The Lycan's Hunt

Chapter 3: Food In Hand

Reaching my apartment, I promptly threw myself onto my bed. Too hard, I thought. This job is too hard. And still, it was the only thing that kept me emotionally grounded. Sane. It stopped me from overthinking. But sometimes it gave me a lot of things to mull over. Weapons. Training. Mysteries. Blond-haired Lycans with bright, hazel eyes. s**t. No no no. Stop thinking about him, Anya.

But I couldn't. It was gonna be a long night.

**********************************************************************************************************

Reaching my workplace, I went straight into my office after getting a cup of coffee from the cafeteria. Opening my email, I found an email with all the information about Marshall that I knew Carl had sent to everyone who was involved in this case.

Marshall Monroe was a painfully ordinary man. He had been 35 at the time of his death. Blond. Brown eyes. He had married Jocelyn Evans, a woman he had met at college. Jocelyn had been human, so she couldn't have been his mate. Being married to a human could get chaotic if the werewolf later found their mate. Such things always ended in heartbreak. My parents had always suggested I wait for my mate. They had the most perfect romance story. Childhood sweethearts turned lovers. They had always been happy and content with everything. She had never heard them fighting and they had loved both their daughters unconditionally.

But it did not last.

Wrenching myself away from that train of thought and the devastation that always accompanied it, I finished reading Marshall's file. He had been an only child and his parents lived in Los Angeles. Marshall's mate's name was Jessica Taylor, age 32 who he had met a year after his wife's death. All of them had been contacted and told about the circumstances surrounding his death and that it was under investigation. All of his friends and people he knew were discreetly being called in to interview them about the victim. His assets revealed that he only owned his house. There were no other properties. No enemies. Or rivals. No loose ends. Hence, no plausible suspects. I let out a frustrated sigh and opened a fresh document to write my reports.

**********************************************************************************************************

By lunchtime, I was feeling restless, still sitting at my desk. I had never been as good at paperwork as I had been out on the field. Stretching my arms above my head, I grabbed my purse and walked out after locking my office. I needed to eat. I walked over to Freya's office and knocked on the open door to get her attention. She was dressed in a stylish onyx-colored pantsuit and matching heels with her hair in a short braid. She looked captivating. I gave myself a quick glance. I was wearing black pegged pants with a simple full-sleeved white blouse and my hair was up in a high ponytail. We looked like two people from different worlds. The thought made me smile.

"You wanna have lunch?" I asked her. "I can't, Anya. I've got to submit a report immediately after the lunch break. I'll have something later. What about you?" she said. "I am going to the diner," I replied. By the diner, I meant "Food In Hand" across the street where we usually spent our afternoon breaks. "You want anything?"

"No, I'll get something from the cafeteria later. We should have lunch there soon. I heard from Poppy that there's been a new addition to the kitchen staff," she grinned at me as she continued," a very tall and hot addition from what I've heard. His name is Alex."

I had also heard about the new chef. The office was buzzing with news about the thirty-something, dark-haired werewolf. She had heard, also from Poppy that he was, and I quote, "very, very fine." Not that I was interested. I wasn't seeking a relationship. My work was enough to keep me busy till the end of time. Nonetheless, if she wanted to go, I'd go with her.

"Fine. We'll go there later. See ya."

**********************************************************************************************************

I settled into a corner booth of the diner and looked around. Food In Hand was a spacious and bright diner. It was always pretty crowded. A waitress walked up to me and asked me if I was ready to order. I ordered my usual meal, a cheeseburger with fries. While sipping my water, I opened my texts to find one from my aunt and another one from Esme. Aunt Vanessa was my mother's younger sister. She had become more active in our lives after we lost our parents. I talked to her about once a week and we texted frequently.

While I replied to them, I heard someone utter a sudden loud cry and many people gasped. Looking up, I saw that everyone was looking at the door. Not the door. The large and breathtaking man standing at the entrance. My gaze found his. His eyes found mine. And everything became a blur. Zen Hayes. Standing in "Food in Hand." Staring at me. Always looking at me. Most people here were werewolves, but even the humans had their jaws on the floor. Some were taking pictures. Some were recording videos. Of him standing there. And then striding purposefully. Towards me. s**t. The word echoed in my head. f**k my luck. Reaching my table, he opened his mouth but I cut him off to explain myself.

"It was an accident. No, a stupid mistake. I didn't mean to stare at you that night. I wasn't challenging you or anything. It was just a lapse of judgment. I was shocked. It didn't mean anything," I finished in one breath. I knew I was rambling but I couldn't have stopped at that point. My eyes were fixed on a spot on his shoulder when his voice brought my attention to his face.

"You misunderstood me, Miss Pierce. If I punished every person who stared at me for too long, my life would become very arduous," he stated, while his mouth curved into a slight smirk. "This is about another urgent matter. I think you can predict what. Could you join me in my car outside after you are done here?" He asked, politely. I couldn't have said no, no matter how much I wanted to. And I was also exceptionally curious about what he would want from me. So I agreed.

**********************************************************************************************************

After paying, I hurried out of the diner and made my way out of the doors. My palms were sweating and I was pretty sure that I had goosebumps all over my arms. Parked across the street was a shiny, black Range Rover. And leaning against it was the source of my anxiety. He looked flawless and pristine as usual. He was clad in black dress shirt and pants without a tie and with an expensive-looking watch settled on his wrist. His gaze was on his phone but I knew he was aware of my presence. I slowly approached him. Sliding his phone into his pocket, he opened the passenger door for me and I slid inside. He slid into the driver's side after a moment, turned on the car, and started driving.

"You didn't eat, Miss Pierce," he said in an accusatory tone. I was surprised because I had no idea that he had been paying that much attention. Perceptive. "I can eat later. Surely this is more important," I replied. "It could've waited," he opposed. I scoffed internally. Make a Lycan wait. Yeah, right. Funny. We stayed silent for a while. I kept on stealing glances at him until he spoke up.

“I can practically see the wheels in your head spinning. If you want to ask anything, go ahead,” he cut through my thoughts like a warm knife through butter and I turned towards him, fully.

“How do you know me? Why were you looking for me and how did you even know where I was? Where are we going? Or better yet, will you let me go after we’ve talked?” I rushed out.

" I know everyone who is working on Marshall’s case currently. I had some business with you and came to your office but saw you coming out and going to the diner. We’re going to my house and yes, I will let you leave after we have concluded our meeting,” he answered me. It made me calm down and I stayed quiet until we reached his mansion. Parking the car outside the gates, he turned to me and started speaking.

" I need your help, Miss Pierce,” he said, looking at me intently with those molten silver eyes.

And my heart and breath stuttered.