STOLEN BY THE HEARTLESS LYCAN

Chapter 11: Unsolicited Aid.

Creed’s pov.

“I see I caught you on time,” Thalia said breezily as she walked in on me cleaning the blood of my hands, with her signature white boots and vicious smirk. “Who got on your nerves this time?” She gave my bloodied shirt a pointed look.

“Don’t you think we’re getting too old for these random inspections?” I said, tossing the washcloth in the sink and taking my seat, fixing her a bored gaze.

The CEO smiled and slipped into the chair directly opposite mine. She took a look around my office with something akin to awe on her face, while I waited for her to say her piece and hopefully leave without putting up too much of a fuss.

“Don’t be like that, Creed. What if I just missed you and wanted to come see you?” She giggled and tossed her auburn hair over shoulder, her manicured nails made an annoying tapping sound on the mahogany table.

“Stop that,” I glared at her finger froze midtap, a muscle in my jaw ticked. “What do you want?”

“Geez, will you ever stop being so cold? We used to be friends remember?”

She saw me as a friend and I saw her as nothing but a regular f u c k. At least, until she f u cked my enemy years ago.

Thalia slowly lifted one leg and crossed it over the other, casually revealing her thigh in the process. “Do I need a reason to see an old friend.”

“Yes,” I said bluntly, my patience was already nearing its end, but it was like she sensed that because she let out a long sigh and pulled out a large, brown envelope from her bag.

“I heard you were handling Monroe’s case yourself,” she waved a hand at the envelope. “I thought you might appreciate the help.”

I eyed the parcel like it was a wolfsbane and honestly, it might as well have been. Thalia like every one else on the council wouldn’t do anything unless it somehow benefitted her in the long run.

Of course she wasn’t on the council yet, but as the daughter of a councilman it was expected that she’d soon take over and it seemed like this was her attempt at currying favour before then.

“No thank you,” I said bluntly. I pushed the envelope back at her. “I’m not in need of any help you might render.”

She rolled her eyes. “At least pretend you need it, it’s the courteous thing to do.”

The manner of courtesy that existed within the council included backstabbing and constantly plotting against the people you claimed to be allied with.

“Courtesy is not one of my suits.” I pushed the envelope back again and this time she pouted. “Cut the crap Thalia, what do you really want?”

“You truly don’t believe that I came to offer you my help?” Usually, one’s tone is hurt when making a statement like this, but Thalia sounded more amused than anything. “Alright fine, I came to see you.”

“Don’t you have a company to run?” I asked.

“I heard you took Orlando's daughter…” she trailed off, when I didn’t deign it necessary to answer her she continued. “What’s your plan Creed? The council is fuming at your decision to go against them like that.”

“When are they not upset at a decision I make?” I countered dryly. Really I couldn’t care less about the emotional state of her father and the other snobby bastards on the council, but it was becoming more and more increasingly obvious that people were starting to know about Cora.

Which would mean increasing her security.

“This time it’s different and you know it, you’re giving Daniel leverage to use against you, you know?” She seemed even more frustrated than ever, which I found rather amusing considering that she was Kerrington’s step sister and everyone knew that she was currently f u cking him. “I’m just worried about you.”

“You can come back and say that to my face when you actually mean it.” I met her eyes and she held my cold stare for a while before eventually looking away. I pushed the folder back to her. “See yourself out.”

Talking to Thalia took a lot more brain power than a normal conversation should and more often than not it left me incredibly annoyed.

The irony wasn’t lost on me really, years ago, once upon a time, Thalia, as well as any girl I ever glanced twice at in passing was once considered a suitable mate by my parents when they discovered that I was born without the instinct. My father would swear that finding one’s mate as a werewolf was the best thing that could happen to our kind. It renewed a new zeal, a new passion, a reason to survive and we’d derive immense, inexplicable pleasure in providing for our mates, loving them, cherishing them.

Unlike other werewolves who spent their whole lives driven by the instinct to find their mates and bond with them, I was born without the need for one, the instinct in me as dead as my cold heart.

In their own way, my parents only wanted what was best for me and Thalia was one of the many nobles in the pack that had fallen victim of their gruelling matchmaking. I didn’t mind of course, I was a child, Thalia was a friend, her family was rich and had connections even beyond Shadow Cove, I was fine with it until I was not.

Marriage was off the table at least to me, Thalia didn't seem to get the memo yet.

I wasn’t blind, her interest in me was glaring obvious and also extremely annoying to experience. The constant invasion of my personal space, her randomly showing up at my place of work or occasionally my home.

I never had any need for a partner, whether romantic or otherwise and it wasn’t just because it was Thalia proposing, I preferred keeping a distance from everyone, for their own safety and mine, and for my own peace of mind. My home, my space, all of that was mine and the only one I ever thought of sharing it with was Hunter and even then there were limits.

And now there’s Cora… she made me adjust my view of sharing my space and my peace of mind. Normally, I found the touch of others repulsive, but with Cora, I enjoyed her touches, no matter how practised or hesitant it was, I loved the feel of her skin on mine and I longed for the day I’d finally be able to get rid of all restraint and just feel her as she is.

It was an odd feeling to want to touch someone, and I suspect that if I had a beating heart, it would race anytime she brushed against me like that.

“You’re always so dismissive of me,” she relaxed further into her chair, clearly not ready to move.

My fingers twitched with the urge to drag her out myself, but I was not in the habit of being physically harsh with women, no matter how frustrating they might be.

“And you’re always clinging to me,” I leaned forward to get my point across. “Last time I checked you had a business to run and a father to please, I have work to do. See yourself out.”

“Your stubbornness will cost you a lot of things,” she stood with a low sigh, the hem of her skirt was hitched up slightly and she made no love to adjust it.

“And I’ve made peace with that.”

“That’s not like you,” she placed her palms on the table and leaned forward with an assessing look in her silver eyes. “You’re the type to see an opportunity and take it, why are you turning down this opportunity?”

“You see yourself as an opportunity, Thalia?” She winced a little at how cutting my tone came out. “You think too highly of yourself, you’ll make a great councilmember in a few years time.”

Thalia laughed, she didn’t even sound surprised. “I guess that’s it with you. I heard the girl is a siren…”

“Indeed.”

“Have fun then,” she picked up her bag and shot me a bemused look. “Goodbye Creed, till we meet again.”

I didn’t reply, and finally she did as I asked and saw herself out. I glanced down at the brown envelope she left behind, I already knew the contents of the envelope so I truly didn’t bother opening it.

Pictures of the new bodies that were found close to our borders. All werewolves. It was a warning. The Famiglia was back and they were coming for us.

I dumped her envelope into the trash at the same time my phone vibrated with an incoming call on my desk.

I glanced at it and my irritation immediately turned to panic.

Hunter… dread pooled in my stomach, there was likely only one reason he’s calling me now.

“What?” I replied gruffly.

“Creed, Cora…” I heard someone cursing in rapid fire Italian in the background, an angry woman’s voice… Cora. “She tried to escape.”