“Oh, I am not succumbing to that.” She directed a finger at him. “I have encountered that previously and managed individuals like you for an extended period.” Depart; I shall disclose nothing to you.
Ryder chuckled softly, “I shall send my finest man to enchant you, shall I?” and he was sincere. She would be unable to surpass Nolan.
“W… What?”She exclaimed, “I have a boyfriend.”
“I trust he is amenable to sharing,” Ryder remarked with a smirk directed at her. Nolan is resolute in his pursuits, and it is improbable that you will refuse him. He exited the store, suggesting she may possess a degree of immunity to Ryder. He was indifferent to it, did not particularly enjoy flirting with her, and did not desire to do so. He had to consider Brianna, and it was uncertain whether it would harm her, thus he refrained from acting. Nolan, conversely, was unattached and content to socialise.
Ryder was finished being deceived by Brianna Layla, or Stella, into thinking she was absent.
The irate woman was beginning to exasperate him.
“Nolan,” he communicated telepathically with his Gamma.
“Affirmative, Ryder.”
I grant you permission to pursue Stella’s affections.
“Charming, she is truly adorable,” he discerned the man’s tone, imbued with amusement and joy. He could easily envision himself smiling at this moment, “First, locate Sadie, boss.”
“Affirmative,” Ryder concurred.
They did not locate Sadie, but detected her blood and discovered an unconscious rogue on the ground in a back alley. This alley was permeated with a strong, errant odour. Indeed, there are four distinct fragrances in addition to Sadie. He was plagued by fear, doubting her ability to confront and defeat four male rogues simultaneously.
However, there was an additional discrepancy, as the location of Sadie’s blood did not correspond with the remainder of the altercation. Another individual was present in this alleyway, or perhaps one of the rogues had betrayed the others; however, his primary concern was that Sadie was no longer here; she had vanished.
Nolan was already following her scent down the alleyway and called back to him. He traced it to a main road where it remained potent, but then the scent abruptly vanished, likely indicating she had entered a vehicle and departed.
“Investigate the hospitals,” Ryder commanded.
“Ryder, what if there was another individual who assisted her in escaping during that altercation…” Luca observed the same detail; there was a confrontation involving Sadie’s blood, yet another skirmish occurred several meters away in the alley, presumably simultaneously.
“I am aware,” he acknowledged.
“What if Brianna were the case?” We cannot detect her odour; I cannot perceive another presence in the alley.
He sighed, “If it were?” She either placed Sadie in a cab or transported her home, and Ryder doubted she would have opted to take the girl home. He believed Sadie was his Mate and did not think she would have wished to engage in the altercation, had she been involved. She was reuniting the woman she believed to be his Mate with him. Consequently, he believed she would not take her home, as that would lead him directly to her doorstep, and witnessing their interaction had previously inflicted significant pain upon her; she would not subject herself to that willingly.
Luca concurred, “Hospital first.”
However, if Brianna was the one who assisted.
That likely induced internal conflict for her, yet ultimately proved beneficial, as she acted as any she-wolf would, rescuing another from a dire predicament. Unless both were captured by the three rogues, he could detect their scent but not perceive their presence. He fervently hoped that this was not the situation, praying that Layla had intervened to assist her in overcoming those rogues, and that they had placed Sadie into a taxi.
The woman was infuriating yet simultaneously compassionate; he needed to locate her, remove the scent-masking spray, and ascertain whether she was indeed his Mate.
Upon discovering Sadie in the emergency room of the nearest hospital, all intentions of punishing her and incarcerating her at home dissipated. The nurse attending to her was informing him about her condition. She exhibited signs of a concussion and appeared to have been strangled. A substantial handprint was evident around her neck, accompanied by bruising on the entire left side of her face, a graze along her right cheek, and a wound at her temple.
The short-sleeved hospital gown she wore displayed bruises and claw marks on both arms, indicative of defensive wounds. Upon gazing at him, her blue eyes welled with tears, and she subsequently erupted into sobs. He embraced her, and she clung to him while weeping.
“Exercise caution,” the nurse advised him, “she has additional wounds on her body, some require suturing.”
“How did she arrive here?”He enquired of the nurse.
“I understand that a taxi driver transported her here.”
