The Alpha’s Secret Obsession Now novel Chapter 34

OV

“Do you have any idea why my brother dragged us out of bed before the sun finished rising?” I ask Elena, stifling a yawn that threatens to crack my jaw in half.

Elena shifts beside me on the leather settee in Paul’s private office, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms.

“I was hoping you could tell me,” she says. “The summons reached me while I was still arguing with my alarm clock about whether consciousness was strictly necessary.”

“Helpful.” I settle deeper into the settee. “So we’re both operating blind and sleep-deprived. Excellent foundation for whatever my brother has planned.”

The office looks exactly as it always has—shelves crammed with territorial records and pack histories, the massive desk Paul inherited from our father.

The familiar surroundings should feel comforting, but the summons that dragged us both from our morning routines carried an edge I haven’t heard in Paul’s voice since the border skirmishes two years ago.

Elena pulls her legs up beneath her on the settee, abandoning any pretense of formal posture. “You really have no idea what this is about?”

“None whatsoever, which is why I’m deeply concerned.” I lean back against the cushions and cross my arms. “Paul doesn’t summon people to his office for pleasant conversations.”

Elena’s fingers drum an impatient rhythm against her knee. “Well, whatever this is about, I wish he’d hurry. I have patients waiting and approximately three hours of sleep in my system.”

The door crashes open with enough force to rattle the crystal decanters on the sideboard.

Paul fills the doorway like a storm given human form, his shoulders tight beneath his shirt and his eyes carrying a wildness I’ve only seen during actual combat.

He crosses the room in four strides and hauls me off the settee by my collar before my brain finishes processing his entrance.

“Where is she?” His voice comes out low and dangerous, each word bitten off with precision. “Tell me where you helped her run, Zane, or I swear on our mother’s grave I will beat the answer out of you.”

My back hits the bookshelf behind me, and several volumes tumble to the floor with muffled thuds. Elena leaps to her feet with a sharp cry of protest, but Paul’s attention stays locked on my face.

“I genuinely have no idea what you’re talking about,” I manage, keeping my voice steady despite the grip threatening to crush my windpipe.

“Morgan’s gone.” Paul’s grip tightens. “Disappeared before dawn with everything she owns, and you’re going to tell me you had nothing to do with it.”

The words register slowly, each syllable landing like a separate blow to my chest.

Morgan is gone. She left. She disappeared while we slept.

“Wait, Morgan is gone?” Elena pushes closer, her voice climbing with alarm. “Gone where? When did this happen?”

“Before dawn.” Paul’s gaze doesn’t leave mine, searching for lies I don’t possess. “Her room is empty. The patrol found footprints heading toward the eastern tree line.”

The shock coursing through my system makes thinking difficult.

“I didn’t know.” The words come out rougher than I intend. “Paul, I swear to you, I had no idea Morgan was planning anything like this. If I had known, I would have talked her out of it or come to you directly.”

Something in my expression must read as truth, because Paul’s grip loosens by a fraction. His jaw works silently, processing my denial.

“If I find out you’re lying to me,” Paul says finally, releasing my collar with a rough shove that sends me stumbling, “I will make you regret every breath you’ve taken since childhood. Brother or not, Zane. Don’t test me on this.”

“We need to focus on finding her, not assigning blame for something I didn’t do.” I straighten my collar.

“Whatever drove Morgan to run, she’s out there alone right now. That’s what matters. We can interrogate each other about failures and suspicions after we bring her home safely.”

Elena and I exchange a glance. She’s gripping the arm of the settee with white-knuckled fingers, her jaw tight. And something tells me it has nothing to do with the early hour.

“She knew.” Paul’s voice comes out hoarse, stripped of its earlier fury. “She knew and she ran anyway. Why would she run from this?”

Elena meets my eyes across the room, and I watch her make a decision. “Because she didn’t want to become the reason for a feud between brothers, I guess.”

Of course she knows.

Elena has spent years navigating this packhouse. I bet she noticed my feelings for Morgan before I admitted them to myself.

Paul’s brow furrows with confusion. “What do you mean, a feud? I’m the only one who—” He stops. His gaze swings toward me with dawning comprehension that transforms his features from confusion to something far worse. “Zane.”

I hold my brother’s stare without flinching, even as every instinct screams at me to look away.

“I might be the father too.” The confession leaves my lips with a steadiness I don’t feel. “Morgan and I were together once. I never told you because I wasn’t sure how to explain what happened between us.”

The silence stretches into eternity.

Paul’s expression cycles through shock, betrayal, and fury. His hands curl into fists at his sides, and for a moment I’m certain he’s going to finish what he started.

But I remember what Paul seems to have forgotten—he gave Morgan the green light himself. Told her she could do whatever she wanted.

But instead of attacking me, Paul laughs—sharp and hollow, carrying no humor whatsoever.

“Let’s find her. We’ll settle the rest when I’m not tempted to kill you both.”

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