Mesmerised by the Alpha

Chapter 23. A Key to Secrets

I left the bouquet where I’d found it—right in the middle of my bed—now perched in quiet elegance on my bedside table. The rich red roses and soft jasmine blossoms should’ve made me smile. And they did, sort of. But beneath the surface fluttered a thread of unease.

Had I left my door unlocked?

I couldn’t remember.

The idea of a secret admirer should’ve felt exciting, even romantic. But instead, it left me feeling watched. Exposed. Was it Nate? He was the obvious choice, given the kiss beneath the stars last night. But something about it didn’t quite fit. The presentation, the mystery... it felt deliberate. Too careful. Nate didn’t strike me as the type to do things by halves—or anonymously.

Shaking the thought away, I made my way back down to reception. The usual stack of paperwork awaited, only now I had to move it all before the area became a construction zone. The front desk would be gutted in less than forty-eight hours, and I’d underestimated how much I’d actually need with me.

Thankfully, Daryl and Jordan were on hand. They appeared like summoned spirits, arms crossed and grinning at my dismay.

“Need a hand, love?” Jordan asked, already reaching for a box before I could answer.

“Looks like we’ll be finished by the end of the week,” Daryl said as we made our way toward the security office. “Much sooner than we expected. Good job, too—winters around Elmridge aren’t for the faint-hearted.”

“I’m starting to realise that,” I murmured, biting my lip. “Actually… I’ve been thinking about leaving.”

Jordan paused mid-step. “You? Really?”

I nodded slowly. “I came here to get away from… everything. Life. Noise. But now I’m not sure this job’s what I need. It’s just been—well, a bit mad, hasn’t it?”

Jordan laughed, nudging me with his elbow. “Then this’ll be perfect. Once the staff numbers drop and the deliveries stop happening, it’ll be so quiet you’ll forget what people look like. You can stay in one end of the hotel and leave Stella in the other, if you want.”

I snorted at that, but the idea did have a strange appeal.

The security office surprised me. Bigger than I’d expected, and far more modern. Three desks were set up, one wall dominated by a massive flatscreen showing live feeds from the CCTV system. Another wall was covered in filing cabinets, shelves stacked with labelled folders. And best of all—a door that locked.

A sanctuary.

We worked for another hour or so, setting up my new desk, arranging my things. By the time we’d finished, I felt more settled than I had since arriving.

The afternoon sped by. More deliveries rolled in—wood panels, plumbing parts, and even insulation foam—all signs of a race against time. If winter came early, the entire schedule could fall apart.

I said my goodbyes to Daryl and Jordan and promised to see them at dinner. I was about to head toward the kitchen to speak to Dana when my work phone buzzed again.

Groaning, I glanced at the screen: the gate intercom.

I answered it with a practised politeness. “Hello?”

“Uh, hi. We’ve got a delivery for the hotel,” came a male voice. “Can we be let in?”

“What are you delivering?” I asked, suddenly wary. Something about his tone felt evasive.

“Supplies,” he replied. “Just some stuff the builders needed.”

My suspicions flared. I pulled on my coat and headed out. The gate loomed ahead, cold and silent under the dull afternoon sky.

“I wasn’t told to expect anyone else today,” I said, eyeing the van. Two men. Plain white vehicle. No logo. No paperwork visible.

They were just about to answer when Stella strutted out from the side entrance.

“What’s the issue now?” she asked, arms folded tightly across her chest.

“Unscheduled delivery,” I replied. “No name, no info. I was just checking—”

“Oh, just wave them through,” she interrupted. “You're just wasting more time.”

I frowned. “But I wasn’t told. I need to know who’s entering the property and with what.”

She scoffed. “Your job is to press a button and let people in so I can do my job. Which, by the way, is far more important than playing bouncer.”

I clenched my jaw. “Actually, it is my job to make sure this place is secure. We don’t just let in anyone. For all we know, they could be thieves or vandals.”

A construction worker approached, looking sheepish. “Sorry,” he said to me. “We had to order extra stained glass—one of the panes cracked during install. It was a last-minute call.”

Reluctantly, I nodded and opened the gate.

Stella, never one to waste a dramatic exit, turned to me and said sweetly, “Girls like you always think they’re more special and important than they really are.” Then she flounced back inside.

I stood there, teeth gritted, shocked by the venom in her voice. What was her problem?

As I turned to head back in, I heard the construction guy lean into the van window and say, “You know where you’re going, yeah?”

The driver nodded. The van pulled up closer to the hotel entrance and the men began unloading… cooler boxes?

Cooler boxes?

There was no way those held stained glass.

Curiosity piqued, I stepped inside and tucked myself behind the bar, pulling out the CCTV feed on my phone. I zoomed in on the van, tracking the two men.

They bypassed the ballroom entirely.

Straight to the restricted wing. The one I’d stumbled into before.

Dana came out of the kitchen then, flustered, her hair in a bun gone wild. “You alright, love?”

I barely looked up. “Yes thank you, just… got flowers and need a glass for them.”

“Ooh, flowers? Secret admirer, is it?” she asked with a grin.

I shrugged, finally tucking the phone away. “No idea who they’re from. But they’re lovely.”

Dana handed me a tall glass from under the bar. “Sounds romantic. Hope it’s someone handsome.”

I smiled distractedly and turned to leave—only to backtrack a second later. “Sorry—forgot the glass,” I said, grabbing it quickly and thanking her again.

Then I was out the door, hurrying up the stairs, careful to keep quiet. I caught up just as the men rounded the corner into the forbidden corridor. I slipped behind a pillar, heart thudding in my ears.

“…Ezra said he’ll come himself if the alpha’s not found soon,” the lanky one was saying. “He reckons if you want something done right…”

“…do it yourself,” the other finished. “If I’d been posted here, I’d have found them already.”

Alpha?

My chest tightened.

They vanished into the corridor. The same one where that locked lab was hidden. What were they doing there?

I stayed put. More construction workers passed by, heading in and out, voices echoing through the halls. Eventually, the last two emerged.

The blood-covered men. The ones from the red pick-up.

They didn’t see me. One locked the door behind them, tucking the key into his coat pocket as they descended the stairs, laughing amongst themselves.

As soon as they were gone, I ran up to the door and tried the handle.

Locked. Solid.

I shook it once, then again. No give.

There had to be a master key. I was almost certain Daryl had mentioned it—someone had to take charge of it when the regular security team rotated out.

Daryl. If anyone would know, it’d be him.

I made a mental note to ask him at dinner.

Back in my room, I placed the flowers in the glass, now filled with water. They looked beautiful. Deceptively innocent.

But my mind wasn’t on bouquets anymore.

Not now.

Now, I was on a mission.

I wanted that key.

And I wanted to know exactly what was behind that locked door.