verb ~ ask questions of someone closely, aggressively, or formally

PHOENIX

Unable to refuse, the woman nodded before opening her door wider. I thanked her, strolling into her home on full alert.

She was alone.

The door closed behind us, and she didn't lock it. A sign of trust.

She immediately rummaged through a drawer, dipping her chin as she passed me a sheet of paper and ID.

To live in a human town, you had to have permission from your alpha and the alpha of the nearest pack. They have to prove you are sane and in good enough control to live amongst humans.

After checking hers, I passed them back with a nod and looked around.

"What brings you to the city?" I asked her.

She fidgeted, hovering near her kitchen. This home was small, the paint peeling and furniture scarce, but for someone of her stature, she fit in well. I, however, could only stand straight in the centre of the room.

"My mate rejected me." She explained. "I moved here five years ago."

I nodded, frowning. "Do you know Harriet well?"

She shook her head. "I barely talk to her. Usually only in passing."

"Where would she be now?"

"I assume work." She shrugged. "Can I make you a drink?"

I shook my head, refusing it. "We won't be long."

She gulped, nodding her head. I knew I distressed her, and the three warrior wolves scouting her property would put anybody on edge.

"Is Harriet a human?"

"Part-wolf," she whispered, shaking her head. "Our landlord owns the store downstairs. She is a rogue, too. You... You won't hurt us, will you, Alpha?"

"I don't intend to if you answer my questions correctly." I shrugged. "What's your name?"

Her eyes widened, dipping her chin. "Taylor, Alpha."

"Under these odd circumstances, it is nice to meet you, Taylor." I nodded. "Are you willing to comply?"

"Yes... yes, Alpha." She hurried. "Whatever you need."

I knew she was a previously a pack wolf; her wolf submissive before I even entered her home. With strawberry blonde hair, her eyes were a soft brown colour. She wore a t-shirt and pyjama bottoms, with two fluffy pink slippers on her feet.

"Thank you." I hummed. "Is Harriet connected to any packs around here?"

"Not that I am aware of, Alpha." Taylor muttered. "She has no wolf."

"I see." I frowned. "Have you noticed anything odd about her in the past two months?"

She cocked her head, grimacing. "Odd, Alpha?"

"Is she... paranoid, skittish, brash?" I asked.

"She... She has not been exactly herself, but winter does that to people." She chuckled nervously. "I assumed she was just having a rough time. I haven't seen her in a while."

"Does she have much of a social life? Any parties, loud banging...?"

"No, Alpha." Taylor shook her head. "It's just her and her sister around here."

Sister?

"She has a sister?"

"Yes, Alpha. They both work and live here in the city."

"Is her sister a wolf or a human?"

"Human as well. I think their grandparents were probably half-breeds." She admitted. "It's very faint. I can only smell it up close."

"Did you notice anything odd around nine weeks ago?"

"In October?" Her eyebrows creased. "Uh..."

"I know it is very specific, but I am looking for a friend."

She eyed me, curious before dropping her gaze respectfully. "I haven't seen or heard anything. She usually does her shift and comes home, but every other weekend she'll have a male over."

Interesting.

"It is common for her to bring men home?"

She nodded. "She goes to the bar and brings them back to her place. They're both usually drunk. She can be quite the flirt."

"When was the last time she did that?" I asked.

Taylor hummed. "I'd say two months ago."

"Have you ever seen any of these guys?"

"If I am awake, sometimes. It's usually dark."

"Any stand out? Any... odd vehicles?"

"No, Alpha."

Damn, she was being sincere, too.

"Very well." I cleared my throat. "Where does she work?"

"Uptown. It's a clothes store a few blocks away."

I nodded. "I can find it. Thank you."

She looked around awkwardly. My three guards came and stood behind me, having completed their task of looking around. I watched as Taylor gulped, eyeing them before looking at me differently.

"You're Alpha Titan, aren't you?" She nervously chewed her lip.

"I am." I nodded.

Immediately, she dropped her gaze and bared her neck. I sighed, no longer enjoying watching the lesser wolves submit before me. It painfully reminded me of Nova in the early days, and I wanted nothing more than to scratch those rocky months from the history books. I hated seeing her so submissive, and now I hated the power trick.

"I apologise, I... It's been a while since I've had any information about... home."

"What pack did you come from?" I asked.

"Midnights." she whispered. "I still have family there."

"Pretty far away." I raised an eyebrow.

Midnights was on the other side of the world. Another continent entirely.

"Yeah...when you get a broken heart from rejection, it feels better to be this far away."

"What were his grounds for rejection?"

"I am omega, Alpha." She dipped her chin. "He was beta."

I grunted, awkwardly scratching my jaw. "I see. Well, I hope you can move on with somebody new. Everybody deserves to find somebody."

"Thank you, Alpha." She whispered.

I nodded, glancing at the door. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to find Harriet."

"Of course, Alpha." She murmured. "I... I'm sorry I couldn't be more of use to you."

"It's fine. Thank you for allowing us inside." I shrugged.

If only all rogue wolves could be so hospitable.

"What... What does this missing person look like?"

"A lycan from the Hala family."

Her eyes widened. "The Hala family? That...They... A lycan?"

"He is my mate's brother, and very dear to us. He has been missing for a while, and we believe Harriet has connections." I stated. "If you remember, see, or hear anything, please don't hesitate to contact me. I will do anything to get him back."

Her eyes widened to the size of saucers, and she swiftly nodded. "Yes, Alpha."

Hating to do it, I held her gaze and brought my wolf forward. "You will not speak of our presence to anybody, understand?"

She whimpered, unable to reject the alpha command. "I understand, Alpha Titan."

Bidding her gentle thanks and goodbye, we left her home.

"Let's move on, quickly. We spent too much time in there." Max insisted as we jogged down the stairs.

"Not this time." I huffed, stopping at Harriet's door. "We had to make sure Taylor wasn't hiding anything."

"Which she wasn't." He stated before glancing at the door. "Why'd we stop?"

I eyed the lock, knowing I could break it as easily as a twig. Curling my hand around the doorknob, I did exactly that. Max hissed my name, but was quick to enter first and scour the area before me. I almost rolled my eyes; there were no scents or heartbeats in here.

The only thing that could hide was something dead or an enchantment, but even those had a shimmer.

"It's clear." He muttered. "Now she's got a broken door."

"She's part wolf. She will have a lot more broken if she doesn't confess." I growled.

Max frowned, remaining silent. I moved further inside, looking over the décor. It was the same layout as upstairs, but with a higher ceiling. It wasn't as nicely decorated as Taylor's, though. The kitchen was standard, with necessities. I inhaled as I passed by, recognising the sour scent of sour milk in the fridge.

I hummed, searching deeper. I couldn't spot anything freshly used for a meal, but yet the sink was full of plates and cutlery. The bins were half-full too, with rotting banana peels on top. I moved further into the living room, not smelling anything in the sofa fibres.

It was all stale.

The bedroom was next, and I quietly pushed open the door as I stepped inside. Her scent was more saturated in here, and I took a large lungful of it. I wouldn't forget it anytime soon.

Her sheets were stale, too, but there wasn't a single hint of Pollux anywhere in here. It had been cleaned well, almost too well.

She must've known someone would come looking. That or her guilt ate her soul away until she had no choice but to erase every physical reminder of what she did.

I doubted it, though. But Nova told me to look at both sides before I did something I may regret.

I was trying, my love.

Exiting the building, I eyed the broken lock with a grimace. I was going to have to fix that or cover it up. For now, I'll close it softly and leave it like that.

"She's not home." I grimaced. "Let's find her store."

Kelsey was already on the phone as we strode down the street, pulling up the directions. It was about a five-minute walk from here, and the anticipation was killing me. It didn't take long, my larger strides overtaking many of the tiny humans here. I kept a sober expression, ignoring how many of them stared at me as I passed by.

I knew I was large and currently bearded. It wasn't a secret. I couldn't exactly shrink myself down to Nova's height to blend in.

Uptown was a fairly modern store, and I stared at the glass doors with interest. I couldn't smell her from out here, and with a quick glance at my guards, we entered. Kelsey stuck with Max, pretending to be separate from us, and Jacob stuck by my side.

The door chimed softly as I entered, and I quickly scoured the area. As I filled my lungs with air, I felt disappointed when I couldn't find her scent. Not even in the fibres of the clothing.

There were only a few other people in here browsing through the winter clothing collection. A half-wolf looked up at me as the door chimed, his wolf eyes scrutinising me. I jerked my chin in greeting, receiving the same gesture back before he turned back to his girlfriend.

"I can't smell her." I murmured.

"Me either." Jacob grunted.

"Dead end." I sighed. "We will move on. She hasn't been here in a long time."

"Don't you want to ask questions?" Kelsey wondered.

Leaving the store, I shook my head. I just wanted to find her, and that meant following her scent or asking a relative.

I eyed the street, knowing that the hotel Taylor spoke of was the one that Pollux stayed in. It was oddly coincidental.

"So, she's fled her home and her job." Kelsey muttered.

I sighed an agreement. "It seems so. If they paid her for helping them capture Pollux, it would make sense to use the money and get out of there."

"Do you think we'll get anything from the sister?"

"I have hope." I muttered. "Let's go."

I would not let this slip, and even though everything so far had been a dead end, I was determined to find more than just the change of a vehicle.

The hotel was large. A lot of floors accompanied an expensive interior, and my nostrils immediately inhaled that sweet, sweet scent of revenge. My two men stuck by me as Kelsey moved to sit on the sofa in the lobby, calmly picking up a magazine.

At the desk was a woman of similar scent, and I assumed it was the sister. She was busy talking on the phone, and I easily by passed her to reach the elevator. There were two humans leaving it, a male standing at the doors, holding them open.

"Going up, Sir?"

He turned, eyes widening as he saw me. I instantly recognised the scent of a rogue wolf, and he recognised mine because he tensed.

"Are you in charge of the elevator?" I asked him.

"Y-Yes, Alpha." He whispered, glancing at the humans as they bypassed me.

"I do not have a key to my room. May I borrow yours?"

Instantly he was bowing his head, removing the lanyard from his neck and placing it in my palm. He was submissive, most likely an omega or rogue, without papers.

"Is... Is there trouble, Alpha?" He wondered, not looking at me.

Definitely a rogue without papers.

"For you? No. Continue with your day." I waved my hand, stepping into the elevator.

"Thank you, Alpha." He bowed again.

He released the doors, and they closed. I stared ahead, locking gazes with the female behind the desk. She had been watching, her eyes wide as they locked in on mine. Then the doors closed, and I hummed, pressing the key to the fob and selecting the second floor.

She had picked up the phone.

"Which one we heading to?" Jacob wondered.

"We split up." I stated.

"Alpha, we are here for your protection."

"I think I can handle myself against a human." I mused. "Besides, I believe our cover may be blown."

"What makes you say that?" Max wondered.

"Just a feeling." I sighed. "Whoever finds her holds her as a hostage until I arrive."

Max was the first to get out, going right to floor number five. Jacob got out on the very top floor, holding his position at the fire escape stairway, and I decided my stop would be floor nine. The moment the doors opened; her scent wafted through the walls.

She wasn't on this floor.

I cocked my head, walking down the hallways in search of her scent. It went down, and I begrudgingly climbed the stairs down to floor eight. It grew stronger, but it wasn't this one. So, it forced me to keep going, climbing another large flight of stairs until I reached the locked door of floor seven.

You could exit a floor without a key, but you couldn't enter one without one.

The door beeped as I pressed the fob to it, and I pushed the heavy fire door open. Instantly, her scent grew stronger, and my lips curled into a sneer as I found the door that held her scent the most.

I could scent her panic, and my assumption was right about her receiving a phone call. From what I could hear, she was frantically packing.

Now, how to go about this...

I could knock.

I could burst the door down.

I could do both.

I knocked loudly, and her heaving breaths paused. She didn't answer, the entire room falling silent as she held her breath. So, I knocked again, louder this time. But she did the same thing.

Play dead.

"I know you are in there, Harriet."

Beeping the key fob to her door, it refused to open.

Her heartbeat picked up speed, and she quickly hurried around her room. Her adrenaline would be pumping now, but it only made me curious about why she felt like she needed to run.

I heard her window open, and instantly mind-linked Jacob to come down to the seventh floor. I remained at her door, listening to the thundering footsteps as Jacob shot down the staircase at inhuman speed. Max wasn't far behind, finding the exit on his floor and climbing up the stairs.

I heard Harriet cry out for help, before the sound of scuffling and furniture being knocked over echoed through the hotel room. My fists clenched, an eager anticipation of what was to come.

The door opened from the inside, Max stepping aside for me to enter. I strode into the room, immediately locking my eyes on the frantic female that handled Pollux's disappearance.

My lips curled into a grin, her eyes widening with horror.

"I do hope that isn't the way you treat all your guests, Harriet." I smirked.

She gulped, her fear perforating the room. But she was silent, her arms restrained by Jacob.

I sighed, moving around her room, looking for anything that could cause a problem.

"I can smell the wolfsbane and silver in your bag, Harriet." I hummed. "Hiding something?"

Her jaw tightened, silent still. I picked up the handle of her bag.

"Running from something?" I cocked my head, stopping before her. "So soon? I do believe we are a tad late for our visit."