Chapter 526

Nathan

I settled onto the plush leather sofa in Dan’s lavish sitting room, my gaze automatically drifting to the floor-to-ceiling windows that showcased a breathtaking view of Dan’s bustling pack territory, its lights twinkling in the light of dusk.

A glass of scotch swirled in my hand, and the flavor of a luxurious dinner still lingered on my tongue. But despite the luxury that was surrounding me, my skin crawled with discomfort.

This had been my life for weeks now—playing the part of the Alpha who was putting on a brave face in the wake of a crumbling marriage. All to maintain my cover and infiltrate Dan’s inner circle from within.

And yet, no amount of designer scotch or fancy accommodations could make this charade sit right with me. I hated it here, hated everything that Dan stood for. In a way, I hated that I ever joined the Alpha association to begin with.

But in a way, I was also glad that I had; because now, I knew about the sex trafficking ring. And maybe, if I played my cards right, I could take it down.

The creak of the heavy oak doors made me look up as Dan swept into the room, a haughty smirk playing on his lips as always. He tossed a newspaper on the coffee table in front of me, the glossy front page already creased from being roughly flipped through.

“I take it you’ve seen the news, youngling?” he asked, his voice containing that usual mocking edge—although at this point, I couldn’t quite figure out if ‘youngling’ was an insult or a term of endearment. Maybe both.

Fighting to keep my expression neutral, I glanced down at the screaming headline accompanied by that damning photo of me with Mira. “I have,” I said coolly.

Dan clicked his tongue as he poured himself a drink at the bar.

“Messy business, getting caught with one of the escorts in public. Though I must commend you on keeping your cool in front of the press.” He leveled me with a penetrating look over the rim of his glass. “I was surprised you didn’t simply tell the truth and clear the air about your… separation from Olivia.”

My heart kicked up a beat, but years of training kicked in so I could maintain an unflustered demeanor. Part of me wanted to point out to Dan that he and his escort had been conveniently cropped from the picture, but that would imply that I had seen the originals.

And I couldn’t have that.

“I prefer to keep such personal matters private for now,” I replied evenly. “The pack is already on edge for various reasons. Adding more fuel to that fire with public statements would only create further chaos and bad press that we don’t need.”

Dan regarded me for a long time over his glass, saying nothing. For a long few moments, his calculating dark eyes bored into me, as if trying to see through my lies or maybe even read my mind.

Just when I thought he might call my bluff, his lips stretched into a pleased grin.

“Smart man,” he purred, swirling the amber liquid lazily around in his glass. “Keep them hungry for the truth—then, when the time comes, you can twist it to your needs. Give the people enough time to stew, and they’re surprisingly… malleable.”

I felt my upper lip curl back in a wry smile, all while internally I craved to watch this sicko fall out of the window behind him. “Thank you, Dan,” I said. “I have my reasons for proceeding this way.”

He chuckled under his breath. “That you do, youngling. That you do…”

…

“Ah. If it isn’t our guest of honor.”

As I stepped into the parlor, Dan’s voice carried across the crowd and met me through the smokey haze.

I met his eyes with a polite smile and raised my glass—glasses of scotch had become a permanent fixture in my hands since I had come here. I hardly ever drank any of it; it was just a way to gain brownie points in Dan’s eyes. And it was working.

“Nathan, I hear you are going to visit the southern packs with Alpha Dan…”

As the dinner party carried on, my social battery began to wane. I chatted amicably with the other socialites, shared jokes and stories, but my eyes were on one woman: Mira.

She stood on the other side of the room, chatting with one of the other Alphas. She, and the other escorts, milled around. Some of them had already been claimed for the night, but not Mila.

No, we had other plans.

She caught me staring and offered the faintest of nods, one that could easily be mistaken for mere social pleasantry by any observers. But I recognized it for what it truly was—a silent signal that she was ready to speak in private.

Inclining my head in return, I murmured an excuse to my company and headed for the hallway that would provide the privacy we required.

Mira slipped in a few minutes later, her expression grave. Before I could open my mouth to ask what was wrong, she turned to show me the garish bruises mottling her lower back and side.

“He caught me snooping in his office,” she murmured, low and urgent. “One of the other girls told him she saw me leaving. This was his… punishment.”

A muscle ticked in my jaw as I took in the ugly, violet bruises on her skin. By ‘he’, she meant her pimp. I knew he would become an issue, but not this soon.

“Mira…” I began in an apologetic tone, unsure of what to say. But before I could finish, she shook her head fiercely, cutting me off.

“Don’t worry, I know what you’re going to ask; no, I didn’t give up anything about our plan. But…” Her dark eyes were filled with a fear I hadn’t witnessed since our first night together. “I can’t stay here any longer, Nathan. He thinks I was just snooping around for cash, but he’ll kill me if he finds out the truth.”

It was a risk I wasn’t willing to take. Not when this awful place was the key to finally taking down the trafficking ring once and for all. And Mira had been instrumental in all of it; I couldn’t leave her in harm’s way.

“You’re right,” I said quietly, glancing over my shoulder just in case anyone was eavesdropping. “You can’t stay here. I’ll help you escape.”

Mira opened her mouth as if to protest, but I wouldn’t let that happen. “I’m getting you out of here tonight. There’s a boat that can take you away, down to the southern pack territories, where I can meet up with you in a few weeks.”

Her relief was palpable in the way her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. With a curt nod, I turned on my heel and strode out, already formulating the plan to orchestrate this escape.

A few hours later, in the inky blackness of the night, I met Mira at the far edge of the property, far from prying eyes and security cameras. She wore a simple dark hoodie, the hood pulled up to obscure her face in shadow.

Not a word was uttered between us as I ushered her into the back seat of my sleek black sedan, nor did we speak on the tense drive away from Dan’s estate, which was fully dark by now.

Only once we crossed into my own pack territory did either of us finally dare to speak.

I took a sideways glance at Mira, her knuckles white where she still gripped the door handle. “You’re safe now, Mira,” I said with a sigh. “You can relax now. We’ll get you settled at the villa and then in the morning—”

“Thank you.” The words tumbled out of her mouth before I could finish, causing my eyes to widen slightly. “If there’s any way I can make this up to you, I will.”

My jaw clenched hard at her words. “You don’t need to make anything up to me, Mira. This is just basic human decency.”

She swallowed. “What will you do now, with me gone?” she whispered.

“I’ll figure it out,” I replied. “I always do.”