Chapter 7 A Game Of Deceit

• AMELIA
• I screamed, barely conscious of the fact that my mate had just pulled me to himself. I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my face against Lucien's chest while I trembled with terror.
• "It's okay. It's over now,” he whispered, and I slowly opened my eyes, now aware of the sound of his racing heart.
• Slowly, I pulled away from him to search for the source of the earlier gunshots. The shooter was lying on the floor out cold with a bleeding injury on his head. Standing behind him was a familiar male. Lucien's Beta. He looked pissed.
• "When did he get here?" | breathed.
• I was so certain that Lucien and I had been alone a few seconds ago.
• "A few minutes ago," my mate responded to me as he pulled away from me to take off his coat.
• "Are you alright, Lu?" His Beta asked, and my eyes widened.
• Did he just call him Lu?
• "I’m fine," came Lucien's reply.
• "Get moving, ma'am," his beta said to me, and I quietly followed them to the car.
• We'd just settled down in the back seat of the car when Lucien started to unbutton his shirt. His beta, who was sitting on the driver's seat, kept glancing at us through the mirror.
• "What are you doing?" I said to my mate, and he shot me a dry smile before proceeding to slide his shirt off his broad shoulders.
• A gasp tumbled out of my lips at the sight of the twin bullet holes on his back.
• "You...got shot?" I choked out, nausea sweeping through me.
• "Calm down, it's nothing," he replied, a tender look in his eyes.
• My frown deepened as I watched the bullets fall out of his body, his skin instantly mending itself.
• Even for a werewolf, he'd healed pretty fast. This had to mean that he had a powerful wolf.
• We returned to his massive mansion, and I made my way to my appointed room, plopping down on my bed as my exhaustion made itself known.
• My phone vibrated in my grip, and I lazily brought the screen to my line of vision. I had an incoming call from an unknown number.
• Puzzled, I answered the call and brought my phone to my ear.
• "Amelia" a baritone voice said, and I sat up in bed, my brows furrowed.
• "Who is this?"
• "Listen to me carefully. You can't trust Lucien Gray. He's not who you think he is,” the voice continued, and I narrowed my eyes.
• "Why are you telling me this?"
• "I care about you. That's why," he replied.
• This had to be some sort of sick joke.
• "If you want to know more, meet me at the Golden Age Cafe by 8am tomorrow morning. Can you do that?" He said, and I stiffened.
• "I don't even know who you are," I hissed.
• "It's a matter of life and death. I want to save your life. Time is running out."
• The line went dead, and I stared at my phone, confused.
• I couldn't help but wonder if I was cursed.
• Most of the men in my life were all walking red flags. Yet again, I'd just gotten involved with another stranger who might be a stalker.
• Speaking of red flags, it was strange how Fabian hadn't tried to reach out to me. Was there a probability that he was afraid of Lucien?
• While I thought about this, I eventually fell asleep.
• The next morning,
• I bounced my knee as I repeatedly peered at my wristwatch. I'd snuck out of the house by seven earlier in the morning. I'd tried to ignore the call I'd received the previous night, but I just couldn't help my curiosity. And that was why I was sitting in the Golden Age Cafe, awaiting a person I didn't even know.
• At the sound of a sudden vibration that came from my phone, l was greeted by the sight of a new message from an unknown number. It said:
• ‘I'm here.'
• "Amelia?"
• I looked up with a start at the sound of the familiar voice I'd just heard.
• A green-eyed man stood in front of me, a smile tugging at his lips. He slowly lowered himself onto the seat in front of me.
• "I must've startled you. I apologize for that," he said, and I blinked, still dazed.
• He was such a good-looking young man.
• "You called me last night...?" I said, and he nodded slowly.
• "My name is Archer," he stated, and I eyed him with scepticism.
• I hadn't heard that name in a long time.
• It was the name of my first love. He was the best friend. Merely hearing that name brought back an intense feeling of nostalgia.
• "It is in fact my real name," he said, and I leaned back on my seat, watching him closely.
• "How do you know me?" I asked, and he cleared his throat, refusing to make eye contact with me.
• "I'm going to be real quick about this. Lucien wants something from you. Something dark and dangerous," he began, and I folded my arms across my chest.
• There was something off about him. But I couldn't figure out what it was.
• "You still haven't told me who you are," I pointed out.
• "I'm a member of New York City's Werewolf Council. We've been on the lookout for a certain fugitive, and we have suspicions about Lucien Gray. We have every reason to believe that he's the person we've been looking for," he said, and I frowned.
• "I don't believe you," I stressed, and he handed me a vial.
• "It's a truth serum," he said to me and turned away to gesture at one of the workers at the cafe.
• Still on guard, I watched as he asked for a cup of coffee.
• When it was brought to him, he gestured at the vial.
• "You're free to use it on me if you would like," he said.
• "What do you really want from me?" I asked and he sighed.
• "I just want you to believe me. You can use the serum on Lucien and ask him who he really is. He won't be able to lie to you," he responded.
• For a few seconds, my gaze lingered on him.
• Then I spiked his coffee with the truth serum. Without hesitating, he drank it all and lowered his cup.
• "What do you want to know?" He asked, his heated scrutiny meeting mine.
• "Have you been lying to me about everything you just said?" I enquired, and he swallowed hard, his unwavering gaze still fixed on me. Slowly, his green eyes turned white, and he parted his lips to give me a response.
• Letting out a sigh, I examined the breakfast I'd just finished preparing.
• The aroma of freshly cooked eggs and toasted bread filled the air, but my mind was elsewhere.
• I fished out the vial Archer had given to me from my pocket. I'd returned to the house a little past nine a.m. Thankfully, Lucien was still asleep.
• I stared at the vial in my hand pensively. Was it really okay to trust Archer? The vial might actually be poison.
• "No, wait...why am I even concerned about Lucien getting poisoned?" | muttered.
• I needed answers, and I wouldn't be able to get them if I sat back and did nothing.
• Deciding to throw caution to the wind, I uncapped the vial and added it's content to the orange juice l'd prepared alongside Lucien's breakfast.
• I'd just tucked the vial away in the pocket of my apron when I sensed
• Lucien's presence.
• Taking a deep breath, I slowly turned around and waited for him to step into the dining room.
• As if on cue, he did.
• Bare chested, he had a pair of black sweatpants on. His long hair was unusually tousled, but it was at the same time, weirdly attractive.
• He strolled in like a cat on a prowl, his gaze fleeting from my face to my exposed legs, and back up again.
• "What are you doing?" He asked, raising a brow. Flashing him a seductive smile, I gestured at the meal I'd prepared.
• "Isn't it obvious? I made us breakfast," I said, and he moved towards me.
• With every step he took towards me, my heart pounded a little faster.
• I had never laced anyone's drink before, I couldn't help but feel nervous.
• There were a lot of things that could go wrong in this moment, and it worried me to no end.
• Halting in front of me, his fiery gaze locked with mine, and I gulped, worried that he would hear the pounding of my heart.
• Bringing a hand to cup the side of my face, he squinted those intense grey eyes at me, stealing my breath away.
• It had to be an effect of the mating bond. There was no other explanation for how much effect he had over me.
• I hated that he had such control over me.
• He wasn't my ally after all.
• "The food is going to get cold," | breathed, and he arched a perfect dark brow at me.
• I felt my entire face heat up, a lump forming in my throat.
• "You know.... you're such a terrible actress, Amelia," he suddenly stated, and I froze, momentarily forgetting how to breathe. Did he catch on already?