The morning after his night with John, Carter pulled up into Grayson’s driveway at eight am on the dot. He shuffled out of his truck and up to the front door, yawning and running his hand through his hair before knocking and letting himself in. Grayson had called him half an hour ago and ordered him to come to the house, offering no explanation or reason before hanging up the phone.
Carter wasn’t too chuffed. He’d hardly slept a wink after he went to bed, unable to stop thinking about the appointment Owen’s grandmother was setting up for him, and he knew he’d be useless until he’d hear back.
And then there was John. Just thinking about the young human had Carter’s chest filled with warmth, and his cock throbbed at the memory of the needy way John had whined as Carter split him open on his dick.
Carter made his way through the house to Grayson’s office. He knocked once to announce himself before letting himself in, finding Grayson sitting behind his desk looking furious.
Carter wondered what had gone wrong this time.
“You called?” he said, walking forward and dropping down into the chair opposite the alpha. Grayson’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t comment on the fact that Carter hadn’t been told to sit.
“I need you to find Elijah and bring him home,” Grayson said. His voice was tight with barely controlled fury.
“Do you know where he is?” Carter asked, crossing his legs. This wouldn’t be the first time Grayson had asked him to retrieve his son. Considering how submissive Elijah was in bed, it was a little remarkable how he kept on defying his father by going out and getting laid.
“The tracker in his phone says he’s at the Juneberry Hotel. He’s been there since last night. I’m sure you’ll be able to find him. And Carter…” Grayson hesitated, looking frustrated, “be discreet.”
“I will,” Carter said. Then he tilted his head. “Though aren’t you being a little unreasonable here?”
“What the fuck do you mean by that?” Grayson barked, narrowing his eyes dangerously.
“You and I both know that Elijah isn’t going to be alpha. He’s just not that kind of wolf. Isn’t it time you just let him be himself and be happy?”
Grayson blinked, and for a second Carter thought he was going to attack. Elijah was Grayson’s biggest sore spot, and he refused to acknowledge what the entire pack already knew; Elijah wasn’t alpha material and never would be.
“If I wanted the opinion of someone who’d put his dick in a human, I’d ask for it. Now fuck off and bring Elijah home.”
Carter took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. It was probably for the best if Elijah and his father didn’t get along. After all, Carter had every intention of killing the boy’s father if the spell worked.
“Fine. He’s your son,” Carter said. He rose to his feet and studied his alpha. “Do you want to see him when he gets back or should I just take him right to his room?”
“Take him to his room,” Grayson snapped. “And tell him to stay there until I call for him.”
“Will do.” Carter tipped an imaginary hat in Grayson’s direction, turning around and leaving the office.
He got back into his truck and drove into the city center, parking in a parking garage down the block from the hotel. Zipping up his coat, Carter walked the short distance to the hotel with his hands tucked into his pocket.
It shouldn’t be too hard to find Elijah. Tracking him by scent in a small hotel like the Juneberry wouldn’t take more than a few minutes. It was getting him to go home that would be difficult.
Carter didn’t blame him.
He walked into the hotel, unzipping his coat as he walked and heading right for the elevators. He’d start at the top of the building and work his way down. One sniff on each floor should be enough to tell him where Elijah and his date for the night were holding up.
He hit the button to call the elevator, putting his hands in his pockets as he waited for it to arrive. While he waited a woman came to stand next to him. She was older, and when she glanced up at him he could scent her arousal, but she didn’t say anything.
The elevator opened up and Carter stepped inside. He hit the button for the top floor, looking at the woman with a questioning raise of his eyebrow.
“The fourth floor, thank you,” she said. Carter pressed the button and stepped back from the panel. As they rode up he could tell that she was dying to talk to him, but she didn’t act on it. When she got off on the fourth floor Carter smiled at her and gave her a nod.
“Have a nice day,” he said.
“You too,” she said, blushing and almost stumbling as she walked down the hall.
Carter lifted his nose and breathed in before the doors closed, testing the air for any trace of Elijah’s scent. He could smell the boy, enough to know that he was in the building, but he wasn’t on this floor.
He rode up and started his search from the top. He didn’t have any luck on the two top floors, but when he got to the eighth he struck gold. Elijah’s scent filled the hall, and Carter had no problem following it down the hall until he reached the door of Elijah’s room.
Curiously, Elijah’s was the only scent Carter could smell. Even if his date for the night had left the night before, Carter should have been able to smell some trace of him in the air.
