They surround me, ask questions, but what am I supposed to tell them?
Someone tried to kill Blue Lowen again. No biggie.
I talk, explain, describe what happened. They listen and nod.
Their gaze… pities me.
At some point, Storm Nolan approaches me again, asking how I am holding up.
I grimace. "Well, once again, I’ve learned the hard way that I can’t trust anyone in my security detail. Evidently, my bodyguards were bought off too. No one knew about this meeting, I didn’t inform anyone. I arranged everything directly with Mr. Ragu, but clearly, some of them got an offer… they couldn’t refuse."
The purple alpha spreads his hands in a helpless gesture.
"Then you need better security."
I let out a dry laugh and look him up and down.
"Volunteering? A purple alpha like you might actually get the job done."
"Sorry, not my line of work," he says with a smirk, coughing meaningfully. "I'm in the business of finding True Mates."
I raise an eyebrow and let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a scoff. Plenty of people before him have claimed they can spot fated mates, but as a scientist who studies this among other things, I remain highly skeptical.
"That’d have to be real magic to pull something like that off," I say in a tone that tries to sound diplomatic but, well, doesn't.
"Sometimes, I even manage it on the spot," he shoots back, his gaze boring into mine.
"You trying to tell me something?" I raise an eyebrow.
"All I’m saying," he replies, "is that you might want to show up at the next marriage contract fair hosted by Fate’s Choice in two weeks."
I let out a sound of pure disdain.
"I don’t attend events like that. And I’m not looking for my TM. I’m a skeptic about the whole concept. Relationships aren’t everything. There are plenty of other fulfilling things in life," my tone is deliberately haughty.
Storm gives me a pointed look.
"Well, suit yourself. But I’ll just say this, you might find someone there who could also help you with your security issues."
Storm suddenly bites his lip and looks away, like he realizes he has said too much. What does he mean by ‘security issues’? I am already forming the question when he cuts in again.
"Right. Well, I think it’s time for us to go," he says quickly, as if to smooth things over. "Of course, we’ll show up for police questioning at the scheduled time."
Funny.
Is Storm just another person trying to use me for his own gain? Having someone like Blue Lowen use their services would make headlines, basically free advertising.
But what if he’s actually being honest? What if his intentions are genuine?
As he walks away, this thought crosses my mind, there is one factor that could, in theory, support his claim: he’s a purple alpha, and they are known for seeing more than others.
Well, who knows. Maybe I could entertain the idea of showing up at one of those fairs? If only to see the spectacle for myself.
If Fate decides to intervene, maybe it will steer my life in a different direction. Otherwise, nothing changes. Just another day in my life. I survived, and that alone is already a net positive, is it not?
GABRIEL
I sit in a glass booth inside a massive hall where desperate people put their marriage contracts up for sale. This particular hall is for alphas only, though there are others for omegas and betas. The upper age limit here seems to hover around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and there are not many older than that.
