Bonds

-Alex's POV-

The stark white light reflecting off the computer screen cast a harsh glow on my face as I scrolled through the files Christian had compiled. Lines of text blurred together, names and dates dancing before my eyes, yet a nagging itch persisted in the back of my min Something wasn't clicking, a piece of the puzzle stubbornly refusing to fit.

Across the table, Christian sprawled back in his chair, a frown etched into his usually bored face. My gaze drifted back to the file, landing once more on Miranda's picture, her calculating eyes staring back at me. Then, it flicked to Ivan's file - a picture of stoic perfection.

This wasn't the first time I'd enlisted Christian's investigative skills on Ivan and his pack. Back then, I'd brushed it off as simple diligence, gathering all the necessary intel. But this time, a deeper uncase gnawed at me. It wasn't just about facts and figures anymore; I craved what lay beneath the surface.

Was Ivan truly the flawless alpha he projected, or was he a master of disguise, expertly concealing a storm of inner demons? My gut churned with a growing suspicion that leaned heavily towards the latter.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

Suddenly, Christian's voice shattered the silence, snapping me out of my internal monologue. "What does it mean when someone doesn't answer your text?" he asked, his voice laced with a rare curiosity.

I whipped my head up, startled. "What?"

He deepened the frown, holding up his phone for emphasis. "A text. Specifically, what does it mean when a text is blatantly ignored?"

I blinked twice, staring at him as if he'd sprouted a second head. The urge to laugh bubbled up but something in his demeanor held me back. Here was Christian Vance, the epitome of nonchalance, displaying what could only be described as... worry?

The concept was so outlandish that for a moment, I simply stared, speechless. Christian never worried. He breezed through life, leaving a trail of broken hearts and discarded flings in his wake. He simply didn't care enough to invest emotional energy.

Yet, here he was and against my better judgement, curiosity gnawed at me.

"Alright, spill it," I finally conceded, a hint of amusement creeping into my voice. "Who's the mystery woman holding you hostage with silence? Did someone finally see past your usual charm and bullshit?"

The last sentence earned me a well-deserved glare, but it did the trick. A smirk tugged at the corner of datthe my lips as I watched the familiar arrogance flicker back into his eyes.

"Can we just focus on this, Alex?" he snapped, gesturing towards the files ve. scattered across the table.