Page 25 of Meeting Her Mate

“You’ve clearly been getting your information from outdated sources,” I said, still laughing. “Will’s not coming to save me. We aren’t bonded together anymore. He rejected me quite some time ago. Go ahead, kill me. You’ll only be putting me out of my misery. Don’t think that it’s going to get you even with Will.”

“You lie!” Blair spat and rose from his seat once again, this time holding something behind his back. “You lie to save your life. I can see through your lie.”

“See harder. You’ll see that I’m telling the truth. Whatever your father did to him has morphed him into a bitter person. He doesn’t care about me. I am afraid your elaborate plan of getting revenge on him is going to fail.”

“Liar!” Blair yelled and swung a canister of gas at me far too swiftly for me to react.

The canister hit me in the head, bludgeoning my nose. Before I could get up, he struck me again, this time straight on the head. Darkness swept my vision, and my senses betrayed me, leaving me unconscious.

Chapter 10: Will

Ihad never felt something so strong take charge of me before. This force that beckoned me to head into Fiddler’s Green was more powerful in magnitude than the immense rage, hatred, and bitterness that coursed through me uncontrollably at times.

This force had a language of its own. I could feel it directing my course as I raced through town. The sun shone mercilessly from above, taking away my advantage of shifting into a wolf. I could not shift in broad daylight in front of all these townsfolk.

Still, my legs turned into powerful pistons as I blazed past buildings, cars, and people. If I closed my eyes, I could sense Alexis’s presence. If I focused harder, I could feel the pain she was feeling. But the good news was, there was still a bond between us, a bond alerting me of her current state. This meant that despite the danger she was in, she was still alive.

The surge of the electrical force in me shone a beacon-like light in my eyes, illuminating the only skyscraper in front of me. Is that where Alexis was? How had I missed the giant letters etched along the length of the building? Edward Beckett was dead. How was his enterprise still running in this place? Why did the building say Beckett Pharma?

What madness was this?

I approached the entrance of the building, cursing under my breath as I saw groups of people coming in and out of the building as if it was just business as usual. I would not be able to shift in front of them. If I aroused suspicion, the many guards who patrolled the premises would be alerted. There had to be another way.

Alexis was inside, this much I was certain of. As to who was torturing her, who had kidnapped her, the mystery prevailed.

A counterintuitive thought struck me out of nowhere. Perhaps it would be wiser to enter the building in the evening. To wait it out. The last time I was so bold, it cost me seventy-six years of my life.

Haste was not the answer here.

Patience was.

***

It turned out that I got my opportunity before nightfall. At around five in the evening, the doors of the building swung open, letting out everybody who worked inside. I counted more than a hundred people just pouring out of the building. I would not get a better opportunity than this.

I emerged from my vantage point and merged into the pouring crowd, utilizing the sheer numbers to my advantage. As I entered the building against the stream of outpouring people, no one stopped me or noticed me. Still, the stark contrast of my casual attire would sooner or later draw attention. Stealth had been my ally so far. It wouldn’t be my ally any further.

I gazed across the lobby area and saw the signs for the bathrooms. A half-formed plan came to my mind. In the rush of people leaving the lobby, I darted across the lobby and went inside the men’s room.

A guy was standing at a urinal, whistling loudly. He had exactly what I needed. I stepped onto the urinal next to him.

“Hey, listen, buddy, there’s plenty of space for everyone. Why don’t you go stand over there?” He said, looking at me amusedly.

“I apologize for what I’m about to do next,” I said, and before he could get a chance to register what I had said, I banged his head against the wall. The man crashed to the floor, his pants still between his knees. I felt sorry for the poor bloke for what I had just done to him, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

I dragged him into one of the stalls and propped him up on the toilet. I took off his coat and tie and then snatched his card off his neck. I tucked my t-shirt into my pants and wore his coat over it. On second thought, I ditched the tie. No one was going to take that careful a look at me, not when I had the official company card slung around my neck.

Before stepping out of the men’s room, I locked the stall with the unconscious man from the inside.

Then I headed into the lobby, a little surprised at my ingenuity. The bond tugged at me again, bringing my attention to the present. From the lobby, I stepped into the elevator, skating past the guards who were patrolling the interior.

“Where do I go from here?”

My intuition prompted me to press the button for the fifteenth floor. It was strange that a small town such as Fiddler’s Green now had a skyscraper that went all the way to thirty floors. Then again, there was nothing I would put past someone who shared Beckett’s last name.

Perhaps a child? In all my time in Edward’s prison, he had never mentioned a child. To think that that deranged person possessed the ability to have a family while keeping me locked in his basement. Unbelievable.

Just as I had finished my musing, the elevator doors slid open on the fifteenth floor.