AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Eliana sat up a little straighter. “No one believed that my uncle died of natural causes. They said that he died from a drug overdose which is a lie. My uncle didn’t use drugs. He never touched that stuff.”
He frowned, realizing that changed a lot of things. Not only had her uncle died, but there was a chance he had been murdered.
Lio spoke up now, his voice sharp. “He went to a hotel. We had talked about wanting to head over to a meeting for all the alphas on the island. I was going to meet up with him the next morning.”
He watched Eliana’s fingers tighten on her teacup and her lips pursed. His wolf stirred, just watching her, wanting her.
“He had been shot up with drugs. Overdose. Which we all know that he wouldn’t do. The cops labeled it as he was over-stressed and couldn’t handle the pressure anymore. We all know it was a lie.”
“Likely, the cops had been paid off to say so,” Eliana said, wiping at a stray tear that broke free. “We asked them to look further into it, but they told us to just grieve and accept it.”
Eliana took a deep breath in.
“We have no leads as to who it was. It wasn’t like my uncle had a list of people that hated him. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body.”
They all grew quiet, and Eliana wiped at her eyes, trying to blink away tears. He gripped his pants, keeping himself from wanting to console her. If he did that, it would only make it that much harder to leave.
Lio cleared his throat, pulling his eyes back up. He had the eyes of a leader as he spoke.
“This is why the wolves need a strong, powerful leader. It would help if you had someone who is going to look into your uncle’s death and make sure nothing like that ever happens again. Because who knows who else this has happened to.”
Eliana looked uncomfortable.
“You need someone who is going to make sure to keep their pack and the island safe.” Lio looked at him. “That is who you are looking for. Not just an alpha but someone you know is going to do what needs to be done.”
And with those words, the conversation came to a close. He, however, felt he was farther from finding the answer than when they started.
SEVEN
ELIANA
After meeting with the pride alpha and his mate, Eliana showed Lucas what was left of the wolf pack as options. She sensed Lucas’s energy beginning to falter; she had been keen on it earlier, seeing a vibration of subtle interest. But once they visited the young boys, both of whom were barely seventeen, she knew it was time to call it quits.
“So that’ll be all of them on the island then?”
They sat outside the final prospect’s home, a few yards from the beach. It had turned dark, the coastline barely visible beyond the flickering of lights on a distant dock.
The air remained warm and comforting, though, and crickets had emerged to mix with the exotic call of evening birds.
Eliana nodded, holding onto the steering wheel.
“These two were the youngest. I guess if you want to call them ‘men,’ that could be available. I thought you might be able to detect that potential in them that you mentioned earlier.”
Lucas fingered through his notebook, letting out a frustrated sigh.
“I’m not going to lie to you. It doesn’t look promising. But I will go over it again later and get back to you on it.”
Eliana started the engine, and the headlights spilled over the sand. It looked white under the stark illumination, the waves of the shore crashing softly with serene energy.
“Where are you staying?” Eliana asked casually.
“The golf course, not far from here,” Lucas said, grabbing his stomach as it let out a grumble. “I should eat something.”
Eliana’s words shot out of her mouth like a machine gun before she had the chance to filter them.
“The food at the course is definitely good, but it’s better at the restaurant. Would you like to join me?”
Eliana couldn’t tell if Lucas was surprised or expected such a request. His eyes remained solemn, a professional gaze at her like she was simply a new friend he’d made.
