Chapter 19: The Hunt For Iris Begins

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: The Hunt For Iris Begins

Alexander stood motionless in the middle of his bedroom, his chest rising and falling in slow, measured breaths. The crumpled note was still clenched in his fist, the paper now little more than a wrinkled ball crushed beneath the strength of his hand.

His eyes slowly lifted toward the unmade bed that he had made love to her in. The evidence of his night with her was plain to see, and he inhaled deeply. Her scent still lingered everywhere.

On the sheets, on the pillows, on his skin. It wrapped around him like an intoxicating drug, soothing the beast inside him even while his human side simmered with fury.

After centuries of searching...after watching kingdoms rise and fall and history changing...and after burying generations of people whose names history had long forgotten...fate had finally brought his mate to him, only for her to slip away while he was asleep and telling him to forget her?

A humorless chuckle escaped him. "You’re either incredibly brave..." His blue eyes darkened. "...or you have absolutely no idea what you’ve done."

After standing for a little, trying to calm himself, Alexander left his bedroom and walked to his bathroom, to try and take a shower and get ready for the day.... afterall...he had an empire to run.

Nearly twenty minutes later, steam still curled through the massive marble bathroom. The rain shower continued to pour over him in relentless streams, yet it did nothing to cool the heat simmering beneath his skin.

He scrubbed away the traces of last night, but one thing stubbornly refused to disappear.

Her maddening scent.

It lingered on him like a cologne. Every breath reminded him that she had been there, that she had belonged in his arms.

His wolf practically purred at the memory of when he was buried deep inside her, the perfect feeling of her tight around him, and the euphoric feeling of when her walls clenched around his cock.... Alexander felt his own arousal just at the thought of her and his wolf growled possessively....Mine.

He shut off the water with more force than necessary. "I know. And we’ll get her back...soon."

He reached for a charcoal-gray towel, which he used to wrap around his waist before stepping into the dressing area connected to the enormous walk-in closet.

Rows upon rows of impeccably tailored suits stretched before him. Italian wool, english tailoring, handmade shoes lined beneath glass cabinets. Numerous luxury watches rested in illuminated display cases.

He dressed with practiced efficiency, slipping into a perfectly tailored black Tom Ford suit that fit him like it had been sculpted onto his body.

A crisp white Brioni dress shirt followed, and he fastened a pair of understated platinum cufflinks before selecting a Patek Philippe Grand Complications watch from the display.

The watch settled around his wrist with effortless elegance. Every movement of his was controlled elegance and it was precise.

Anyone looking at him now would never believe the same man had nearly torn apart an entire penthouse less than half an hour earlier.

A soft knock interrupted the silence.

"Come in."

Alexander didn’t need to look up to know who was at the door. From his scent, he already knew who it was.

The bedroom door opened immediately, and Oliver stepped inside carrying a digital tablet.

Alexander finished adjusting one cuff before meeting the reflection of the man waiting patiently several feet behind him.

The man named Oliver was tall, and broad-shouldered. He was quite a good looking man and Alexander’s Beta.

His brown hair was neatly combed back as always, not a strand out of place. His navy suit was immaculate, his polished shoes reflected the morning sunlight, and his posture remained flawlessly straight as he stopped several feet away before bowing respectfully.

"Good morning, Alpha."

Alexander acknowledged him with a slight nod, adjusted the sleeve of his jacket before looking at him.

"I’m sure you’ve already reviewed the overnight security footage this morning."

"I have."

"And am sure you must have seen a girl leave my penthouse this morning."

Oliver didn’t hesitate to reply him with a nod. "Yes Alpha. The young lady attempted to use the private elevator, but access requires your biometric authorization. After several unsuccessful attempts, she located the emergency stairwell and exited through the service entrance."

Alexander’s expression remained unreadable. "At what time did she leave?"

"At six fifty in the morning sir."

For the first time since Oliver had entered, Alexander became completely still.

Six fifty.....He replayed the memory. His wolf must had felt relaxed beneath her touch, after finding the mate he longed for, for so long. For the first time in centuries, he’d slept so deeply that even his heightened senses had failed to notice her slipping away.

Alexander gave a quiet, almost disbelieving laugh. "So I really slept through it all."

Oliver remained silent. In all the years he’d served beside Alexander, sleeping through anything was almost unheard of.

The Alpha usually woke before everyone else, infact...the man hardly slept at all. He noticed everything that happened around him, every moment and every shift in the air.

Yet somehow...this time around...his alpha hadn’t noticed when the mysterious young woman had left his penthouse earlier in the morning.

The thought alone was astonishing, but Oliver didn’t comment on that, and instead chose to keep that observation to himself.

Through the Alpha-Beta bond connecting them, he knew that because of this mysterious girl, the alpha already carried enough tension for one morning. Especially after hearing the roar that had shaken half the building only minutes ago.

Alexander turned away and walked toward the panoramic windows overlooking downtown Seattle.

Cars moved like tiny insects far below, and people hurried toward their mundane and ordinary lives. And somewhere among them walked the woman Fate itself had chosen for him.

Without turning around, he spoke to Oliver. "Oliver, i want a complete background investigation on her."

Oliver was already making notes. "Everything?" He asked to make sure.

Alexander finally looked over his shoulder, his voice was quiet. "I don’t want a summary about her. I want to know every school she attended. Every address she’s ever lived at. Every medical record, financial record, academic transcript, employment history, all her friendships, family connection, social media account, photograph, and security camera that has ever captured her face."

Oliver continued typing on the tablet, trying to keep up with his orders.

"I want to know what she likes to eat, what makes her laugh." He paused a little bit on that, when he remembered last night at obsidian. She said she was betrayed by her ex and her best friend. She was very hurt at the betrayal and Alexander noticed that she must have cried alot before coming to the club.

Right now, the thought of her crying over another man, made him clench his hands in fury.

"I want to know the things that makes her cry." He continued and his gaze hardened. "I wanna know what she likes and what she hates, the dreams she’s abandoned and the ones she’s still chasing. And I especially want to know everything she doesn’t know about herself."

Oliver’s eyebrows lifted ever so slightly amid typing on his tablet, and he wondered, just who the hell is this girl that had his Alpha....this old man that didn’t concern himself with anything that didn’t have to do with him, suddenly have the urge and will, to want to know everything about her.

Alexander turned around from the window, his left hand in his pocket. " I want the report on my desk tomorrow morning."

Oliver looked up from the tablet. "Tomorrow morning?"

Alexander hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. "On second thought no."

The single word carried enough weight to make Oliver straighten instinctively.

"I don’t think I’ll be able to wait that long, I hate being kept in suspense. I want it tonight....ever single detail about her."

Oliver sighed. He already had alot of work waiting for him back at the office, and now finding every single detail about this woman in just a span of a few hours.....is quite a headache. But, he said nothing...afterall... Alexander Grant had the resources to get whatever it is he wants.

"Yes, Alpha." Oliver replied and closed the tablet. "I’ll personally oversee every department."

He turned to leave before stopping, and sighed again. Oliver wasn’t the kind of man that likes keeping his curiousity to himself. There was obvious hesitation in his posture which Alexander noticed immediately.

"What is it Oliver? If you have a question then ask it."

Oliver exhaled slowly. "I just don’t understand sir, in all the years I’ve served you, I’ve never once seen you request an investigation because of a woman. I’ve watched women pursue you from half the countries in Europe. And you’ve been with enough models to populate an entire fashion magazine."

Alexander said nothing. And a faint smile tugged at Oliver’s lips.

"But you’ve never once asked me to investigate any of them. You’ve never cared where they came from, or what their names were. But today..."

Oliver looked directly at him. "...you’ve ordered an investigation that rivals the ones we conduct before acquiring multinational corporations."

A beat of silence stretched between them.

"What happened last night? And who is she? What makes her so special?"