Chapter 10— Secrets.

Third POV:

The crunch of the dried leaves under his immense paws echoed around the forest.

He looks at his wolf escorts and nods once. A command that they should return to their territory before they got caught.

"Any leads to her?" The Alpha asks from the shadows as soon as his omega and the wolf escort enter their territory.

The wolves transform back into humans as maidens bring them clothes to cover up.

"Yes Alpha," the omega replies.

A sinister smile spreads across his face. "Splendid."

Doyle's POV:

"Yes. Get me a platter of Mexican food and Chinese food and an ice-cream cake, please," I tell Lucas.

He sighs. "What type of ice cream cake?"

"I don't know. Just get the one that you think Deven will like best," I tell him.

"I haven't known her for long, how will-

"Thank you, Lucas. I would like this as soon as possible. Preferably before she wakes up," I inform him.

"Doyle! You-

I hang up and call Isaac.

"Hello," Isaac answers.

"So the documents weren't found, huh?" I ask for confirmation.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes.

"It's alright, Isaac. Just tell Claire to set up the meeting for Thursday," I convey.

"Alright."

"Also, did you higher up the defenses of our outskirts?" I inquire.

"Yes. I added five of our best fighters to guard post," he gives an account of.

"Have they detected any suspicious occurrences?" I ask him.

"Not that I've heard of."

I deep breath in and breathe out slowly.

"Inform the pack that everyone should be careful when they hunt, run, or roam around," I mandate.

"Yes sir."

"We must protect the pack-

My sentence is cut short when I hear someone walking down the stairs. I turn to my right and see Deven walking down, looking as angelic as ever, with the bedsheets wrapped around her.

"I'll call you later, Isaac," I let him know.

"Ok," he says and the humor in his voice tells me he has another thing coming, "get some."

I hang up on him, settle my phone on the counter, and open my arms to receive a hug from her.

She gives me a closed-lipped smile as struts over to my open arms.

Her head falls directly onto my chest as my arms circle around her hips.

I place a kiss on her head and speak into her, "why did you bring the bedsheets down with you?"

She shrugs.

I chuckle.

"You okay?" I ask her as she lifts her head from my chest and looks up at me.

"Yeah," she mouths as she nods but for some reason, her 'yeah' isn't very convincing.

"Okay."

I pick her up and throw her over my shoulder, she squeals from my action and clings to my shirt.

I laugh loudly.

"Not funny, Doyle," she scolds.

"Hmm," I hum as I place her on the couch and climb on top of her.

"Doyle, are you trying to kill me?"

"I would never, Bellus mea. I'm offended."

"No, I didn't mean it that way, you dumbo. I'm saying you're heavy and I can't support you."

I blink twice at her. "I'm very offended now. First, you accuse me of attempted murder, then, you call me 'dumbo', and to top it off, you call me fat? Wow, Bellus mea! You wound me."

She stared at me for seconds, then laughs loudly.

I wrap my arms around her waist and bury my face in her stomach.

"Now you're laughing at my misery," I pout.

"You're so funny, Doyle."

"Didn't know when I became a clown," I sass.

She cups my face, pulls me lightly toward her, and gives me a single kiss on the lips.

"You know I care about you," she whispers against my lips.

My focus drifts away the second I felt her lips on mine. Her words flew in one ear and out the other.

I support myself on one arm to cup her face and get a proper kiss.

I pull away and the look on her face questions my action.

"You didn't give me a proper kiss," I simply say.

She tries to hide her smile as she looks away from me.

"Get away from me, Doyle," she playfully pushes me away.

"Now, you want me to get away from you? Pain. I feel pain, Bellus mea!" I exclaim in mock hurt.

She groans and rolls her eyes.

She opens her mouth to say something but is cut off by the sound of her stomach rumbling.

She's hungry. Lucas better get here quickly.

I smile while she hides her face in embarrassment. "I ordered some food. It should be here shortly."

She nods.

I stare at her, and she looks up at me and mouths 'what?'

"You put the beauty of a constellation to shame," I tell her as I admire every feature about her.

She blushes and covers her face with her hands.

"Doyle!" she whines.

I lay my head in the crevice of her neck and whisper, "sorry not sorry. I'm just telling it how I see it."

"Shut up," she mumbles.

I chuckle and litter kisses on the crevice of her neck.

We bask in the perfect silence as I continue to litter tiny kisses all over her neck and she hums while running her hand through my hair.

"Doyle?" she calls out.

"Hmm," I hum as a response into her neck.

Then I hear it. The question I've been hoping to prolong.

"What do you do?" she innocently questions.

It may sound innocent to her, but it sounds like she just violated a code of law to me.

Fortunately for me, the doorbell rings.

"I'll tell you later. Food is here," I leave a lingering kiss on her forehead.

She stares at me. But I can tell it's not a stare of admiration; she's probing me.

I shift my eyes from her unfailing gaze to the door, as it opens.

"Ok," she softly says.

I walk toward Lucas as he sets the food items on the kitchen counter.

"Why is the air in here thick?" Lucas voices out so only I can hear it.

"Because-

"Because we were having a conversation that we're gonna get back to once you leave," she cuts me off.

I turn my head to her and the look on her face waves off— stern and bossy, and her arms are crossed, and her hip is cocked to the side.

It makes me struggle with the decision of subjecting to my wolf; letting him be fully prevalent or disciplining her in so many ways that will ridicule the essence of the word 'discipline.' Either way, my wolf and I get to do what we long for— take her.

I walk toward her, and place my left hand, subtly and softly, around her neck as I stroke the area of her larynx in a circular motion.

I place a simple and feverish kiss on her lips and pull back so my lips could brush against hers as I speak.

"Lose the attitude," I breathe out, looking directly into her eyes.

She inhales sharply and her posture becomes rigid. She narrows her eyes at me and then looks away.

I hear Lucas clear his throat.

I put enough space between us and take her chin in between my fingers to turn her head back to me.

"Happy Birthday, Bellus mea."

Her eyes widen as she begins to mouth 'how?'

"I have my ways," I shrug.

She nods severally. The look on her face is toiling between disturbed and content.

Why can't she experience a positive emotion without the mix of a negative emotion overtaking it?

She smiles. But I know it's a fake smile.

I let it go for now, but later I have some questions.

"Call Isaac to celebrate with us," I tell Lucas as I turn to him.

He nods.

"Why so much food though?" she worries over.

"I didn't know which you would like, so I got them all."

She smiles and kisses me on the cheek. "Thank you."

After the party and the boys leave, I walk into the bedroom where Deven is and see her looking extremely uneasy.

"You, okay?"

My question jolts her out of her trance as she nods severally, even though I'm sure my question didn't fully resonate in her head.

I settle down next to her.

"When I mentioned your birthday, you didn't look as gratified as someone would on their special day. Why's that?"

She shrugs. "I've just never been into my birthday like others."

She's lying.

"You're lying. I want the truth?"

"Drop it, Doyle," she voices, "I'll tell you when I'm ready."

"Since we're suddenly playing twenty questions. Can you tell me what you do now?" she questions, looking directly at the side of my head.

My jaws grind together, and my Adam apple bops.

"I own a company."

"That's not all," she contends.

"Why would you think there's more?" I ask her, looking directly into her eyes.

"Because there's something about you that I can't place my finger on and you won't tell me," She argues, as she holds my unwavering stare.

"Well, if you don't know, it's the same way with you. When will you come out of your shadows?" I retort.

The atmosphere in this room has shifted from the moderate tension it was in when I walked in here to a higher level of tension.

"Don't do that, Doyle."

"Do what? Ask my ma- ask you what's haunting you?" I exclaim.

"See. You just did it. You also cut your words short. I'm your what?" she clashes.

"You're mysterious, Doyle. You've always been; since day one. I should've known. At first, I thought it was part of your-" she waves her hands in a circular motion in front of me, "of your attraction resume, but now, now they're signaling yellow, almost red, signs."

"I don't know you," she lets out a breathy whisper.

"I guess we're in the same boat," I reply as I get up and walk toward the bathroom.

"No, we're not. I have my reasons-

"And I have mine, Deven," I unintentionally raise my voice.

"Don't try to paint your pictures with colors of the rainbow and paint mine to be mundane," I whisper at a level she can hear me.

"We both have reasons but for different reasons," I tell her before walking into the bathroom.

Narrator's POV:

As soon as Doyle closes the bathroom door, it hits both of them that one, the foundation of their relationship was built on the wrong emotion-Lust, and two, their knowledge of each other was and has never been established.