19. Dylan

Iwoke up, and instead of being in Whizz”s messy room at the MC clubhouse as I initially expected, I found myself in my own apartment.

I blinked for a moment, disoriented, until I saw Whizz next to me in bed, snoozing peacefully. The sight brought a smile to my face.

Our makeup date last night and makeup sex had been amazing. Whizz had gone out of his way to make it special, and it had worked.

I realized I couldn”t stay mad at him for long, not when I saw how much he cared about us.

I reached out, my fingers lightly tracing Whizz”s face. He didn”t stir, either faking sleep or genuinely that worn out from our evening together.

The tenderness of the moment was abruptly interrupted by the sound of a ringing phone.

I recognized Whizz”s ringtone, and as much as I was tempted to ignore it, I couldn”t help but think that the call might be important. I glanced at Whizz, who was still snoring softly, then let out a sigh.

I groaned as I started looking for the phone, but it seemed to elude my grasp, continuing to ring relentlessly.

Finally, I gently shook Whizz awake.

He let out a soft growl in response but quickly lost his irritation when he saw me.

”Woke me up early for some morning fun?” Whizz teased with a knowing grin.

Amused,I shook my head and pointed out the ringing phone, making it clear that something else was demanding our attention.

Whizz eventually helped me search for it, and we finally found it under the bed, ending the persistent ringing.

I debated making a quick breakfast for both of us before we headed to work.

There was still plenty of time, but my plans changed when I noticed the way Whizz”s face tensed as he uttered Marc”s name.

A chill ran down my spine, knowing that Marc”s call could only be about one thing—Gregory Hicks.

Had Whizz”s friend found more information about Hicks and his new operation?

I couldn”t help but remain where I was, eavesdropping on the conversation.

Whizz didn”t seem to mind, as he didn”t ask me to give him some space. He truly meant what he said about not keeping any secrets from me anymore.

Pleased by this newfound revelation, I continued listening in, but the mood turned sober as we heard what Marc had to say.

Marc sounded both panicked and angry as he spoke on the phone.

”They appeared in Greenfield last night,” Marc said, his voice tight. ”They took another omega as he was coming home from work. I can”t just stand by and watch any longer. I”m pursuing them.”

I felt a chill run down my spine as I heard this, realizing that Marc was risking himself to track down Hicks” men.

”Are you insane, Marc? This isn”t the protocol we established,” Whizz said.

I tapped Whizz on the shoulder, and he turned to look at me.

Silently, I mouthed, ”Calm down.”

He took a deep breath and nodded curtly, acknowledging my message.

Whizz turned his attention back to Marc and said, ”Tell me everything.”

Marc began to explain the situation, starting with how one of his sources in Greenfield had spotted one of Hicks” men in town.

Concerned, Marc had driven out to check it out, which was what had set all of this in motion.

”That doesn”t explain why you went after them on your own. You should have called me first,” Whizz pointed out. ”You”re a great private investigator, Marc, the best, but you”re not a fighter.”

”I lost my cool after seeing one of Hicks” men making a video call to one of their allies,” Marc admitted.

Both Whizz and I could hear Marc”s heavy, heaving breathing on the phone.

”Whizz, the guy this werewolf called. It was Hicks he called, but there was a second guy next to Hicks. It”s Tommy,” Marc explained.

”Tommy, your missing brother?” Whizz asked, sounding puzzled.

He shook his head and gripped the phone tightly in his hand. I knew this was a sensitive topic for Marc.

”Marc, Tommy disappeared the same time Jake did,” Whizz said gently. ”You don”t know what he looks like now.”

”I know it”s him, Whizz,” Marc responded, his frustration coming through in his voice. ”Are you done lecturing me? Are you going to help me deal with these bastards or not?”

Whizz let out a deep breath and made a quick decision.

”I”ll be right there. Wait for me, and don”t do anything rash until then. Can you promise me that, Marc?” Whizz asked carefully.

It took a few moments for Marc to answer him.

”Fine, I can wait. I did call you, and I”m aware of my limits,” he admitted. ”I have no intentions of getting myself killed.”

”Good, I”ll see you soon,” Whizz replied before ending the call.

He turned to me with a serious expression.

”This smells like a trap,” I pointed out.

Whizz nodded. ”I”m aware, but I can”t abandon Marc,” he explained.

Through the depth of our mate bond, I could sense Whizz”s worries, his determination to head out and back up Marc despite the danger.

I knew him well enough by now to understand that there was no way I could stop him.

I cupped Whizz”s unshaven cheek, drawing his attention, and looked into his eyes.

”Promise me you”ll be extra careful and that you”ll call for backup if things get too risky?” I asked.

Whizz took my fingers in his and kissed them, his lips warm and reassuring.

”I promise I”ll return with Marc safe,” he answered.

I watchedfrom my apartment window as Whizz got on his motorcycle downstairs.

It felt like Whizz knew I was keeping an eye on him, and he looked up, giving me a reassuring wave.

Waving back at him, I tried to muster a smile, but my stomach was tied in knots.

I had confidence in Whizz”s abilities, but the impending decision I was about to make felt like a betrayal.

I couldn”t sit idly by and let Whizz fight my battles for me all the time. I knew what it felt like to need to take control of your own destiny, like Marc did.

Once Whizz”s figure disappeared down the street, I picked up my own cell phone and dialed Kyle”s number.

It didn”t take Kyle long to answer. After just two rings, he picked up. I couldn”t help but wonder if he had been anticipating my call.

”Dylan, hey, I wasn”t expecting to hear your voice the first thing in the morning,” Kyle said in a cheerful tone, but there was something about it that felt a bit fake.

I took a deep breath, the stakes high, and asked, ”Kyle, I”m calling to ask about that coffee. Would you like to have breakfast together before work?”

My heart raced with anticipation. If Kyle said yes, I would have the opportunity to uncover the truth about him and hopefully put Whizz”s suspicions to rest.

But if he said no, I might have to wait a long time for another chance, and I wasn”t sure when that would be.

Whizz was already wary of Kyle and considered him a potential threat, so today was my best chance to get to the bottom of this.

Kyle and I had arranged to meet at a diner in Three Hills that I hadn”t heard of before.

Kyle claimed it was popular with the locals, but when I stepped into the somewhat dingy diner 40-minutes later, I couldn”t help but notice the sparse number of customers.

The waiter gave me a suspicious side-eyed look that set my instincts on edge.

Every fiber in my body was screaming for me to abandon this half-cocked plan. Even my rabbit half urged me to run out the door immediately.

Despite my reservations, I spotted Kyle sitting in a corner booth near the bathroom. He waved me over.

”Dylan, over here,” he called.

I hesitated for a moment before walking over and taking a seat. To my surprise, Kyle had already ordered two coffees, which sat steaming in front of us.

I poured some milk into my cup and took a cautious sip, only to wince at the bitterness.

Kyle chuckled at my reaction. ”The coffee”s a little bitter, but it sure packs a punch, doesn”t it?”

”It sure does,” I replied, trying to keep the conversation light.

After the same waiter who had given me a side-eyed look earlier took our orders, I attempted to focus on our discussion.

When I invited Kyle for breakfast, I hadn”t been sure about the rest of my plan. How was I going to get Kyle to talk about his past?

”I have to admit, I was surprised by your call earlier,” Kyle said, breaking the silence. ”I didn”t think that overprotective mate of yours would allow it. He doesn”t seem to like me all that much.”

I felt a surge of loyalty to Whizz and felt compelled to defend him.

”Whizz isn”t that bad,” I immediately said.

”Of course, you”d say that, especially after everything you”ve been through,” Kyle said absentmindedly, his words sending alarm bells ringing in my head.

”What do you mean, ”after everything I”ve been through”?” I asked, my heart pounding.

I had never told Kyle about my prior abduction.

I had only mentioned that before Whizz, I had a bad experience with an ex-boyfriend, a safe enough lie.

Kyle”s face briefly showed panic, and I watched as he attempted to cover his mistake with a nervous laugh.

It was evident that Kyle was afraid of something, of revealing the truth perhaps.

”Oh, I meant your ex. He must”ve done a number on you. I know mine did,” he said, trying to play it off. But his earlier slip had not gone unnoticed.

I couldn”t help but think about the information Whizz had compiled on Kyle.

Whizz had not only speculated that Kyle had lied about his identity but had also concluded that he might be working for Hicks.

I sincerely hoped Whizz had been wrong about this. Before I could delve deeper into my thoughts, Kyle abruptly stood up.

”If you”ll excuse me, I need to head to the men”s room,” he said.

Without waiting for a response, Kyle brushed past the scowling waiter who had taken our orders earlier.

”Your food,” the waiter said curtly, delivering our orders.

Curiosity got the better of me as I watched the waiter entering the men”s room as well.

Why had the waiter followed Kyle? Was there some connection between them that I wasn”t aware of?

My animal instincts couldn”t detect that the waiter was a paranormal; he seemed human, which meant he wasn”t a direct threat to me.

I decided to rise from my seat and quietly follow them into the men”s room.

Inside, I overheard Kyle and the waiter engaged in a heated argument.

”Norris, I can”t do this after all. Dylan”s a good guy. Surely, Gregory can find another replacement,” Kyle”s desperate voice reached my ears.

My heart sank as those words confirmed that Kyle was indeed in league with Hicks.

”He drank that coffee, didn”t he? Your work here is done. Let us handle everything else. If Gregory heard you second-guessing his decisions, you”re in for a world of hurt, Tommy.”

Tommy. The name struck a chord, but I couldn”t quite place it.

As I watched, the omega pretending to be Kyle looked over Norris” shoulder, and his face turned ashen when he saw me standing by the door.

My instincts screamed at me to run, to leave now, but my feet felt as if they were stuck in place, and I couldn”t move.

”Dylan, you shouldn”t have followed me here. You shouldn”t have asked me out for breakfast,” Tommy whispered, his hands covering his face as if he could erase what had just occurred.

It struck me that once he shed the facade he had been playing, Tommy was a shattered soul, much like I had been before Whizz rescued me.

I finally managed to shake off my paralysis, but as I turned to leave, my vision blurred, and my body felt unbearably heavy.

Tommy mentioned something about the coffee, and a chilling realization struck me.

I knew there were drugs that could affect paranormals.

Hicks had used them before to keep us compliant. Before I could retreat further into the diner, Norris lunged towards me.

His movement was a blur, and he held a gun in his hand. But he didn”t use it to shoot me; instead, he used it to knock me out cold.

“Mission accomplished. Help me move his body,” were the last words I heard Norris said, before passing out.