Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 121

Slade

He walked into the local police station, after parking right there in the car park out the front, Vance strolled in with him, but stepped over to the missing person’s board stating, “I’ll check the board, Slade.”

He just nodded, knew Vance was going to be all wolf, listening to everything that anyone here in the station stated, smelling for sudden sweating, raised heart rates, that slight tremor in a voice, or the fidgeting of one that was lying, or trying to deflect the truth.

Slade smiled at the officer on duty, as he stepped up to the counter, read the man’s name as Officer Ross, as he got up to greet him, from behind his desk “How may I help you?” he asked.

“I’m looking for my wife.” He stated, it was the best way to get the results that he was looking for today, and he was hoping deep down inside, that she would be his Mate. So, it was kind of okay in his book. He was also hoping that she would be accepting of him, if they scented each other out on the coming full moon. If he could be within range of her, that was, and he was hoping to be.

“I’m just curious as to if perhaps you, or one of your fellow officers, may have seen her in passing. She’s been missing for a while.” He sighed, and didn’t even have to fake it.

Slade produced a picture of himself and Oriana standing together. It was one of the two of them laughing at the celebration of their 18th birthdays together before everything went to shit.

They looked very happy in that photo, and one could see the people in the background, the flowers and streamers in the pack’s ballroom, and the way they were standing so close together, they could actually pass for a couple in that picture. He handed it to the officer to look at.

The man took it from him, and then frowned almost instantly as his eyes landed on them. Slade watched Officer Ross turn and look at the office behind him. Where a man sat at a desk, the door was open, but he looked to be typing on a computer, working away.

The man’s heart rate had picked up, and he’d looked right at someone else. That was a good sign, Officer Ross looked back to him and stated the very words he wanted to hear, “Do you mind if I show this to the Sheriff? He’s the one that deals with missing persons cases around here.”

“Go ahead.” Slade nodded. Hail had sat up inside his mind, was all attention and focused now, ready to assess the Sheriff, who he just knew was going to come out here and deal with Slade himself. It was just what he wanted.

He watched Officer Ross step into what he thought was the Sheriff’s actual Office across the other side of the station. Listened to his words, “Peirce, this man is looking for his missing…wife.” He heard him state and saw him hand the picture over, saw the way he was looking right at Peirce, and the hesitation before the word wife came out of him.

There was silence for almost 30 seconds, and then he heard Sheriff Peirce state “I’ll deal with this one Ross, go back to work.” And then, that man, Peirce, walked out of his office and over to where Slade stood, by the counter. His eyes were directly on him, and he saw that man look right at his hair, had to hold in the smile, likely his child was blonde like he was.

Peirce was tall and well-built for a human, had dark hair and was good-looking for a human, wearing a uniform that had a Sheriff’s badge on it. “I deal with missing persons myself.” he stated, “I’m Sheriff Lusso, and you would be?” he asked all casual like, but still held that tone of authority.

Slade pulled his human world business card from his pocket and stated “Slade Southerland, Vice CEO of the Highland Hills Corporation.” He handed the man his business card, along with giving him his full human title.

Peirce took it, looked at it, frowned and moved his eyes to Vance, who was still standing looking at the missing person’s board to his left. “And he is?” Sherriff Lusso asked.

“My right-hand man.” Slade answered honestly. “Have you seen her?” He brought the Sheriff’s attention back to the photo.

“You’re her husband, you say, this is an old picture, well-worn I see, and you look much older now than in it.

“Mm, it is, she’s been missing quite a while. I generally ask everywhere I go; you never know one’s luck.”

Slade shrugged.

He watched that Sherriff look at the photo and then place it down on the counter, slide it back over to him “You do have proof this girl is your wife?” he asked.

Slade raised an eyebrow at him, as the man looked over him. They were nearly the same height, though Slade was bigger in build, not as much as he should be, if he was inside his pack training every single day, likely would be a lot more well-built himself.

He wasn’t actively training every day, for hours upon hours, because he was out there searching for Ori, instead of in the pack learning to run things, or running things. “Why would I lie about something like that?”

he countered, with a frown.

“Any number of reasons.” He was informed, as Pierce folded his arms across his chest. “I get all sorts of people in here looking for lost loved ones. Some aren’t actually related to them at all, are…stalkers, ex-boyfriends, or abusive fathers and brothers. Get the occasional kidnapper, whose victim has managed

“Mm, good, I hope it fits with what I find in the next say…20 minutes of you leaving and me looking into you and that marriage license.” He saw that man smile right at him. It seems he did know how to do his job, and was going to do it as well.

Slade picked up the photo from the counter and turned to walk away. “Oh, Mr Southerland, I see you’re a long way from home. Just out of curiosity, how long has your… Oriana was it, been missing?”

“Seven years, she’d be 25 now,” he answered honestly.

“Why’d she leave you?” was directed at him, right before he pushed the door open to leave.

“I never said she left me, Sherriff. Is missing.” Slade looked right at him.

“Hmm, people go missing for one of three reasons in my book Mr Southerland. 1. Something bad happened to them, and they’re never found, 2. They are on the run from the law, or 3. They don’t want to be found by someone. Like a husband, they left of their own accord, and for a very good reason. I wish you luck.” Was called out to him.

“Peirce?” Slade heard the other officer state, as he and Vance walked away from the station.

“Leave it, Ross,” came the answer.

‘He knows her.’ Vance commented down the mind-link, ‘his heart rate increased just like his officer’s did.

‘I know, he’ll likely call her or go right to her, just what I want him to do.’ Slade stated. Finally they had a lead.

He sat in his car in the parking lot, and pulled his phone out and made a call. He sat comfortably in his seat and tuned his hearing into that police station, as he watched that sheriff stand there and just stare at him from behind the counter. Both Palmer and Yuri answered “She’s here somewhere. Both the Sheriff and his officer recognised her in the photo I produced. But denied knowing her, asked for her name directly, so she has changed it. He confirmed that for himself, stay alert.” he told them as he watched the Sheriff finally turn and walk away, his officer trailing him all the way back to his office.

Vance was gone from the car the moment they turned away, and Slade pulled out of the parking lot, and parked on the street out of view, before tracking back to hear what was going on inside that police station right now.