. He wanted to be hospitable to them, to show them that we were friends. As soon as we parked the car and started to walk toward the house a man opened the door and stormed out.
This man was clearly human, but he had the attitude of a wolf for sure. I knew that this man was Agent Jackson McIan, the second in command for the FBI agents that were helping us. It seemed that not just his attitude would have fit in with the wolves, he was tall, and very strong looking. If he had been a wolf he could have been a warrior.
"Mr. Gray, good evening." Agent McIan called out to us as we approached. "I hope you don't find this rude, but can you explain to me why it's so important you and your cronies are part of my investigation?" He was definitely suspicious of all of us, especially since none of us had ever met him before.
"May we discuss this inside, Agent McIan?" Reece smiled at him to show that we were not a threat. The man seemed to visibly darken at his words though and was immediately on guard.
"I would like to refuse, but as Otsana is in charge of this investigation I can't very well say no."
"That, and I do own this house." Reece joked with him.
"Of course you do. Because why not, you seem to own everything else." He actually laughed at that one.
"Jack, enough with the tough guy routine, these are important members of our investigative team." A lovely female voice called out from inside the house.
"I don't see why we need a group of PIs, especially one that's just a billionaire playboy playing games."
"Is that how the world sees me?" Reece looked between me and Noah as he asked this.
"Absolutely not, Sir." I answered immediately.
"Definitely." Noah was joking around like usual.
"I'm a billionaire, yes. But I am so much more than that. Can't we just talk for a little while Agent McIan, I'm sure you will come to trust me more."
"Whatever." McIan said, stepping aside and letting us in.
We started into the house again and as I did I heard that musical voice again, but I also smelled the most perfect scent in the world. It was my mate. She was here and my wolf was already howling.
"Forgive him, he's just acting like a big brother to me. Even though he's younger than-." The woman stopped mid sentence as she started to stare at me. Her face was full of shock and awe. I know that I, likewise, had a shocked and dumbfounded look on my face.
"What's the matter Rawlynne?" Agent McIan asked her with a hint of worry. "Do you recognize one of them as a criminal?"
"None of us are criminals." Noah spat at the man.
"I know what's happening here." Reece laughed.
"How can it be?" She breathed in disbelief.
"I can't believe it." I sighed. "After all these years, I've finally found you."
"You two know each other?" Agent McIan asked his partner, but still she didn't answer him.
"I'm ninety-nine percent sure they've never met before." Reece assured the man.
"Then how could they have been looking for each other?" He was thoroughly confused.
"That is a little hard to explain at the moment." Noah seemed uncomfortable.
I started to walk toward the woman. Such a beauty she was. But why was she backing away from me with every step that I took toward her? She was my mate. I was her mate. She should be just as happy as I am. So, why was she backing away from me?
"Why are you backing away from me?" I asked her with pain in my voice.
"This is the wrong time. I'm not ready." She pleaded. "I've got career goals, plans for my future that I thought I would follow. This wasn't part of it."
"But we can't fight fate." I cooed at her in a calming voice.
She had backed up against the wall, unable to move back any further so she just stared at me approaching her. She could have turned and fled in a different direction but she was mesmerized.
"What is going on here?" Agent McIan asked.
"You're watching destiny unfold before you." Reece answered him.
"Destiny?" He scoffed before falling silent.
"What's your name?" I asked her.
"No." She shook her head.
"Her name is Rawlynne Otsana, David, didn't you hear us talking earlier?" I heard Reece's voice.
"Rawlynne." I smiled as I said her name. "I'm sorry, I stopped hearing anything for a little bit earlier. My dreams have all come true after all."
"Stop saying that." Otsana yelled as I inched closer still.
"Rawlynne." That name of hers was so sweet, I just had to say it again.
"Don't. Don't say my name." She shivered both times she had heard me say her name.
"But it's so beautiful. And you smell so wonderful. Like soft subtle flowers and sweet decadent fruits. The smell, and sight, of you is making my mouth water." I felt desire well up in me, and I knew my eyes were darkening.
"Stop, don't say anymore." Her voice was weak.
"That's fine by me, there's something else I'd rather do anyway."
At that I leaned forward, and wrapped my right arm around her waist and pulled her toward me. Placing my lips on hers I felt like I had just died and gone to heaven. My left hand was on the back of her head, angling her for a deeper kiss and holding her to me in an intimate position. We were kissing like it wasn't the first time but the hundredth time. This was like we were lovers, like we had been together for so long.
"Stop!" Agent McIan came to his senses and yelled at us. "This is unacceptable and frankly inappropriate. Rawlynne, you don't even know this man, why are you letting him kiss you like that?" He yelled at her.
"She can't help it, McIan, it's destiny."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He looked even more perplexed.
"It's hard for me to explain, but for them just now, it was love at first sight."
"Love at first sight doesn't exist."
Rawlynne pushed me away then, causing me and my wolf to both growl. I wasn't happy, right now, I wanted more. I was being more assertive right now than I had ever been in my life and I know it was all due to my new mate.
"Oh, it exists alright." Rawlynne was breathing heavily when she spoke to Agent McIan.
"What's going on here?" He asked her as I tried to pull her in for a hug.
"David, control yourself." Reece snapped at me. "We have business to discuss." I turned away from my new mate and bowed my head in depression.
"Yes, you're right, Sir." I finally let my hands drop but I stayed standing next to my new mate.
The five of us settled on the couches and chairs in the living room, I made certain to sit as close to my mate as I could. Agent McIan was still glaring at me the entire time. Perhaps he was in love with Rawlynne too.
"Will someone explain all of this to me?" He demanded, breaking the tense silence in the room. He was acting big and intimidating but it didn't go well with the pale blue armchair that matched the very girly living room around us, filled with pastel colors and pretty furniture.
"It's hard to explain, as I said." Noah told him.
"We need to tell him the truth, Noah. We would have to anyway, with the turn things have taken." Reece advised.
"Alpha, no!" I yelled at him.
"Alpha?" Agent McIan picked up on that right away. "Why did you call him alpha?"
"Oh, well, I, you see, he's-." I was a fool to slip up like that.
"Because I am his alpha." Reece told him. "Agent McIan, you are about to enter a world that you have never known before. But it is a world that has always been there, just unseen by you."
"What are you saying?" He was quickly losing his patience, he was apparently no good with being so out of control.
"Jack, let me explain a little." Rawlynne spoke to him soothingly.
"Wait, Otsana, let me start." Reece interrupted.
"Alright." She nodded.
"Jack, may I call you Jack?"Reece was speaking soothingly, trying to gain the man's confidence. McIan nodded his head to show it was ok. "Now, Jack, the reason I am here, that we're all here and intruding on your investigation is that three of the missing boys are from my pack."
"Pack?" Jack looked skeptical at the word but Reece just continued.
"During my private investigation I believe I have narrowed down the suspect list to who is responsible. That is not saying he took the children personally but had his people do it for him."
"And who is this person?" Jack wondered but Reece ignored him.
"The problem is, we do not know exactly where this man is hiding. I had called a contact of mine in Europe to send someone to help us all. Unfortunately that man was not up to the challenge of living in modern day society and has unfortunately met a very abrupt ending."
"Ending?" McIan quirked his eyebrow.
"Rest assured, he was at least a few hundred years old and had lived a full life."
"You expect me to believe that Reece?" Jack asked.
"You'll believe it soon enough. You see, the man in question was a vampire." Jack interrupted then with a loud, barking laugh.
"Yeah, sure, a vampire." He continued laughing. "Can we move past the fairy tales and get to the real story?" He asked.
"I'm afraid this is not a fairy tale, Jack. This is all real. The Emissary that came to me this morning was indeed a vampire, but he has since perished. I killed him myself." Reece was admitting to so much right now, this was dangerous.
"Are you a vampire hunter now?" McIan chuckled.
"No Jack," Reece smiled at him with his canine teeth slightly extended on both the top and bottom. "I'm a werewolf." Jack exploded into laughter at that.
"Right, a werewolf. Beware the full moon buddy." He wiped tears from his eyes that were caused from the uncontrollable laughter.
"He's telling the truth." Noah told him. Jack looked between the two of them and saw the teeth and the changes in their pupils that marked a partial change.
"What the hell?" He jumped to his feet and backed against the wall, much like Otsana had. "What are you people? Stay away from me." He had genuine fear in his eyes now.
"I need you to understand that we are not monsters, Jack. People like me live and work in the world, all around you. We're here, among the humans. We do not cause problems. If someone does, we tend to take care of that person immediately."
"But you're monsters." He seemed frightened.
"Jack." Rawlynne said standing up. "They're not monsters." She walked over to the man at the wall and put a hand on his shoulder. "After all, if they're monsters then so am I." She told him, causing him to look at her instead of my Alpha.
"Rawlynne, you…you…you're one of them?" He stumbled on his words momentarily before he could talk.
"Yes, Jack I am. And I am not a monster am I?" She asked him, her canines elongated and her eyes shining.
"No." He shook his head. "No you're not." He was calming a little, just a little. "But, when?" He asked her,
"What do you mean when?" She laughed at him.
"When did you become a werewolf?"
"I was born one." She told him with a smile. "Werewolf doesn't mean what Hollywood has told you. We don't change during a full moon, but whenever we want. The moon is like a symbol of power to us. We are not monsters or freaks. We are just people, like you, only a little special." She was soothing him.
"You weren't bitten?" She shook her head to answer him. "So, I can't be turned out of spite or by accident?"
"No Jack, though I have heard that there are ways to become one if a human truly wants to, but I don't know the specifics of that."
"I need to sit down." He allowed her to guide him to the couch where he collapsed, seemingly spent from all the revelations.
