Chapter 355 The Cut Contract
Aubrey carried Candy forward slowly until she spotted a familiar figure.
It was indeed Charles. He stood with his head lowered, focused on something in his hands.
Aubrey narrowed her eyes. Candy also noticed her owner and let out a loud meow.
Aubrey didn’t stop her. Charles immediately turned his head, and the instant he saw Aubrey, a flicker of panic crossed his face.
“You said you were away on a mission, not in Shadowmoon Pack,” Aubrey asked directly, not bothering with pretense.
Charles hadn’t expected to run into her here. His gaze flickered before he managed a smile tinged with apology. “The mission was canceled last minute. I got the notice this morning. I was just about to contact you to let you know I was back.”
His tone was natural enough, but that brief panic had not
Aubrey’s sharp eyes.
She narrowed her gaze and nodded coolly. “Carry on with
your work.”
Without another word, Aubrey turned and left.
Back at Charles’s house, she set Candy down on the sofa and lay beside her. Perhaps comforted by her presence, Candy meowed twice before curling up against her and falling asleep.
Aubrey stayed still, her eyes closed as she sifted through her memories. Then, suddenly, her eyes snapped open. She glanced at the sofa. Something was wrong…
When she had left last night, she’d accidentally knocked the sofa askew. But when she returned after killing Phantom’s leader and Harold, the sofa had been straightened.
Which meant Charles had been back last night. And he’d found her gone.
Did he connect her absence to Harold’s death? In Shadowmoon Pack, private duels were tolerated as long as no one was caught in the act, but outright killing was a capital crime. Especially when she still had no solid proof of Harold’s dealings with the southern wolves.
That day, alpha Henry never contacted Aubrey. He was too busy covering up Harold’s “accidental” death.
The pack elders demanded a full investigation, though Henry had no desire to pursue one. He already suspected Aubrey. He’d traced Harold’s dealings with Phantom’s leader, and the same. mercenaries had been the ones chasing Aubrey on Whistling Cliff.
After hours of coaxing, and promising to strengthen pack security, Henry finally managed to calm the elders and send them away.
Rubbing his temples, Henry stopped by the lab to check on Xavier’s progress with the serum improvements. Only afterward did he go looking for John. The boy had talent and loyalty to Shadowmoon Pack. Henry wanted to train him so that when he ventured to the Moon Goddess’s origin, John could hold things together in his place.
But John was nowhere to be found. Even their psychic link failed. It felt as if he were deliberately avoiding Henry. Guilty of something?
Henry didn’t bother chasing further. He simply told Xavier to send John to him immediately once he reappeared.
Leaving the lab, Henry’s thoughts drifted back to Aubrey. The more he thought of her, the stronger the urge became, until he finally gave in. He shifted into wolf form and raced toward Charles’s house. He had long since discovered she was staying there, but had restrained himself, knowing not to push her too hard.
Now, back in human form, he was just about to open the door when his phone rang.
It was Perry–the one who had taken leave to travel to the southern continent in search of his fated mate.
Henry almost ignored it, but the ringing persisted. If he didn’t answer, Perry would only keep calling, even while he was with Aubrey.
Reluctantly, Henry picked up, irritation in his voice. “What is it?”
On the other end came Perry’s excited shout: “Alpha, I have it! I have the potion–the one that can sever the Moon Goddess bond!”