billion book
8
KNIGHT
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Kailin was still pissed at me.
I didn’t know what was wrong with me. It seemed that every time I saw Nirvana, the world stopped spinning, things suspended, and my mind went blank.
The pull between us was getting stronger and stronger. I started to lose my mind, and it seemed that I was the only one who was affected. And it fucking drove me insane.
“Don’t challenge me again, Kailin.” My warning didn’t seem to budge her. “You don’t wanna see me mad. And I’m still your alpha.”
“Then tell me, why do you hate her so much?”
“I don’t hate her.”
“Then why do you act like she has some kind of infectious disease when she’s around?”
“I don’t wanna talk about it. You can stay here if you want to. I’m just going to visit the firm. See you at lunch.” I was already walking towards the door when she held my arm. “What?”
She sighed. “I apologize because you’re my alpha, but not as my cousin.”
“Apology accepted, but don’t ever challenge me again, especially in front of Nirvana. I don’t care if she sees me shift before us. Do you understand me?”
Her eyebrows met together. “Something is really wrong with you, Alpha. If you don’t even care, she will find out our secret, who we are. She’s been my best friend for four years, and I know how hard it is to keep a secret from the people I care about, but I would never jeopardize her safety or her mental health. She might not going to take it well, and I don’t wanna see my best friend in the mental hospital.”
“Nothing’s wrong with me. And stop pissing me off.” I left before I could blurt out that Nirvana saw Gage shift.
I went to the Blackwell Firm in Manhattan. Though the first quarter report was outstanding, the meeting bored me.
My mind went back to Nirvana in her pajamas. She looked so beautiful without a hint of makeup on her freckled face. Her blonde hair was in a messy bun, and I couldn’t help but notice the absence of her bra- those firm tits made my fingertips itch, and her nipples poked through the thin garment of what she was wearing. She could be a perfect girlfriend or a better wife, but I couldn’t drag her into my world out of selfishness.
The longer I stared at her, the harder my cock went rigid in my pants. So I had to get out of her apartment as soon as possible, or my cousin would notice my groin and my racing heartbeat. She couldn’t know how Nirvana mattered to me.
It was almost lunch. I dialed Zarah. Thankfully, she picked up the call this time.
“You start to annoy me, Knight.”
I chuckled. “Thank you for picking up my call. I’m in New York. If you are in town, can you meet me at Case Restaurant? I’d love to have lunch with you.”
“I’m with someone and very much happy, Knight.” I knew Zarah was joking, and who wouldn’t know about her relationship with the Lycan King, Sebastien Locklear?
“Yeah, right. So you can’t spare me a minute of your precious time?”
“I’ll see you there.”
“Thank you.”
I dialed my delta after I hung up the call with the witch. Luka was one of the greatest guys I’d ever met. I could trust him with anything, and he would never betray me.
“Alpha?” he answered right away. Luka worked in the vineyards and studied Oenology. Soon, he would run the winemaking department.
“I don’t need your assistance right now. Take Zander with you. Do whatever you want. Just don’t get him drunk.” Zander was still in college, but he was a good kid.
“Just let me know if you need us. See you soon, Alpha.”
I arrived at the restaurant just before the lunch. A lady staff welcomed me.
“I have a reservation by the name of Knight Blackwell.”
“Yes, sir. Follow me,” the woman said as she walked before me towards the stairs. The VIP area was upstairs.
Case Restaurant was awarded a Michelin star last year. No wonder some businessmen showed interest in this restaurant. It is also located in the center of the city.
“Thank you,” I told the lady as she opened the door for me. I instantly caught the scent of a werewolf. It was distinctively strong. It meant it was a male and a werewolf with ancient blood.
The staff left. I followed and sniffed where the scent took me, and the old man in his sixties stood before me. He was the werewolf.
“Mr. Blackwell, welcome to Case Restaurant.” He offered his hand.
“Thank you.” I shook his hand hesitantly, but he was in a pack. I could smell that.
“Oh, you two have met.” My cousin had just arrived, or she was already here.
“Yeah.” I was still confused, and the man didn’t introduce himself.
“I’m Case Woodrow.” He smiled as he must have seen the look on my face.
“You’re the owner.” My pulse accelerated. I looked at Kailin, and she just shut her mouth.
“Yes, son. And you’re an alpha.”
“Yes. White Moon from California.” I paused for a moment to gather my bearing. “Can we speak in private?”
“Of course. My office is downstairs. Follow me.” He gestured as he led me the way.
Before Kailin could follow Case, I held her wrist. “You knew?”
“Obviously, I can smell him.”
I tightened my grip around her. “Are you going to tell me about this?”
She met my gaze, and I instantly saw the guilt in her eyes. “I promised Case I won’t tell what we are to his granddaughter.”
Case opened the door to his office, filled with Nirvana’s pictures from baby pictures until she finished college, then an old sword framed in glasses. Once we were all inside, he locked the door before him.
Case instantly noticed a million questions on my face.
“You’re from the long line of ancient werewolves, but why your granddaughter is not one of us?”
Kailin dropped her gaze. Case took a deep breath.
“Are you going to answer me, Mr. Woodrow?”
A knock interrupted us, but I didn’t feel the tingle or my heartbeat racing. It meant it wasn’t Nirvana behind the door.
“Mr. Woodrow, someone is looking for you,” said a woman behind the door.
Case went to open, and it was Zarah who appeared.
“My dear.” Case and Zarah did a cheek-to-cheek kiss.
“Good to see you, old man, still alive and handsome.”
“So, this is not a coincidence. You both know each other?” I bounced my gaze between them.
“Oh, drop the attitude, Knight. You figured out something, didn’t you?” She locked the door behind her and chanted something. “No one can hear us now, even if you yell into our faces.”
Case blew a breath as if finding it difficult to open an old wound. “My granddaughter is cursed before she’s even born.”
“What?” My heart nearly stopped. I momentarily stared at the old man and watched the pain appear in his eyes.
“His daughter had a gift and has witch blood from her mother and Case’s late wife. Her mother’s name was Sophie,” Zarah began. “Such as a beautiful woman. I saw her daughter once, and she just looked like her mother.”
“Her gift was what killed her,” Case added.
“What gift?”
“Ophelia had a gift as old as dating back to Oracles in Ancient Greece that had been worshiped in temples throughout history.”
The hair rose all over my body. I was immensely shocked hearing the terrible truth that seemed impossible. At the same time, my brain stopped processing.
“Wait. You’re the witch?” asked Kailin, bewildered as she pointed at Zarah. I could see the amazement in her eyes.
Silence instantly swallowed the room, almost deafening.
“Not now, Kailin.” I didn’t even realize I said it out loud.
“Sophie got the gift from her mother, which passed on to the eldest daughters. She had an encounter with a powerful warlock. If the story is true, she saw his future, and he didn’t like it. So he cursed all her bloodline, her future eldest child, and the child of her child, and so on, to lose the power of her bloodline and abilities, if any.”
“Maybe there’s something we can do, right?” Kailin spoke. She must not have known about the curse.
“There’s nothing in the spell books throughout history, in any witch Grimoire I had read. I’ve known Woodrow for so long, and I would have helped Case in a heartbeat if I found something. The only thing that hadn’t tried is a quest.” Then Zarah faced me. “Now that I’m here, and you know Nirvana’s family’s secret, are you still planning to do what you ought to, Alpha Knight?”
Kailin gripped my arm. “What is she talking about, Knight? What plan?”