Aurora James - POV
As we walked out of Zander's office, I heard something break inside, which made me jump, but Mr. Perez didn't seem to care as he walked towards the staircase. As we reached the foyer, he came to a stop and turned around to face me with a small smile on his face. "You are perfect," he said, and this made me arch an eyebrow at him.
"I don't understand, Mr. Perez."
"I saw what went on between the two of you in the forest, Miss. James." Mr. Perez said when I felt my heart sink to the pit of my stomach. "I haven't seen my son so possessive over a woman before." he continued as I felt my eyes slightly widen in fear.
"It was a misunderstanding, Mr. Perez. We were…"
"You are his mate, isn't it?" Mr. Perez questioned, but I didn't answer. I know Zander has already warned me to never tell anyone about our relationship, and that would include his father as well.
"I am only his secretary, Mr. Perez," I said, but Mr. Perez shook his head as he walked outside, and I followed right behind him.
"I have been a beta for more than thirty years, Miss. James. And I can tell when a person is lying." he said with a smile on his face while I remained quiet. "I can see that you have already changed him."
"I don't think so, Mr. Perez. He is still the same." I asserted, but Mr. Perez shook his head.
"No, Aurora. I can see the desire in his eyes. He was never this possessive with Heather."
"Heather?" I asked him, sounding confused.
"His first chance mate. The women who ruined everything. And the very reason he has turned like this." Mr. Perez said as he walked closer to me and held my hand. "Could you do me a favor, Aurora?" he asked me as I stared at him.
"Please don't leave him, Aurora. I know he must be difficult to handle, but he was never like this, and I have a feeling that you can change him." with those words, Mr. Perez turned around and opened the car door.
I was still undecided as to what I should do, but I knew one thing, Mr. Perez may be right. I am not going to forgive Zander for what he told me that morning, but I will not give up on the mate bond just yet. "Mr. Perez," I said when he looked at me from inside the car. "What about the woman you showed Zander today?" I asked him when a smile formed on his face.
"You will not have any issues with her, Aurora."
"But you told Zander that you would…"
"I know how important a mate bond is, Aurora. And I will never ruin my son's last chance at happiness. So you do not have to worry about her." he reassured me, and I nodded my head. He closed the car door and then rolled down his window. "I hope I could count on you then?" he asked me, and I nodded my head.
"I will try my best, Mr. Perez," I told him, and he nodded his head.
"I will see you soon, Aurora." he said before he reversed the car and drove out of the driveway. As I saw the car disappear in the distance, I walked back into the house and made my way to Zander's office. As I walked towards his door, I saw that it was wide open and loud noises were coming from there.
As I came to a stop in front of the entrance, I saw a warrior standing in front of his desk while his back was facing the window. "Another murder and we still don't have the culprit," Zander growled in anger as he turned around to face me.
As our eyes met, I saw the anger briefly vanish before he redirected his attention to the man standing in front of him. "I will be there in a few minutes," he told the warrior when the warrior nodded his head as he walked out of there.
"What's going on in here?" I asked Zander as he frantically looked for something on his desk while he completely ignored my presence. "Beta Perez, what is going on? Who was murdered?" I asked him when he finally looked up at me.
"That is none of your business." he retorted.
"It is my business to know what is going on in this pack since I am a pack member as well," I told him when he finally grabbed his phone and looked up at me.
"You are not a part of this pack, Miss. James. You are a probationary member who could be thrown out at any moment. So I don't think I need to give you an explanation." he sneered as he walked towards me. We barely had an inch of space between us while he stared at me. "If it wasn't for you. My father wouldn't have come here today with that absurd idea," he said as he stormed out of the room.
He was still mad at what happened with his father, but right now, we have bigger problems in hand. Something deep within me tells me that it was the rogue that I saw at the restaurant that night. I left his office and ran out of the pack house when I saw Zander walk into the forest, and I followed him.
"You are putting my safety at risk as well by trying to hide the truth," I said when I saw his steps flatter, but he didn't say anything as he continued walking.
I know I hit a nerve because I saw him clench his jaw. I was about to open my mouth to say something else when he came to an abrupt halt, making me bang on his back as I fell onto the forest floor.
Ouch!
My butt hit a root, and I felt my eyes water in pain. Zander immediately turned around, when in that fleeting moment, I saw concern in his eyes. "Watch where you are going." he spat out as he continued walking, leaving me on the ground.
"At least he cared," Lily said, but I ignored her and got up from the floor and walked ahead. As the trees began to thin out, I saw Zander standing with four warriors as they looked down at the ground.
I walked closer when I felt the bile rise in my throat as I saw the man on the ground. His throat was bit out while his eyes were staring up at the sky. His body had a lot of bruises and blood oozed from his wound.
"When did this happen?" Zander questioned.
"Thirty minutes ago, Beta Perez. He was on patrol duty."
"Wasn't anyone with him?" Zander asked when I saw a warrior bow his head down in shame.
"I was supposed to be on duty with him, Beta Perez," he said.
"And where did you go?"