Page 32 of Moonlit Nights & Northern Lights
“What did I tell you?” Dad’s voice boomed from the shadows, each word like hooks tearing through my skin.
I tried to remember what I’d done wrong this time. Was it fidgeting during family dinner? Talking too much when another alpha came over? Or maybe it was the broken vase—an accident, I swear—when I’d been racing through the living room pretending to be a superhero.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, the words automatic, meaningless from repetition.
My father’s silhouette loomed larger. “Sorry doesn’t fix anything, does it? You never learn.”
The familiar knot of dread tightened in my stomach. Would it be the belt today? Or just locked in here until morning? Maybe he’d make me stand in the corner for hours until my legs gave out. Creative punishment was his specialty.
“This is for your own good,” he said, stepping closer. “When are you going to learn to control yourself?”
“I’m sorry, Dad,” I repeated, because I had no other words.
“Rory, wake up.”
I blinked at him, confused. Iwasawake. What did he want from me now? I needed to think, quickly, understand—
“Rory,wake up!”
My eyes flew open, head instantly splitting with pain. A face hovered inches from mine—definitelynotmy father’s. Maxwell’s dark eyes stared down, annoyed and… uncomfortable?
“Let me go,” he said, voice tight.
Horror dawned as I registered my current position—arms and leg tangled around his body, my head resting comfortably on his chest like he was my personal pillow. I was clinging to Detective Dickface like he was my favourite teddy bear.
I recoiled so fast I nearly fell off the bed, scrambling to the opposite edge, dragging the sheet with me. He shot to his feet like I’d electrocuted him, towering over me with that familiar crease between his eyebrows that meant I was in trouble—again.
“What the fuck were you doing in my bed?” I demanded, pulse racing, desperate to cover my mortification with outrage.
Maxwell’s expression could have frozen hell. “Mybed. You stole it, despite me explicitly telling you to sleep on the sofa.” He gestured between us. “And then you proceeded to latch onto me like some kind of octopus in the middle of the night. Just now you were squeezing me so tight it woke me up.”
Heat crawled up my neck. I’d been having yet another nightmare about my father. It seemed that no matter how many years passed, I’d never truly be able to escape him.
“I always cuddle the duvet when I sleep,” I snapped. “Must’ve gotten confused.”
Aside from Priya, I rarely slept in the same bed as anyone—not even hookups. Those guys got a kiss on the cheek and directions to the nearest Tube station before their clothes were fully back on. Yet there I’d been, wrapped around Theodore Maxwell like he was the last lifeboat on the Titanic.Mortifying.
“I need coffee,” I groaned, pulling away and smacking my dry mouth. My tongue felt like sandpaper glued to the roof of my mouth. Last night was the drunkest I’d been in ages. Memories blurred into fragments ofneon lights, bass-heavy music, Bradley all over me, and… “Oh god, I can’t believe I threw up on the way home. I haven’t done that in years.”
Maxwell passed me a glass of water without comment. I gulped it down, spilling some down my chin.
“I need you to leave soon,” he said. “I need to shower, get dressed, and go to work. You know, my actual job.”
He was still in yesterday’s clothes, but so was I, so I could hardly judge.
“The police station can wait,” I waved dismissively. “What did we find out last night?”
Maxwell’s eyebrow arched. “We?”
“Fine, what didyoufind out while I was busy being the diversion?”
He sighed, scratching at his stubble. “Meridian hired Bradley and Brody as informants. They were paid to identify potential shifter targets—specifically lone wolves who wouldn’t be missed or who had few pack connections.”
My stomach turned. “And Dev?”
“Meridian must have realised he was still investigating the disappearances. The men were tasked with monitoring him, finding out how much he knew, and reporting back.” Maxwell crossed his arms. “Though apparently, when the pair of them met Dev, he seemed to suspect them. Dominic interrupted us, so it’s unclear what they ultimately told Meridian, but…”
The chips and curry sauce I’d inhaled last night threatened a reappearance. “So Meridian has him?”
