Chapter 53: Not bet on it

Andrew sat at the foot of the bed while Caroline sat up behind him, gently drying his hair with a towel.

"Why are you so good at this? I’ve never felt like this before," Andrew said as she finally set the towel aside.

He leaned back and rested his head in her lap, taking her left hand in his. Tracing slow, quiet circles on her wrist with his thumb, he looked up at her and whispered, "Your heart is finally accepting me, isn’t it?"

"I think you’re the reason," Caroline replied, her voice soft. "The constant gentleness and care you give me moves my heart every single moment."

Andrew smiled, lifting her hand to press a warm kiss against her wrist. "Let me return the favor. I’m not very experienced at this, but I want to try."

He shifted, picking up a dry towel and moving behind her on the bed. Gathering a few damp strands of her hair between the soft terry cloth, he began patting them dry.

"I was wondering if he might be looking for Emmett," Caroline said suddenly, leaving Victor’s name unspoken.

"He almost certainly is," Andrew replied smoothly. "Though I doubt he will ever discover that Emmett has already fled the country."

Caroline turned around on the bed, her hand gently reaching up to lower the towel from his grip. "He could easily seek assistance from Princess Nina. She backs him completely—she even lied to protect him."

Andrew arched an eyebrow, examining her expression. "How can you be so sure Nina lied?"

"Did you not listen to what Emmett revealed?" Caroline asserted, her tone hardening. "He named Victor. Every single detail of what happened to me and my family that night traces directly back to him. Princess Nina may have been blinded by her feelings for him, but that gives her no quarter. She chose to shield him, and I will not forgive her for it."

"So, what are you trying to say?" Andrew asked.

"Victor might leverage your sister’s authority to expand his search beyond his own pack’s borders," Caroline pointed out. "What if he requests access to the national surveillance network and reviews the footage outside the territory?"

"Emmett had an insider in the capital who facilitated his exit from the country," Andrew explained calmly. "They completely wiped all records of him and his family from the national database. As for his physical route, no footage exists. My beta and gamma have already conducted a thorough investigation."

"What? So Emmett wiped out every trace?" Caroline stared at him, genuinely shocked.

"Yes. Quite unusual, isn’t it?"

"Extremely," Caroline agreed, piecing it together. "Why go to such lengths unless he anticipated being hunted? He has been at odds with Victor for years, though I never fully understood why, beyond the rumors I heard while growing up in the pack. He must have realized Victor would use Princess Nina’s authority to track him down."

"Hmm. That is a distinct possibility," Andrew replied, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "But why would Victor go to such lengths for a beta he discarded without a second thought?"

"Because he never expected Emmett to actually leave," Caroline answered.

"Well, either way, he has agreed to help you now," Andrew stated with a faint smile.

"Partially because of you," Caroline pointed out. "He knows that as long as you’re here, no one can touch him. But I still believe there’s another reason for his sudden disappearance—something he hasn’t told us yet."

Andrew pressed his index finger in the center of her brows. "Mate, stop being a detective now. And focus on me."

She smiled and took the towel from her. "I’m hungry. Let’s get ready quickly," she pointed.

"Hmm."

~~~~~~

"Do you know Andrew has flown out of the country with Caroline?" Ilias said, swirling the glass in his hand as he and Alarick sat down for drinks late into the night.

"How do you know that?" Julian questioned, leaning forward.

"The airline reported it directly to me," Ilias replied.

"They must be on their honeymoon," Alarick said with a faint chuckle before taking a sip of his wine. "What if Mom and Dad find out? They were planning to cut Caroline out of the family entirely. Imagine their reaction if Andrew brings her back, along with news of a new member."

"You mean a pregnancy?" Ilias shook his head. "She miscarried not long ago. I doubt her body is ready to carry another pup so soon."

Julian listened quietly to his brothers, taking slow sips from his glass.

"Caroline is a seductress," Nina’s voice echoed from the doorway. She walked into the room and settled into one of the lounge chairs. "Prepare a drink for me too," she ordered the private bartender.

"Nina, you’re letting love blind you," Ilias warned her again.

"You should take your own advice," Nina retorted with a dark chuckle. "Your girlfriend is the one taking you for a fool, dancing through life on your money."

"At least she isn’t lying to me. Victor is using your love as his shield. He was definitely involved with Caroline—I told you, I saw her fighting for her life," Ilias stated sharply. "As a woman, you ought to know better. Victor discarded her the moment he realized you were willing to marry him, and then he erased every trace. The doctors are gone, and her medical records have vanished."

"I agree with Ilias," Alarick chimed in, setting his glass down. "Victor isn’t your fated mate, Nina," Alarick continued. "He will do everything in his power to secure a match with you. Who wouldn’t? We aren’t ordinary alphas. We are royal alphas. Why do you think I haven’t accepted a single proposal our mother has brought forward?"

"Because you believe in the bonds granted by the Moon Goddess," Nina said, taking a glass from the tray presented by the bartender. "You think true love only exists within a fated bond. Yet that hasn’t stopped you from sleeping with half the elite she-wolves in the capital for your own amusement. Victor isn’t like that. He would never lie to me."

Alarick merely smiled, swirling his drink as his eyes darkened with warning. "I hope for your sake he proves innocent, Nina. But I wouldn’t bet on it."