Chapter 5 She's not human

EDWARD

I stood by the window of my office, unable to focus on the document sitting on my desk. My skin felt tight, and my wolf was pacing inside my head, agitated by the scent of the girl down the hall.

I could not stop thinking about the blood results Evan had shown me earlier.

Someone had been drugging her with synthetic salt for years, and I needed to find out why. I decided I could not wait for Theo to give me another report, so I walked out of my office to check on her myself.

I reached the guest suite and nodded to the two guards standing outside. They straightened up and opened the doors for me. I stepped inside and stopped.

Alria was pacing back and forth, her movements fast and restless. She had kicked off her shoes, and they were lying forgotten near a corner. Her messy brown hair was falling out of its clip, and loose strands hung around her face. Her cheeks were red, and she looked thoroughly annoyed as she turned around to face me.

"You again," she said, her voice sounding raspy. "I was starting to think you forgot you were keeping a person hostage."

"I don't forget anything that happens in this tower, Alria," I said, walking further into the room. I kept my hands in my pockets so I wouldn't be tempted to touch her again.

"Then you haven't forgotten that I have a life," she said, taking two fast steps toward me. She looked flushed, and there was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. "When can I go home? I let your doctor draw my blood, and I’ve been sitting in this room for hours. I’m done with this."

"You have no home to go to until I find out who swapped that dagger in your delivery box," I said, keeping my voice cold. "The moment you walk out those doors, you become an easy target for whoever tried to kill me. You are safer here, whether you like it or not."

"I don't care about being safe!" she shouted, her temper finally snapping. "I care about my job, I care about my grandmother, and I don't like being locked in a room by a man who thinks he owns everything."

Before I could answer her, a sharp knock rang out at the door.

I stiffened. The door opened without waiting for my permission, and Victor Matteo stepped right in. He was wearing an expensive gray suit, and he was leaning on his silver-headed walking cane.

The second I saw the cane, a sharp, stabbing pain hit me right in the middle of my chest. It felt like a hot needle driving straight into my heart, but I kept my face totally blank and cold.

"Ah, Edward," Victor said, his voice dripping with fake politeness. He didn't even look at me. His small eyes were fixed on Alria. "I heard you had a guest, but I didn't realize she was so…. different."

He walked toward her, the tip of his cane clicking loudly on the floor. Alria did not back down at all. She stood her ground, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared him right in the face.

"Who are you?" she asked, her tone completely flat.

"This is Victor Matteo," I said, stepping directly between them. "He is a family friend and a member of my board. Victor, you shouldn't be in this room."

Victor ignored my warning and leaned closer to Alria, giving her a thin smile. "I am just a concerned mentor, my dear. It is not every day a delivery driver ends up locked in the Alpha’s private quarters. You are quite the charming little assassin, aren't you?"

I clenched my jaw tight. He was already snooping around, trying to figure out what happened in my office.

Alria narrowed her eyes, and she did not hesitate for a single second. "I am a courier, and I am not your dear. Why don't you mind your own business and get that ugly stick out of my face?"

I almost smiled right then and there. I had never seen anyone speak to Victor like that, especially a human. Victor’s fake smile dropped instantly, and his hand tightened around the silver head of his cane.

He stared at Alria with a completely new look on his face. It wasn't anger. It was a look of total satisfaction, like he had just found a missing piece of a puzzle he was trying to solve.

"Feisty," Victor muttered under his breath. He turned to me and tapped his cane on the floor. "You should be careful, Edward. Sometimes the things we keep locked in the dark have a way of biting back. I will leave you to your guest."

He turned on his heel and walked out, the clicking of his cane slowly fading away.

I let out a deep breath, feeling the pressure in my chest ease up as the silver moved further away. But I could not stop thinking about the look in Victor’s eyes.

He knew something about Alria.

"I hate him," Alria said, rubbing her bare arms. "He feels like a snake."

"He is a snake," I agreed. "Go back to bed, Alria. I will have Theo bring you some dinner."

I left the room before she could start another argument. I spent the next few hours sitting in my dark living room, staring out at the city lights. I didn't turn on any lamps. My mind was spinning, trying to figure out how the Moon Salt, Victor Matteo, and the silver dagger were connected.

A soft sound near the door made me turn my head.

Alria was standing there, leaning weakly on the door. She wasn't wearing her hoodie anymore, just a plain white t-shirt and dark leggings. Her skin looked bright red and flushed, and she was breathing fast.

"Alria? What are you doing out of your room?" I asked, standing up from my chair immediately.

"I don't feel right, Edward," she whispered.

She took a step toward me, but her feet were uneven, and she stumbled forward.

"I feel like I am burning up inside. Everything is too loud, and I can hear your heart beating, and it hurts."

I rushed to check her forehead for a fever.

I thought she was having a bad reaction to the blood draw or missing her salt.

But as soon as my fingers touched her warm skin, she let out a sharp gasp.

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed forward to my chest.

I caught her with both arms, holding her tight so she wouldn't hit the floor. She was shaking violently, and her skin was burning. I looked down at her hands as she grabbed the front of my shirt, and my blood went cold.

Right in front of my eyes, her short fingernails began to grow long and bone-white. She groaned in pain, and her hands twitched, her new claws slicing through my shirt and scratching deep lines into the skin of my chest.

I didn't care about the pain I was feeling, I just stared at her hands in absolute shock.

My back hit the wall behind us, and I slid down to the floor, holding her firmly in my lap. We were both sitting on the cold floor now while she groaned and twisted in pain.

"Edward..." she called out, her voice barely a whisper.

"I'm here, Alria," I said quickly. "I know it hurts..."

"I need you to kiss me," she whispered.

She wrapped her arms around my neck while we sat together on the floor. Her eyes snapped open, and her dark green pupils were glowing with a bright light.