Chapter 258
259
FAYE
I was glad Cole was coming with me.
Not just coming with me… he was driving. Which meant I could relax.
It was funny, in a way. Not because the situation itself was amusing–nothing about blood rituals and hunted gifts was–but because I suddenly realized how much I liked the idea of going out of the house today, and the fact that I had company.
As we pulled out of the pack grounds, the road stretching open before us, silence settled between us for quite a while. Not an uncomfortable one–just the kind that lingers when both people are thinking, but neither is ready to speak yet
After what seemed like forever, I broke the silence first.
“So,” I said casually resting my elbow against the door, “how’s Diana’s case going?”
Cole glanced at me.
Just…. strangely. Like he was trying to decide if he’d heard me correctly.
For a split second, I wondered if I’d made a mistake bringing her up at all. I’d never mentioned Diana to him before. I usually avoided the topic altogether, as if pretending it didn’t exist would somehow keep it from intruding on my life.
But Cole recovered quickly.
“It’s going fine,” he said evenly, his eyes returning to the road. “For now. I’ve set up a meeting with the tron Claw representatives tomorrow. We’ll hear them out and take it from there.”
I nodded, my gaze drifting to the passing trees outside the window.
The truth was, I wasn’t really interested in the case itself. I didn’t care about land disputes or negotiations or which pack thought they had the stronger claim. That wasn’t why I’d asked.
Part of me just wanted to talk. To fill the space. To remind myself that things were still normal enough to allow for small, inconsequential conversations.
And maybe–if I was being honest–a very small, quiet part of me wanted to know if Alexander was truly keeping his distance like he said he was. Whether he’d really handed it all off, or if he was still hovering at the edges, involved in ways no one openly acknowledged.
Cole glanced at me again. “Why do you ask?”
I shrugged, aiming for nonchalance. “I saw her around the pack house earlier today. ” I said. “Twas just wondering if she was there because of the case.”
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+25 Ports
He hummed softly, a knowing sound, then added almost casually, “Or if she was there to see Alpha
Alexander.”
I felt it instantly.
That subtle tightening in my chest. The way my lips curved before I could stop them.
I smirked, turning my face slightly away so he wouldn’t catch the faint heat rising to my cheeks. “
Maybe,” I said lightly.
Cole let out a quiet chuckle. “You know Alpha Alexander doesn’t want anything to do with Diana beyond what’s unavoidable,” he said. “Being her Alpha isn’t a choice. If it were, he’d probably avoid
that part too.”
That helped. More than I expected it to.
I nodded again, letting the topic drop as the road began to curve, the scenery slowly shifting from pack land into the outskirts of town. Buildings replaced trees. Pavement replaced dirt paths.
When Cole finally slowed the car and pulled into a parking space, I frowned slightly and looked up.
A library.
An actual library.
I stared at the building in front of us–large, solid, welcoming in a quiet, unassuming way. People moved in and out freely. Humans: students, families. Ordinary lives unfolding without the faintest awareness of bloodlines or rituals or the things hidden beneath their feet.
I turned to Cole slowly. “Are you playing with me?”
He raised an eyebrow, amused.
“You said,” I continued, “that books like the ones were looking for were too dark to be kept openly on Alexander’s shelves. And now we’re standing in front of a public library–one humans walk into
casually.”
He smirked, clearly enjoying this. “Be patient, Luna,” he said, stepping out of the car. “Come with
me.”
I followed him inside, still half–convinced this was some elaborate misdirection.
The moment we walked through the doors, the atmosphere shifted. Not magically–nothing dramatic–but there was a weight here. A quiet reverence. Rows upon rows of shelves stretched out before us, meticulously organized, filled with knowledge layered over decades–maybe
centuries.
I’d driven past this building more times than I could count, never once thinking to enter it.
Now I wondered why.
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< Chapter 259
We approached the first librarian we saw–a woman with kind eyes and a practiced smile. Definitely human. Cole greeted her politely and asked for Anna.
“Anna?” the woman repeated. “She should be in the back. You can wait here if you’d like.”
“That’s all right,” Cole said easily. “We’ll meet her there.”
The librarian nodded, clearly familiar with him, and gestured vaguely toward the rear of the
building.
+25 Points
As Cole walked ahead, I followed, my attention drifting as I took everything in. The library was massive–bigger than I’d imagined. Entire sections were dedicated to subjects I hadn’t known existed. It wasn’t just well–stocked; it was intentional. Carefully curated.
When we reached the back section, I noticed a lady speaking with another patron. She looked about my age… maybe younger. I wouldn’t know. She was beautiful in a quiet, natural way. There was something warm about something that made the space around her feel lighter.
Presence
The moment she saw Cole, her face lit up.
www
And Cole–controlled Cole–mirrored the reaction.
She wrapped up her conversation quickly and made her way toward us, her smile widening with every step. When she reached us, she didn’t hesitate. She stepped into Cole’s space and hugged
him.
I felt it before I consciously registered it.
The pull. The familiarity.
She was a wolf.
Cole hugged her back briefly. And when they pulled apart, he turned to me. “Um,” he said, “this is Anna. My mate. Anna, this is Faye, Luna of Blood Crescent.” He whispered the last part for obvious
reasons.
I blinked.
His mate.
I hadn’t known he had a mate. Somehow, in all the time I’d known Cole, it had never come up. Or maybe it had, and I’d simply never connected the dots.
“That’s… wonderful. Nice to meet you, Anna,” I said honestly.
Anna smiled at me, bright and genuine. “It’s an honor to meet you,” she said. “Luna of Blood Crescent.”
I could tell immediately she wasn’t from our pack, but it didn’t matter. There was an openness to her energy, an ease that put me at rest almost instantly. She leaned into Cole again slightly, clearly
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comfortable with public displays of affection in a way Cole wasn’t, and the contrast was…
endearing.
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Cole explained what we needed–carefully, vaguely, without revealing more than necessary. “We’re looking for access to some special material,” he said. “I’d appreciate it if you could help us.”
Anna paused, her gaze flicking briefly to me. I could see the calculation there–not suspicion, exactly, but caution. I was new to her. A variable she hadn’t anticipated.
Then she nodded.
“No problem, ” she said with a smile. “Follow me.”
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