Chapter 0245

Seraphina

I down another gulp of wine, my blood boiling. “You want to bring in someone else to assist me?” Julian’s dark eyes remain fixed on me. He still hadn’t grasped the simple fact that aside from him, no one else worked for me. Or with me.

“Athena despises her. You witnessed it yourself when Brianna leaped from that tree. The fury in Athena’s eyes was unmistakable.”

“Then why is the girl still breathing?” I refill my glass as he searches for a response. “According to your intel, how long have they been in the pack? A year?”

“Approximately.” He shrugs, as if the timeline is irrelevant. “Perhaps my brother is preventing it.”

I let out a derisive snort, suppressing the hysterical laugh threatening to escape. “That never stopped her before.” Julian had detailed all the others my dear sister had eliminated. So what made this Brianna so exceptionally special?

“Wouldn’t an inside contact be advantageous?” he presses.

“And you believe she is that contact. How do you expect her to gather intel if Athena loathes her?”

“She’s Damien’s closest friend.”

“And?” I counter. “That means nothing if they aren’t sharing secrets. I will admit, I’m impressed she located my home. She’s the first to ever manage that.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, a headache forming. “Repeat everything she told you. Now.”

He rolls his eyes but complies, recounting Brianna’s words. “Why didn’t you just mind-link me?” I demand when he finishes.

“I’m not a complete fool. That’s precisely what she wanted. I needed to interrogate her first. Gauge her true allegiance.”

I roll my eyes right back at him and take another large swallow of wine. “My point is, hearing it firsthand allows me to detect lies. Secondhand information is unreliable.”

“She wasn’t lying.” His tone is utterly confident, but confidence doesn’t equate to correctness. I’ve spent decades surrounded by liars. Very few are ever convincing. “If Alexander had sent her, he would have provided a pack vehicle. Not some beat-up rust bucket she hotwired. I know how Alexander operates. He always flaunts his power.”

“Unless Alexander wasn’t the one who sent her,” I suggest.

Now it’s his turn to roll his eyes. “Must you challenge everything I say?”

“Oh, honey,” I purr, a cold smile touching my lips. “I’ve been playing this game far longer than you. You may be older, but your tactics are all pack-learned. You see only the immediate threat. You solve only the obvious problem. You consistently miss the larger chessboard. You were merely surviving on your own before I found you.”

I pause, watching him huff in irritation. Why do men always resist the truth? Why must they always assume control and believe their plans are infallible?

“If she shows up again—and she undoubtedly will—you call for me immediately.”

He gives a curt nod of acknowledgment. I’m already calculating, trying to discern if her curiosity was genuine or a clever ruse to gather information for Alexander and Athena.

Brianna returns the very next evening. Her dirty blonde hair is tied in a loose, messy bun atop her head. Strands frame her pretty face. She checks her reflection in the rearview mirror before stepping out of the old red car.

“Hello, Brianna,” I murmur, emerging from the shadows.

She doesn’t startle at my voice like most would. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“You were hoping for my mate?”

“Yes,” she replies, folding her arms across her chest. “Since he was here yesterday, I assumed it would be him. Besides, he made it clear he wouldn’t let me speak to you.” Her chocolate-brown eyes drop to my hands. “I see no gun. I hope that means you’re not going to shoot me.”