Page 22 of The Alpha's Crimson Vow

“Is it going to be a work friend? You know, so I’ll know whether to bring my best suit.”

Is that a joke? Is he making jokes now?

I laugh, shaking my head, the sound light and easy. “Oh, this friend is very important. She’s like a sister to me. Her name’s Alice Kassel, and I’ve told her a lot about you,” I say into the phone, my gaze drifting to Alice, who’s watching me. I smile at her, just a little, as I speak.

There’s a silence on the other end of the phone. Alex doesn’t respond right away, and it hangs there, strange and abrupt. My brows furrow, but I shake it off, not wanting to make too much of it. “Alright. See you soon,” I say.

“Actually…” he starts, his voice dipping lower, more hesitant. “I don’t know if I can make it.”

I frown, the change in his tone immediately putting me on edge. “Oh?”

“Yeah,” he says, his voice quieter now. “I don’t think I feel so good. I might be coming down with something.”

He coughs lightly, the sound weak and strained. My worry spikes. “Do you need any help?” I ask, my voice softening.

“No,” he replies quickly, almost too quickly. “I just… need to take some meds and rest. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” I say reluctantly. “Take care of yourself.”

He hangs up, and I stare at my phone, my brows furrowing as unease creeps in. Something about the way he sounded didn’t sit right with me.

“Everything okay?” Alice’s voice pulls me back to the present.

I look up, meeting her gaze. “He won’t be able to make it. Says he’s coming down with a cold or something,” I say, trying to keep my tone light.

But Alice’s expression takes a turn again. There’s something there—something guarded that makes my stomach tighten.

“Alice…” I start, narrowing my eyes at her. “Is everything okay?”

She forces a smile, but it looks strained, almost unnatural. “Yes,” she says softly. “Everything’s fine.”

But her eyes, steady on mine, tell a different story.

Chapter Seven

Alex

Alice Kassel.

The name rings in my head like a blaring alarm. It’s loud, persistent, clawing at the edges of my thoughts. The second Katherine mentioned it during our phone call, there was no way I was going to meet her that evening. I needed a way out, and fast.

"I don’t think I feel so good," I told her, keeping my voice low and raspy, throwing in a half-hearted cough for good measure. Maybe it was convincing, maybe it wasn’t. Either way, I wasn’t about to stay on the call and find out.

Now, sitting alone with a glass of whiskey, I’m left to unravel the knots in my chest. I swirl the liquid in lazy circles. My other hand moves almost on autopilot, threading through my hair like it’ll somehow untangle the thoughts in my head.

How do they even know each other? Katherine isn’t a shifter—I would’ve smelled it on her if she was. It feels like some cruel joke, like the universe is twisting the knife just to watch me squirm. It’s bad enough that I have to wrestle with the fact that Katherine is my fated mate, an ordeal in itself that I can barely afford to dwell on in the middle of my mission.

But she knows Alice? They’re friends? She’s friends with the Queen of the American Wolf Kingdom?

Alice knows who I am. Really knows. Not the janitor, not the guy with the down turned eyes and the silent demeanor. The real me. And that’s a problem—a big one. I’ve worked too hard, come too far, to let it all fall apart now. Not when I’m this close to finishing what I started.

The thought sends a tight, burning knot of frustration through my chest. I tip the glass to my lips and take a slow, deliberate swallow. The whiskey burns going down, a sting I welcome. It’s settling, a distraction from the noise in my head.

The faint vibration of my phone on the table breaks through my thoughts, rattling against the wood with a dull buzz. It’s a jarring sound in the quiet, but I don’t move right away. I stare at the screen, watching the name light up in bold letters.

Jack.

My best friend. My confidant. Another person who knows me… really knows me. But unlike Alice Kassel, there’s no cause for alarm with Jack. He’s the only person I can trust to stand by me through this mission that’s consuming me.

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