The Gravity Between Moons

Chapter Six

Rory stretched in her bed, letting the sunlight from the window warm her stiff muscles. She had gotten quite the workout last night. Lazily she yawned and slid out from under the covers. Going to the bathroom she tied her hair up and stepped into a warm shower. Her favorite soap smelled a little savory, crisp, and refreshing. She rubbed the suds over her shoulders, massaging and working her way down her body.

Her mind wandered to Lexie, and she smiled. What would she get her for her birthday? There were so many things she would love to gift her with.

This would be it. The day they were officially mated. She needed to get a gift that reflected the magic that would commence. Maybe a new dress? She rolled her yes. Lexie wouldn't appreciate it nearly as much as a new set of knives. An engraved knife would be right up her alley.

Or some handcuffs... a whip?

ARLO! Rory chided. Focus.

Arlo sniffed and gave a little huff.

She shook her head. Okay. An engraved knife. A leather case with engravings. She would love it. It would be functional for daily use, and she would love showing it off at the training center.

The training center. She groaned. She was apparently scheduled for a double date with Lexie and Garrett. His birthday was also coming up, and she supposed as an Alpha's son, she shouldn't forego his gift. Really though, he had just seen her complete birthday suit. That was a present in it's own right. She thought how, for those brief seconds, his eyes had traced her entire being. How their eyes had met as she felt her anxiety break her bones into a thousand shards to carry her away in her wolf form. Even Arlo had been startled.

Garrett was definitely getting a cheap gift.

She would make a quick pit stop at his celebration and then head to a surprise location to finish setting up for Lexie's intimate birthday dinner. She really needed to get started on it, but her inner procrastinator was making it difficupt. And then there was this case. Something was just so off about it.

She couldn't quite put her finger on what was bothering her yet but...something told her these deaths were more than they appeared.

Her alarm clock rang, signalling she needed to get to the training center to meet Lexie and talk more about their thoughts on the investigation.

And get kisses. Arlo reminded her.

Of course.

Flash Forward

So here it was, day 15 of tracking. It was four o'clock in the morning and the coffee Lexie had brought her just wasn't doing as much as it should to raise her from slumber. She yawned and resumed walking. It had been nights of grueling all nighters, investigating, interviewing, and working with the other guard members to get to this point.

Finally, she was onto something. Lexie's scent was distracting her though. It kept mixing with and covering the scent she was tracking. They were getting close. The more they found places where this man had been, the more she smelled it- bourbon. Mixed with Lexie's vanilla it was almost alluring.

A deep inhale of it caused her stomach to somersault. No, it was just Lexie making her feel this way, she reasoned. She pressed on, zipping up her jacket against the chill of the woods outside the pack house.

“Whoever is responsible for these murders- they're well trained and professional. Amateur though”Lexie whispered in her ear. “ We keep just circling back here whenever you finally catch a scent.The guard says all evidence points to a rogue who is slowly taking us out one by one dismantleing the pack.”

“Well, we've got to catch them before they get anyone else.” Rory replied.