Her Dilemma, Her Choice

Chapter 3

Derek POV

I followed the town car carrying the Gamma’s daughter and the CEO down the street to the function. I saw the blue sports car pull out of the garage behind me and thought of taking a detour. I knew where the girl was going. I had done my research after all. But I planned too hard, for too long to let the girl slip from my sight. I probably wouldn’t get another opportunity like this one for a while. Her body guard was good. All the lackeys I’d sent in the last 2 years ended up being dispatched to the Lycan king. Evidently, they hadn’t talked, because there wasn’t a bounty on me, beyond the one on all rogues.

There is a stigma against rogue werewolves. Hunting rogues is encouraged. In some packs it’s actually law, to kill on sight. In the pack’s defense, often rogues are bad wolves, out for no good. Attacking the packs without cause. Some rogues have no choice though. They had packs that were demolished in one way or another and without a pack to belong to, you’re a rogue. Then, some rogues are like me. They’ve denounced their pack due to an injustice, in order to right the wrong. The Lycan king is usually pretty fair. He never executes without just cause and he talks to any rogue that comes into his territory. He’s kind of an ask questions first type guy. My wolf really misses having a pack and I plan to settle down into pack life again when all this is over. I hope to find my mate and raise pups of my own.

I focus back on the task at hand as the town car ahead stops and parks at the valet parking. I watch the Lycan woman go inside with the man. I drive by slowly and pull around back to park and go in the back way. I know the itinerary of the event and my time to act is toward the end, after dinner. I’ll wait until they start mingling again during the silent auction. Her date for the night is giving the keynote address. I’m not worried about him, he’s human, but the fewer eyes on her, the easier my task will be. I wasn’t counting on her bodyguard coming tonight, but I created a contingency plan for her, just in case. I pull the vile from my inside pocket and pat my other pocket to be sure I had the chloroform close. The Gamma will have no choice but to listen when I have his daughter.

April POV

I smelled something f*****g awful as I pulled out of the apartment’s parking garage. I thought at first it was in the car. But Beth was meticulous about her car’s cleanliness. She even had it detailed every week! I knew it couldn’t be that. I took a tentative sniff.

I think it’s coming from that car ahead. My wolf, Darya said.

I think you’re right. I thought back to her.

It smells like a rogue werewolf. Something doesn’t seem right.

I was inclined to agree with her, but having rogues around isn’t terribly unusual. They are more common here in the human cities than pack animals. There are more other species in the human territories as well. Not just rogue wolves, but other were-species, as well as vampires and faeries. Though faeries live in the parallel plane of the human cities and typically keep mostly to their side.

Vampires were actually the reason the Moon Goddess created Lycan in the first place. Vampires were feeding on humans at an alarming rate, lived practically forever, reproduced very quickly and, at that time, could be out at any time of day. The Moon Goddess made a deal with the fates, who were mad at the god who created the vampires, that they could have a say in the mate of the new Lycan species in return for banishing the vampires to the night.

I tried to shake off the feeling that something didn’t feel right. I noticed the SUV the rogue drove was following Eric’s town car. When his driver stopped in front of the Gala, Eric and Beth got out, the rogue’s SUV slowly drove by. My wolf and I calmed further. I pulled up and handed my keys to the valet. I walked in two couples behind Beth.

I took a glass of champagne to look the part. As a Lycan, my metabolism is too fast and I have a hard time getting drunk off human-made alcohol. Lycan’s make alcohol much stronger and it’s designed to pack a punch. To get drunk off the human stuff, I have to drink an inordinate amount, humans would notice and wonder how I’m still standing. I take a sip of the bubbly. It’s good. Beth and I always enjoyed a good glass of wine in the evenings.

Eric had bought a whole table for the event, so I sat two tables away. This wasn’t really an issue, because of my enhanced speed and excellent agility. Beth looked like she was having a great time. I worked on relaxing and having a good time as well, while keeping alert for potential threats. Dinner was delicious. The speeches were boring and I passed the time watching the many people in attendance.

I loved people watching. There was the lady in the simple black dress and a single string of pearls. I pegged her as a freelance editor, likely here to schmooze and prospect new clients. I have mentioned to Beth that she needs to go freelance. With the emergence and then rapid growth of the internet, her slow aging and incredible skill, it seemed the logical next step for her career. But she liked the anonymity of the publishing houses, and so here we are.

I continued my people watching. I was surprised to see the CEO of Beth’s first publisher at a table in the corner. I almost didn’t recognize her, which is no surprise. It’s been, what? Forty-Five years since I’d seen her last, young and spry. She wore a silver, sequined dress and must have been on the verge of retirement.

I mind linked Beth. “Hey, Helen Marie is here. Far table, in the corner. Just FYI… try to avoid her, if possible, so she doesn’t recognize you. Otherwise ‘Lucy- you got some ‘splainin’ to do.’”

“Okay. Thanks for the heads up. Do you smell that?”

I had indeed smelled that. Just a touch of sulfur tinged the air. I got up from my dessert and went to investigate. Sniffing the air, searching for that scent again, I walked between tables. All the patrons were finishing their desserts. A few began mingling again and refilling their drinks, as they finished getting up from their seats. Nearing the door, the scent got stronger. I worked my way through two gentlemen and a woman standing right in the entryway to the hall. Using my nose, I followed the stench. It stopped near the bathrooms. After a quick and fruitless check in the restrooms, I walked back down the corridor. I looked in the rooms behind unlocked doors in the hall, the kitchens, and employee areas. My search yielded nothing, even though the faint sulfuric smell remained.