The Beta's Witch

Chapter 6: Waste No Time

LUCAS’S POV 

Aiden, Elijah, and I all stood in what was once Adriana’s office. 

The flowers Aiden had gotten her were torn apart, littering the floor. Papers were strewn everywhere, drawers had been dumped out, and Adriana’s office chair lay on its side. I slowly pushed passed Aiden and walked further into the room. 

Adriana’s coat was in pieces. 

“What the hell?” I said slowly. 

“Olivia,” I heard Elijah call from just outside the door, “Did you see Adriana come back to her office?” 

“No Mr. Thomas,” an emphatic voice responded, “but she did have a friend stop by. A pretty blonde woman said she wanted to leave a present for her.” 

“Thanks Olivia.” 

Elijah walked into the room a moment later, closing the door behind him. 

His eyes were black as he took in the scene. 

“Sofia did this?” Aiden asked. Not quite believing it. I looked over at him. He hadn’t moved since he’d walked into the room. Both Elijah and I had had to shuffle around him.

Adriana needed a bigger office. 

“The b***h is crazy. I honestly don’t know how you dated her as long as you did.” Elijah commented casually.

Aiden shook his head. “I never really noticed before.” 

“We can’t let Adriana come back to this,” I said firmly, “Elijah gather a few wolves and have them search the building for her.”

His eyes were clouded before I even finished my sentence. 

It took a minute for him to zone back in, heaving a sigh of relief. 

“She’s with Carson.” 

“Carson?” Aiden and I spoke at the same time. 

“Yeah, he said someone slashed her tires. He thinks it may have been a wolf.” 

Aiden swore. 

“We need to find Sofia before she hurts Adriana. I don’t know why she’s acting like this. but I want her apprehended. Now,” I commanded.

I was livid. In my mind, the moment Aiden found out Adriana was his mate, she became a member of my pack, and under my protection. I didn’t tolerate this s**t. 

“Elijah are they still in the garage? Tell Carson to bring her home then get his ass back here," Aiden instructed. "We are going to need him for this." He seemed to finally snap put of whatever haze of denial had grabbed hold of him. Right on time too, I was seconds away from beating it out of him.  

I nodded my approval. Elijah’s eyes went unfocused again. 

I went back to assessing the damage. Besides the roses and jacket, nothing else was destroyed. Just tossed around a bit. I sorted through the papers on the top desk, trying to make sense of them. 

“Does it look like she may have been looking for something?” I pondered, shuffling through the top drawer next. Adriana had always been obsessively neat. It was one of the things that had made her such a great assistant. 

Aiden nodded in agreement. “Where does Adriana keep any personal information?” 

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate. He asked a different question.

“If you were a jealous ex hellbent on destroying the ‘other woman’, what would you target?” 

“Her livelihood,” I said, realization dawning on me. Aiden crouched down, shuffling through the papers on the floor. I prayed Sofia hadn’t found what she was looking for. 

“Huh?” Elijah had finally tuned back into the conversation. 

“Sofia targeted Adriana’s job and her car.” I explained while continuing my search, “There’s only one thing left for her to destroy.” 

I looked up in time to see Elijah’s face pale. 

“Her home,” he whispered. 

“Why are woman so goddamn complicated,” Elijah complained after a moment. 

“Where would Adriana keep her personal information?” Aiden demanded again. “If Sofia found her address than Carson is leading Adriana right to her.” 

“Why would Sofia need to tear the office apart for that? Everyone knows that personal files of employees are kept in a digital file. All Sofia would have needed was Adriana’s last name to run a background check online.”

“So you think Sofia wasn’t looking for anything?.” I said slowly. 

Elijah shook his head, “No. I think whatever she was looking for, she didn’t find it. Tearing up the roses in a fit of passion is one thing, but Adriana’s jacket? Sofia was frustrated. Whatever she wanted it wasn’t here.” 

This was one of the many reasons I tolerated Elijah as my gamma. We were raised as brothers, and he was a huge pain, but his skills of deduction were on another level.

“What’s the game plan, Alpha?”

“We meet Carson at Adriana’s. If you’re right, Sofia may have slashed Adriana’s tires to buy herself some time. I want to catch Sofia before she does something she can’t come back from.”

….

CARSON’S POV

After a long time debating back and forth with the manager I hired I finally relented to leasing another floor in Grey Enterprises. My little software business had been growing and we needed the space to fit the company. Lucas didn’t have a problem with me securing the floor above the one I already had, I just didn’t want to manage all that space.

I decided to do a walk through of the new office before I went home. Even if I didn’t want it, I would be damned if I let anyone else set it up. I knew how I wanted things.

The layout had a lot more closed off areas than the open concept workspace downstairs, but I didn’t mind. I wasn’t moving my office. There was a hallway leading to the larger conference rooms that I was hoping to take a look at when I heard a noise from the opposite direction.

I headed toward a closed door, pausing to listen. Lightly pushing the door, it gently swung open. A small figure was huddled in the corner of the room staring back at me.

Adriana Ryder.

“Carson?”

“Hey Dri.” I crouched down next to her. Her eyes were puffy and tears were still running down her cheeks. I watched as she scrubbed the back of her hand over her face, then offered her a hand.

“I’m guessing this is now your floor too.” Her voice sounded rough. She was trying her best to hide the turmoil she was feeling, and I was grateful. I wasn’t really sure how to comfort a crying woman. Then again Adriana Ryder wasn’t just any woman.

I rubbed the back of my head, “Yeah it was time to expand.”

“Don’t let me keep you.” She gave me a tired smile and started walking towards the door.

“Dri,” I called, surprising myself. She looked back over her shoulder. “You know if you need my help all you have to do is ask.”

She was silent for a minute, her eyes wide as she really looked at me for the first time since I found her. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking, but I didn’t like the uncanny way she shut all the emotion off.

“I know,” she said quietly, then walked out.

Whatever had happened was really taking a toll on her. Adriana Ryder had never shared a single piece of information in the few years I had known her. It was highly likely she would figure it out on her own, but every part of me screamed that she shouldn’t be alone.

Don’t be a d**k, my wolf Logan said.

I sighed, knowing he was right.

I caught up with Adriana easily, falling in step beside her. She glanced at me in surprise, but didn’t comment, hugging herself, as I walked with her to the garage. I studied her discreetly out of the corner of my eye.

Before I built the software company, I was solely a pack warrior and training specialist. Most of the Midnight Pack’s defensive training was handled by me. It was my job to know every aspect of an enemy before they attacked. Or before we attacked them, something that didn’t happen often.

So naturally, I knew everything the web could uncover on all things Adriana Ryder. She currently worked under Elijah Thomas, my Gamma and brother’s best friend.

Being a few years younger than them, I wasn’t really as close to the Alpha and Gamma as my brother Aiden.

All trails leading to Adriana’s past ran cold after six years ago. Consistent with someone who had relocated and changed their name. I was in the business long enough to know you didn’t disappear like that unless you were hiding from something. She worked closely with the ranked members of my pack, so I had decided to keep a close eye on her.

Except she wasn’t what I had expected. Adriana and I had maintained an easy friendship ever since I had stumbled upon her in an empty office three years ago. It wasn’t long until I had found myself a little protective of her. She didn’t talk much, never asked questions and I found myself content to just sit with her whenever she came to escape in my office. It was almost refreshing.

….

I remember that day she was stewing over something; visibly upset. I wasn’t sure what to make of it at the time, beautiful woman don’t usually hang out on the floor of abandoned office space.

When I realized she was hiding, I almost laughed.

“Well don’t let me ruin your hiding spot,” I said, turning to leave.

“You’re serious,” she observed curiously.

I shrugged, “You were here first.”

….

Coincidentally the room had become my office and she had come back whenever she felt the need to escape for a little while. What she had needed to escape from I wasn’t sure.

Adriana walked up to a black SUV. Not what I had expected a young single woman to drive; especially one as tiny as her.

I realized, with some surprise, that she wasn’t carrying a purse. I opened my mouth to say as much when she pulled a set of keys out of her pocket.

Adriana Ryder was not your typical woman.

Something drew my attention as she started her car. The two tires on her passenger side were shredded, and unless I was mistaken a shifter had done this. The slashes were consistent with damage only wolf claws could inflict.

Who would be dumb enough to shift in the middle of human territory?

“Dri,” I called over the engine. She looked up, startled. Probably not expecting me to still be here. I signaled for her to get out of the car.

She huffed. When she reached me I pointed to the side of the car.

She didn’t react the way I expected her to. Slowly, she knelt and ran her hands along the deep gashes in the rubber. Her hands came away with a small amount of fur. Abruptly, she stood and checked the other side of the car. The car wasn’t tilted so I knew the other tires had probably been vandalized too.

I could tell Adriana was fighting to stay calm. I smelled a hint of her fear and . . . anger?

“Looks like I’m calling a cab,” she said in a flat tone.

I nodded silently, focused on something else.

Gamma.

Carson? Dude, we grew up together, you don’t have to use title. You’re worse than . . . never mind. What’s up?

Elijah. I stressed. You have an employee named Adriana Ryder. It wasn’t a question.

Yeah, he said slowly Do you know where she is? We’ve been looking for her.

In the garage. Someone slashed her tires.A wolf I think. 

He cursed. Sofia doesn’t waste any time.

Sofia? What did Aiden’s ex have anything to do with Adriana?

Yeah she-

“Carson,” Adriana called. “You don’t have to wait.”

I shrugged, watching her as she studied me.

“I left my jacket in my office. I’m going to wait for the cab there.”

I nodded, refocusing on her ruined tires.

Carson? Are you still in the garage?

Adriana is going back to her office.

No! Carson don’t let her come up here!

What? Why?

Sofia tore up her office too. Lucas, Aiden and I are here now. We are working on capturing Sofia. He paused for a minute. Aiden says we could use your help. Can you get her home safely and get back here?

I cursed.

“Dri,” I called across the garage. She turned back slightly.

“I’ll drive you home.”

“That’s okay Carson. I don’t live far, and the cab should be here soon.” She started to turn away.

“Dri,” I called again. “I wasn’t asking.”

She stared me down. I could tell she was trying to find a way to turn me down, but I wasn’t giving her any room to do so.

“Let me just get my-“

“Leave it.” I started walking towards my car, a blacked-out audi that Aiden liked to call the spy-mobile. The man had zero taste.

I could feel the weight of Adriana’s glaring on the back of my neck. Deciding to ignore her, I got into the drivers seat and started the car.

Once she was in, I patiently waited for her to give me her address. She hesitated, playing with her hands. The color slowly drained from her face, making me realize she was slowly panicking.

“There’s a café on Evergreen Drive,” she said quietly, “You can drop me off there.”

I was already shaking my head before she was finished. “I’m dropping you off at home.”

“Carson,” she warned, finding her voice.

I waited. Adriana may not have wanted me to know where she lived, but I already did. Along with all other addresses over the last six years.

Eventually she gave me an address two blocks away from where she really lived, and I started driving.

 I decided to wait in the car when we pulled up to the address she had mentioned. The last thing I wanted this to be was difficult. My interactions with Adriana weren’t usually this strained, but the more she resisted, the more curious I became.

“Carson, please leave,” she looked around nervously, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“Someone slashed your tires, Dri. I want to make sure you get inside safely.”

She looked slightly stunned. “I can handle myself.”

“I don’t doubt that,” I admitted, “But I’d still like to make sure.”

She cast one more glance up the street before her shoulders slumped in defeat.

“I live a few blocks up that way.”

I chuckled as she reluctantly slid back in the car.

We pulled up to a quaint little suburban home. The first thing I noticed was her front door was left slightly ajar.

“Oh, hell no,” she growled, jumping out of the car and sprinting towards the house.

My eyes widened. “Adriana wait!”

Elijah. Sofia is here. 

We’re already on our way. He linked back. 

A loud crash came from inside the house. I used a touch of my shifter speed to get there faster.

This was not good.