The Billionaire Alpha’s Forbidden Romance

A Friend On The Inside!

* William's POV *

Have you ever been so stunned by an unexpected news so much that you can't even breathe? It's like the wind itself gets knocked out of you completely, and you're left reeling like a drunk person with nothing else to do.

“When was this taken?” I ask.

“Three days ago,” Clark replies. “She was spotted in Chinatown by my men, and they followed her for a while. She was seen going into the Lotus hotel, which is a known spot for criminal activities and drug dealers. I’m not sure what she was doing in there, but she was there for a while before she left with this man.”

Lucius.

His pale and sharp features stood out prominently in the picture. He’s wearing a black coat and sunglasses, but I know it’s him. She’s standing behind him with her head bowed, and I still can’t believe it’s her. Nine years, and it still feels like yesterday when I held her hand for the last time and told her I loved her.

“William,” Clark says, “I’m sorry that you have to deal with this. I know how much you loved her. But if she’s with Lucius, then that can only mean one thing.”

“And what is that?”

“He brought her back using blood magic,” he says, finishing the last part of the sentence as though he is saying a bad word. “Lucius is the king of vampires, who have strong connections to the underworld. He is like a vampiric version of Zion, but perhaps more cunning and far more dangerous. This could all be a trick to get you confused and unwilling to fight. Maybe this isn’t even Ava, and he’s just trying to fool you. But I brought this to you because you’re my friend. And I think you deserve to know that your former mate is running around the country completely undetected.”

A knock comes on the door gently, and I don’t even look up as Andrea enters. She pauses at the door, perhaps noticing how I’m not in the mood to talk.

“Sir,” she says awkwardly, “there’s a police officer here to see you. He says he would like a minute.”

I barely even register what she says. The only thing on my mind is the picture in front of me, and the woman who I once loved so dearly that I would have laid down my life for her without any hesitation. After all these years, to find out she was still alive was something I couldn’t bear at all. The revelation was like a slice to the heart, and I couldn’t do anything about it.

Ava was always so beautiful. Sometimes, she was so breathtaking that I wouldn’t be able to pull my gaze away from her. I would sit and stare at her all day long, wondering how I was able to trick someone like that into falling for me. Everything about her was perfect, the epitome of sophistication and class. I loved her so much that when I lost her, it ripped my heart in two. I never thought that I would be able to love anyone else ever again. I was so consumed by my pain and suffering that I told myself that I would never allow myself to fall for anyone else.

And then Claire came along and changed all of that. Now that Claire is in my life, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. I love her far more than I ever loved Ava, and that should have been the end of that.

But I still couldn’t believe that I was seeing her, alive after all these years.

“Sir?”

I look up slowly, and I realise that Andrea has been staring at me for quite some time now.

“What is it?”

“The police officer,” she says. “They would like to have a word with you.”

I slip Ava’s picture into my desk drawer, and I stand up. Clark does the same, and together we walk towards the door. He understands that this matter isn’t over, and we will continue our discussion later. Just not while the police officers are hanging around the building and waiting for me to give them a statement.

“I’ll come over later,” I tell him as we walk outside. “I have to deal with this s**t first of all.”

“The feds are still on your ass?” he asks.

“Apparently I’m the king of werewolves,” I say. “And they think I’m responsible for all the s**t that’s been going down around this city. It’s a nightmare. Rogue wolves have been stealing, killing and attacking people all over the city. Some aren’t even wolves. They’re merely sad, hopeless people who are looking for some form of meaning to their worthless existence. And yet I have to be the one to bear all of that crap while trying to advocate to humans that werewolves are not their enemies.”

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown, my friend,” Clark says, clapping my shoulder.

“I never wanted the crown,” I reply as we reach the hallway where the feds are waiting in their black suits as though they are attending a funeral.

My own funeral.

“Good morning, Mr Compton,” the male says as he shakes my hand. “Agent Cooper Bradley, chief director of the FBI.”

“I know who you are,” I reply. “We’ve spoken on the phone twice already.”

“I was afraid that you’d forgotten,” he says. “This is agent Elizabeth Sawyer. She works with the CIA.”

“Good morning, Mr Compton,” the woman says. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” I reply. “Would you care to step into my office?”

“After you,” Agent Bradley says. As I turn around, I don’t miss the look he gives his partner. I’ve seen that look far too often when dealing with the feds. They all seemed surprised when they first meet me, most likely because they have this idea of a seasoned, veteran killer who revels in his own glory. They probably tell stories of me back in their departments, and each one of them is shocked when they finally meet me and realise that I’m nothing like they expected.

“Would you like some coffee?” I ask when we step into my office. “Or would you prefer something else?”

“Just water would be fine,” agent Bradley says. He never takes his eyes off me, and I get the feeling that they’re trying to play good-cop-bad-cop here with me. But I honestly couldn’t care less. I know what they’re up to, and as far as I’m concerned, they’ve got nothing on me.

After Andrea brings their waters and leaves, I settle back into my seat and stare at them calmly.

“How can I help you today?” I ask.

“Mr Compton,” Agent Bradley says, “let us both save ourselves the time-wasting and just get straight to the point. We have been given specific orders by the director of the FBI himself to investigate the recent supernatural attacks that have been developing along the east coast. We have reason to believe that some rogue werewolves have been attacking humans, killing them and destroying their homes. We were wondering if you could help us shed some light on the matter.”

“Because I’m the king of the werewolves?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

“Is that a real thing?” he asks, to which I roll my eyes.

“Agent Bradley,” I say, “I understand why you’re here. Given the recent revelations and developments around werewolves and vampires, I can understand why your department would think that I’m responsible for it. But as I’m said many times already, I do not speak for werewolves all over the country. We have been in hiding for hundreds of years, and if it wasn’t for the unfortunate incident which happened a few weeks ago, no one would even know of our existence. Anarchy is bound to follow a revelation such as this. People are confused, frightened, and some of them have decided to lash out as a form of protest. But I cannot speak for them, or pretend to know anything about these attacks. I speak only for my pack, and I can assure you that not a single one of them has been involved in any attacks of any kind.”

“So you’re saying that there are other packs who might be responsible for these attacks?” Agent Sawyer asks.

“I can neither confirm nor deny that,” I reply. “What I do know is that this matter will be looked into immediately, and the guilty party will be brought to justice.”

“Your justice or our justice?” Agent Bradley asks.

“We’re on the same side, detective,” I say. “After my appearance in court, I fully intend to cooperate with the department of justice, the FBI, the CIA and the department of homeland security in making sure that humans and werewolves can coexist amicably. I will speak to my counterparts as well, and we will handle this matter internally.”

“Mr Compton,” he says, “I appreciate your willingness to cooperate with us. But I feel the need to point out that ever since your secret identity was revealed, you haven’t actually offered us any form of tangible help. All you’ve done is assure us that everything will be fine, but our work cannot rely solely on promises. You haven’t explained anything to us about the system of government in your world, the hierarchy, justice system, and everything else we feel would be vital information. We know nothing about how werewolves live their lives, and we would really appreciate it if you would cooperate with us and explain all to that so we can have even a little bit to grasp about your world.”

He tries to sound sweet and respectful, like he’s not really interested in asking me these questions but he’s only doing it because he has to. I see right through this bullshit, and I have no time to indulge him in his little game.

“Like I said, everything will be revealed after my trial,” I say, standing up. “If that will be all, I really have somewhere I need to be right now.”

They leave shortly afterwards, and I walk over to the window and stare down at the street below in dismay. Everyday just seemed to be about some new s**t, and I just couldn’t keep up with all of it. I was getting frustrated, and I hated how horribly everything had gone.

All because of Henry and his ridiculous plot for vengeance.

Fucking asshole.

A knock comes on the door, and I turn around to find Agent Sawyer walking in all alone.

“Sorry,” she says. “Forgot my pen.”

I merely incline my head towards her then turn towards the window once again. But then she doesn’t move. And when I turn around, I’m surprised to find her staring at me silently.

With her eyes glowing.

“Don’t worry, Alpha William,” she says, smiling. “I’ll take care of all of this. Just know that you have a friend on the inside.”

And with that, she walks out of the office and leaves me in a very confused silence.

What the hell just happened?

*