Free Web NovelChapter 139: Chapter 139 Hard to read
_Theodore’s POV_
The moment Pierre’s name lit up my screen, I actually felt something tighten in my chest.
It had been fifteen years. Fifteen years of silence between us, of separate lives, of neither one of us bothering to pick up a phone or send a single message. And now, out of nowhere, he wanted a drink. He wanted to “catch up.”
I didn’t believe that for a second. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Pierre didn’t do anything without a reason. He never had. Even as kids, he was the type to plan three steps ahead while the rest of us were still figuring out step one. So when he called, sounding casual and warm, like time hadn’t passed at all, every instinct in me went on alert.
Does he know something?
I ran through everything in my head, every careful move I’d made, and every precaution. There was no way he could know about anything. No way at all. Unless something had slipped. Unless someone had talked. Which my people weren’t blabber mouths. Or maybe I was overthinking the whole thing. Maybe he really wanted a drink.
But again, Rowena was his friend and he should be out there trying to find her. But he wanted a drink. Also, he was in this city, which made more sense. Pierre definitely had a motive, and I would entertain my big brother.
I agreed to meet him. Better to know what he knew than to sit at home wondering.
He showed up at The Glass Hour looking older, but still unmistakably Pierre, his sharp eyes, careful posture, the kind of presence that made people glance twice and knowing why. He was an Alpha.
We hugged, awkwardly, the way two people do when they’re not sure if the closeness is earned anymore.
We talked, about small things at first. The city, the bar, the years between us. I let him lead, because that’s what you do with someone you don’t fully trust, you let them think they’re steering, while you watch every turn they make.
Then he asked if I had a girlfriend.
“Not particularly,” I said, keeping my voice even.
“You’re sure?” he pressed, just slightly bit enough that I noticed.
“I’m sure,” I said, and I didn’t even blink.
There was nothing in the world that could make me admit the truth. Not to him or to anyone. What I had with Virella wasn’t something I could explain to a brother I hadn’t spoken to in over a decade, not the years of history behind it, or the reasons, not any of it. If the whole world turned against me for it, I would still keep that door closed.
Virella wanted it that way, and I would do whatever she wanted.
Pierre let it go, or seemed to. He moved on to other things, old memories from when we were kids and the world was simpler. He even apologized, quietly, for not being there over the years. Said he should have reached out sooner. He also said he regretted letting so much time pass.
I wanted to believe him, honestly, I mean talking to my older step brother again felt nice. Honestly, I’ve been alone, my mother didn’t particularly give a damn about me. All she did was spend money on trips and cry herself to sleep after doing drugs.
I grew up lonely after my father died, and the only one I could run two when life got hard didn’t want me around. He pushed me aside, so I had to learn the art of being alone. I didn’t care who stayed or left my life anymore.
But talking to Pierre now? I couldn’t tell how that made me feel. For a moment, it almost felt like we were just two brothers again, nothing more complicated than that.
Almost.
Because the whole time, some part of my mind stayed alert, waiting, watching the way he watched me.
I still had a feeling this was too good to be true. Why wasn’t he out looking for his friend?
Just as those thoughts swirled in my head, Virella’s voice cut through my thoughts in an instant.
“Theo.”
Her voice came through the mind-link clearly, the connection we’d built ever since we mated, a bond that let us reach each other no matter the distance. I’d unlocked it after we fucked last night. I plan on making her fully mine soon, killing that Kaelen would be a piece of cake.
I kept my expression steady, even as her words sent a cold spike through my chest.
“Rowena tried to escape the hospital. She was caught before she got far.”
My grip tightened slightly around my glass.
“I need you here. Now.”
I didn’t respond right away because I couldn’t, not with Pierre sitting across from me, watching my every move like he was studying for an exam. I kept my face calm, gave a small hum to whatever Virella was saying on her end, even though no one else could hear it.
“Everything alright?” Pierre asked, his eyes flicking briefly to my phone, which had lit up on the table a second earlier, a distraction I’d planted on purpose, in case anyone noticed the shift in my expression. And it came up fruitful.
“Everything’s fine,” I said smoothly. “Just business.”
I slowly stood up, straightening my jacket, already calculating how quickly I could leave without raising suspicion.
“I’m sorry, Pierre, something’s come up at home. I have to go.”
He studied me for a long moment before nodding slowly. “Of course.”
I could feel his eyes on me the entire time, I wasn’t sure that he’d noticed the mind-link conversation, even if he couldn’t have heard a single word of it.
Pierre wasn’t stupid. He never had been. He was an Alpha after all.
“Before you go,” he said, just as I turned, “how’s your Mom doing? And your orphanage, is it still running smoothly?”
“My Mom’s well,” I answered, forcing my voice into something light and easy. “And yes, the orphanage is running fine. Busier than ever, actually.”
“Good,” he smiled, and there was something in his tone I couldn’t quite place. Not suspicion exactly. Something quieter and patient.
“I’ll call you,” I said, already moving toward the door. “We should do this again.”
“We should,” he agreed, though neither of us believed it would happen anytime soon.
I left without looking back, my mind already racing ahead to the hospital and to whatever mess Virella needed me to clean up this time.
I missed Pierre, but unfortunately for him, I wouldn’t disclose anything to him.
