The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella - Chapter 87: Chapter 87
You are reading The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella, Chapter 87: Chapter 87. Read more chapters of The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella.
Jaxon POV
I awoke to the sound of my mother knocking on the door, Alex sitting up beside me, looking bleary-eyed but gorgeous as all hell. I yawned, and sleepily got to my feet, padding across the floor and opening the door clad in only a pair of boxers, my hair all mussed, my eyes barely focussing as my mother gave me a scowl, for once not looking like she was in a good mood, even as Alex sleepily joined me.
“Mother, what’s wrong?” I asked yawning again and desperately wishing I was back in bed with my mate who had the most adorable bedhead hair.
She sighed. “Stella is gone,” she said with a frown “She’s not in her room and nobody has seen her on the grounds and in the packhouse anywhere.”
Great. I ran a hand through my hair in exasperation, feeling slightly more awake. “I’ll go and start hunting for her,” I said grimly “Alex will help me. You stay in the pack house and father can organize a search of the grounds. Oh and mother?” I asked genuinely perplexed “Why didn’t you just mind-link me?”
“Huh,” she said blinking “I guess I was so angry and annoyed I completely forgot I could do that” she mused. “Sorry,” she apologized sheepishly “I’d lose my head if it wasn’t attached to my body. Guess they don’t call it pregnancy brain for nothing” she quipped.
I smirked as I shut the door and grabbed some clothes. I didn’t bother putting them on though, as Alex did the same. There wasn’t any point considering we would need to shift. Instead, we just carried them in our arms and headed quickly down the stairs and then out the door. We put our clothes near the edge of the forest and sniffed. There was the merest trace of someone’s scent but it wasn’t Stella’s and it wasn’t in our territory. I turned to Alex, bemused.
“I don’t smell her scent but there is something coming from just past our territory,” I said “It’s not rogue either.”
“I smell it too,” Alex said sniffing “Do you think it’s worth checking out?”
I hesitated. But what could it hurt? Maybe we would come across Stella on the way or at least find some hint of which way she had gone.
“Let’s go. At the most it wastes a little of our time” I decided.
Alex nodded in agreement. We both shifted, our bones cracking and adjusting loudly. I stomped my paws on the ground letting out a giant huff and let out a low growl. Alex nuzzled his head against my neck and then stomped his own paws, indicating he was ready. I took off, my paws flying across the ground, my nostrils flaring as I kept track of the scent, weaving in and out of trees, dodging debris and jumping over fallen branches, landing lightly on the hard dirt floor, the scenery passing in a blur as Alex kept pace behind me.
I don’t know what I was expecting to see. The scent got stronger the closer we got to it. It had male pheromones in it and I felt a flash of disappointment, knowing it couldn’t possibly be Stella but at the same time, it wasn’t moving either which was enough to spark my curiosity. I sniffed, my head close to the ground, slowing down as the scent got unmistakeably close, tensing as I prepared for a confrontation with another male wolf, although I knew that it was at least, not a rogue. As we rounded the corner though, I halted in my tracks as we took in the body of Stella, lying face up on the ground, her eyes staring blankly up the sky, her legs bent at odd angles. She resembled a doll as macabre as it sounded. I was perplexed. Why couldn’t I smell her scent? Why could I smell a male’s scent on her? A male it seemed which was long gone by now. She didn’t move and I watched her chest, noting it wasn’t moving up and down and no breath was coming from her mouth. She looked like she had been dead for a few hours at least by now. It seemed extremely suspicious. Had she come out to meet someone and met foul play?
I shifted back to human form, Alex doing the same and walked over to the body, crinkling my nose. I double-checked the pulse, finding none, and glanced at her neck. Her head was tilted at a sharp angle. “Her neck is broken” I muttered indicating it to Alex who nodded tightly “and I don’t recognize the scent on her either. It’s not from one of our pack members” I muttered thoughtfully “but it seems awfully strange that she ran from the pack house and came across a stranger who snapped her neck just like that. I think she came out here to meet someone” I told Alex grimly “But who the hell would she have come out to meet?” I asked puzzled.
I doubted she had much in the way of allies left, but what about enemies?
“We know Maxwell is dead and Sarah’s in the cell,” Alex said equally confused “Maybe she met someone on the way who promised to help her and then decided she was a liability?”
I exhaled. “Who knows? I guess Mother was right in not trusting her. I suppose she doesn’t pose a problem now but I sure as hell wish I knew who she met. Just something is niggling in the back of my mind but I don’t know what it is.”
Alex looked remorseful. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t insisted on helping her” he trailed off a guilty expression on his face.
I cupped his face “Don’t apologize for doing what you thought was right. Your kind and compassionate side is what I love about you. I wanted to help her too, because Jordan wanted too. The only one who had reservations was mother and maybe that was because she was female too or maybe it was instinctive with her. I don’t know. But please don’t blame yourself” I said quietly “We can’t do anything to change it and right now we have a bit of a mystery on our hands.”
He nodded. I kissed him softly on the lips and then turned back to Stella’s body, feeling sorry for her. It was a relatively quick death from the looks of it, but it didn’t mean it was painless. Not to mention the horror of feeling like she’d been betrayed in her last moments would no doubt haunt her in the afterlife.
I heard a rustle behind me and turned, my mother and father, walking out of the trees hand in hand. My mother gasped as she took in Stella, a look of dismay on her face.
“Her neck was broken by a male shifter” I supplied as they halted in their tracks, my mother putting a hand to her mouth ” We figure she went out here to meet someone and they killed her.”
“I knew that b***h was up to something” my mother declared indignantly, her eyes blazing.
My father cleared his throat “Well you were right my dear” he said tactfully “but there is a question of who exactly she was meeting and what threat they posed. It could have been someone she knew, a stranger, or someone who promised to help her and backed out on their word. We have no way of knowing and that makes me nervous” he admitted.
“Oh dear,” my mother said dismally “I hadn’t thought of that. It’s definitely not one of our pack members though,” she said helpfully.
She turned pale. My father noticed and hastily turned her so she wasn’t facing the body. “Honey perhaps we should make our way back. It can’t be good for the baby to be seeing this” he said hastily.
“It’s just the image of it. I think you might be right, besides we have that ultrasound later today” my mother babbled excitedly “where we get to find out the gender.”
I smiled. She was so excited that it was endearing. “What do you want to have?” I asked her with interest even though I had a pretty strong suspicion I knew what it was. I turned away from Stella and came up to her, Alex following behind. My father grinned “Well I would love another boy to play ball with and football and train” he boasted as my mother frowned at him.
“I would love a girl to dress up and play dolls with and tea parties and train to kick ass,” my mother said excitedly.
I laughed. Alex chortled. We slowly began to walk in a group towards the pack house, taking our time, my father clutching my mother’s arm.
I mind-linked some warriors to take care of Stella’s body. There were no other clues to who the perpetrator was and she would only attract creatures of the woods if she remained out there. It was best to take care of her body as soon as possible before she was feasted on by the animals and strewn across the forest floor as grim as that sounds.
“Are you coming to the ultrasound too?” my mother asked making me blink at her nervously.
“Um, don’t you want it to be a private affair between you and father?” I asked.
members” I muttered thoughtfully “but it seems awfully strange that she ran from the pack house and came across a stranger who snapped her neck just like that. I think she came out here to meet someone” I told Alex grimly “But who the hell would she have come out to meet?” I asked puzzled.
I doubted she had much in the way of allies left, but what about enemies?
“We know Maxwell is dead and Sarah’s in the cell,” Alex said equally confused “Maybe she met someone on the way who promised to help her and then decided she was a liability?”
I exhaled. “Who knows? I guess Mother was right in not trusting her. I suppose she doesn’t pose a problem now but I sure as hell wish I knew who she met. Just something is niggling in the back of my mind but I don’t know what it is.”
Alex looked remorseful. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t insisted on helping her” he trailed off a guilty expression on his face.
I cupped his face “Don’t apologize for doing what you thought was right. Your kind and compassionate side is what I love about you. I wanted to help her too, because Jordan wanted too. The only one who had reservations was mother and maybe that was because she was female too or maybe it was instinctive with her. I don’t know. But please don’t blame yourself” I said quietly “We can’t do anything to change it and right now we have a bit of a mystery on our hands.”
He nodded. I kissed him softly on the lips and then turned back to Stella’s body, feeling sorry for her. It was a relatively quick death from the looks of it, but it didn’t mean it was painless. Not to mention the horror of feeling like she’d been betrayed in her last moments would no doubt haunt her in the afterlife.
I heard a rustle behind me and turned, my mother and father, walking out of the trees hand in hand. My mother gasped as she took in Stella, a look of dismay on her face.
“Her neck was broken by a male shifter” I supplied as they halted in their tracks, my mother putting a hand to her mouth ” We figure she went out here to meet someone and they killed her.”
“I knew that b***h was up to something” my mother declared indignantly, her eyes blazing.
My father cleared his throat “Well you were right my dear” he said tactfully “but there is a question of who exactly she was meeting and what threat they posed. It could have been someone she knew, a stranger, or someone who promised to help her and backed out on their word. We have no way of knowing and that makes me nervous” he admitted.
“Oh dear,” my mother said dismally “I hadn’t thought of that. It’s definitely not one of our pack members though,” she said helpfully.
She turned pale. My father noticed and hastily turned her so she wasn’t facing the body. “Honey perhaps we should make our way back. It can’t be good for the baby to be seeing this” he said hastily.
“It’s just the image of it. I think you might be right, besides we have that ultrasound later today” my mother babbled excitedly “where we get to find out the gender.”
I smiled. She was so excited that it was endearing. “What do you want to have?” I asked her with interest even though I had a pretty strong suspicion I knew what it was. I turned away from Stella and came up to her, Alex following behind. My father grinned “Well I would love another boy to play ball with and football and train” he boasted as my mother frowned at him.
“I would love a girl to dress up and play dolls with and tea parties and train to kick ass,” my mother said excitedly.
I laughed. Alex chortled. We slowly began to walk in a group towards the pack house, taking our time, my father clutching my mother’s arm.
I mind-linked some warriors to take care of Stella’s body. There were no other clues to who the perpetrator was and she would only attract creatures of the woods if she remained out there. It was best to take care of her body as soon as possible before she was feasted on by the animals and strewn across the forest floor as grim as that sounds.
“Are you coming to the ultrasound too?” my mother asked making me blink at her nervously.
“Um, don’t you want it to be a private affair between you and father?” I asked. I mean shouldn’t it be? I was content to wait to be told the news.
Alex nodded. “I think that it should just be between you two and then you can tell us the good news when you get back,” he said hastily. I’m sure he had visions of my mother with her legs up in the air and a probe between her legs. To be fair, I was having the same thoughts.
“Yes, think how exciting it will be telling them the news,” my father said as my mother looked slightly upset “You can come up with a really cute way to tell them!” he added desperately in an attempt to make her happy.
She perked up considerably, her eyes shining as she began to think of all the possibilities. I gave Father a look of gratitude, although wondered just how she was going to tell us the good news. I suspected that it would involve a lot of chaos and embarrassment.
We reached the pack grounds and Alex and I stopped to put our clothes on. Suddenly a thought came to me. “You don’t think,” I said slowly.
“Think what?” my mother asked raising an eyebrow.
“Well, what if Stella was meeting someone to tell them where Jordan was?” I thought out loud “I mean she pretended she didn’t hurt Jordan but what if she was here to find out information on where she was? What if her being here was just a ruse all along? What if Jordan was her main target? I mean, she could be blaming Jordan for everything that happened to her. Who better to take her revenge out on?” I said urgently.
God, I’d been a fool. f**k. What if I was right?
“But the person killed her. So unless they have a reason to kill Jordan or want her” my mother said doubtfully “I doubt she’s in any danger. It’s more likely that it was someone who promised to help her and then decided she was a liability. At least that’s what I think.”
Even as we made our way back to the pack house, my mother chattering away to my father, her mouth working a mile a minute, something kept niggling in the back of my mind and I couldn’t get rid of my apprehension. My instincts were screaming that something was wrong, that I needed to remember something. If only I knew what it was. In the meantime, I thought decisively, I would phone Jordan and not only inform her of Stella’s death but also warn her that her safety was at risk. It didn’t hurt to be extra cautious I thought, even as I wracked my brain constantly, wishing I knew what it was that I was struggling to remember. Blaze would protect her, I thought with relief, but a small voice inside my head wondered, if I was putting the two of them in danger and whether Blaze was strong enough to handle what might be coming his way.
I awoke to the sound of my mother knocking on the door, Alex sitting up beside me, looking bleary-eyed but gorgeous as all hell. I yawned, and sleepily got to my feet, padding across the floor and opening the door clad in only a pair of boxers, my hair all mussed, my eyes barely focussing as my mother gave me a scowl, for once not looking like she was in a good mood, even as Alex sleepily joined me.
“Mother, what’s wrong?” I asked yawning again and desperately wishing I was back in bed with my mate who had the most adorable bedhead hair.
She sighed. “Stella is gone,” she said with a frown “She’s not in her room and nobody has seen her on the grounds and in the packhouse anywhere.”
Great. I ran a hand through my hair in exasperation, feeling slightly more awake. “I’ll go and start hunting for her,” I said grimly “Alex will help me. You stay in the pack house and father can organize a search of the grounds. Oh and mother?” I asked genuinely perplexed “Why didn’t you just mind-link me?”
“Huh,” she said blinking “I guess I was so angry and annoyed I completely forgot I could do that” she mused. “Sorry,” she apologized sheepishly “I’d lose my head if it wasn’t attached to my body. Guess they don’t call it pregnancy brain for nothing” she quipped.
I smirked as I shut the door and grabbed some clothes. I didn’t bother putting them on though, as Alex did the same. There wasn’t any point considering we would need to shift. Instead, we just carried them in our arms and headed quickly down the stairs and then out the door. We put our clothes near the edge of the forest and sniffed. There was the merest trace of someone’s scent but it wasn’t Stella’s and it wasn’t in our territory. I turned to Alex, bemused.
“I don’t smell her scent but there is something coming from just past our territory,” I said “It’s not rogue either.”
“I smell it too,” Alex said sniffing “Do you think it’s worth checking out?”
I hesitated. But what could it hurt? Maybe we would come across Stella on the way or at least find some hint of which way she had gone.
“Let’s go. At the most it wastes a little of our time” I decided.
Alex nodded in agreement. We both shifted, our bones cracking and adjusting loudly. I stomped my paws on the ground letting out a giant huff and let out a low growl. Alex nuzzled his head against my neck and then stomped his own paws, indicating he was ready. I took off, my paws flying across the ground, my nostrils flaring as I kept track of the scent, weaving in and out of trees, dodging debris and jumping over fallen branches, landing lightly on the hard dirt floor, the scenery passing in a blur as Alex kept pace behind me.
I don’t know what I was expecting to see. The scent got stronger the closer we got to it. It had male pheromones in it and I felt a flash of disappointment, knowing it couldn’t possibly be Stella but at the same time, it wasn’t moving either which was enough to spark my curiosity. I sniffed, my head close to the ground, slowing down as the scent got unmistakeably close, tensing as I prepared for a confrontation with another male wolf, although I knew that it was at least, not a rogue. As we rounded the corner though, I halted in my tracks as we took in the body of Stella, lying face up on the ground, her eyes staring blankly up the sky, her legs bent at odd angles. She resembled a doll as macabre as it sounded. I was perplexed. Why couldn’t I smell her scent? Why could I smell a male’s scent on her? A male it seemed which was long gone by now. She didn’t move and I watched her chest, noting it wasn’t moving up and down and no breath was coming from her mouth. She looked like she had been dead for a few hours at least by now. It seemed extremely suspicious. Had she come out to meet someone and met foul play?
I shifted back to human form, Alex doing the same and walked over to the body, crinkling my nose. I double-checked the pulse, finding none, and glanced at her neck. Her head was tilted at a sharp angle. “Her neck is broken” I muttered indicating it to Alex who nodded tightly “and I don’t recognize the scent on her either. It’s not from one of our pack members” I muttered thoughtfully “but it seems awfully strange that she ran from the pack house and came across a stranger who snapped her neck just like that. I think she came out here to meet someone” I told Alex grimly “But who the hell would she have come out to meet?” I asked puzzled.
I doubted she had much in the way of allies left, but what about enemies?
“We know Maxwell is dead and Sarah’s in the cell,” Alex said equally confused “Maybe she met someone on the way who promised to help her and then decided she was a liability?”
I exhaled. “Who knows? I guess Mother was right in not trusting her. I suppose she doesn’t pose a problem now but I sure as hell wish I knew who she met. Just something is niggling in the back of my mind but I don’t know what it is.”
Alex looked remorseful. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t insisted on helping her” he trailed off a guilty expression on his face.
I cupped his face “Don’t apologize for doing what you thought was right. Your kind and compassionate side is what I love about you. I wanted to help her too, because Jordan wanted too. The only one who had reservations was mother and maybe that was because she was female too or maybe it was instinctive with her. I don’t know. But please don’t blame yourself” I said quietly “We can’t do anything to change it and right now we have a bit of a mystery on our hands.”
He nodded. I kissed him softly on the lips and then turned back to Stella’s body, feeling sorry for her. It was a relatively quick death from the looks of it, but it didn’t mean it was painless. Not to mention the horror of feeling like she’d been betrayed in her last moments would no doubt haunt her in the afterlife.
I heard a rustle behind me and turned, my mother and father, walking out of the trees hand in hand. My mother gasped as she took in Stella, a look of dismay on her face.
“Her neck was broken by a male shifter” I supplied as they halted in their tracks, my mother putting a hand to her mouth ” We figure she went out here to meet someone and they killed her.”
“I knew that b***h was up to something” my mother declared indignantly, her eyes blazing.
My father cleared his throat “Well you were right my dear” he said tactfully “but there is a question of who exactly she was meeting and what threat they posed. It could have been someone she knew, a stranger, or someone who promised to help her and backed out on their word. We have no way of knowing and that makes me nervous” he admitted.
“Oh dear,” my mother said dismally “I hadn’t thought of that. It’s definitely not one of our pack members though,” she said helpfully.
She turned pale. My father noticed and hastily turned her so she wasn’t facing the body. “Honey perhaps we should make our way back. It can’t be good for the baby to be seeing this” he said hastily.
“It’s just the image of it. I think you might be right, besides we have that ultrasound later today” my mother babbled excitedly “where we get to find out the gender.”
I smiled. She was so excited that it was endearing. “What do you want to have?” I asked her with interest even though I had a pretty strong suspicion I knew what it was. I turned away from Stella and came up to her, Alex following behind. My father grinned “Well I would love another boy to play ball with and football and train” he boasted as my mother frowned at him.
“I would love a girl to dress up and play dolls with and tea parties and train to kick ass,” my mother said excitedly.
I laughed. Alex chortled. We slowly began to walk in a group towards the pack house, taking our time, my father clutching my mother’s arm.
I mind-linked some warriors to take care of Stella’s body. There were no other clues to who the perpetrator was and she would only attract creatures of the woods if she remained out there. It was best to take care of her body as soon as possible before she was feasted on by the animals and strewn across the forest floor as grim as that sounds.
“Are you coming to the ultrasound too?” my mother asked making me blink at her nervously.
“Um, don’t you want it to be a private affair between you and father?” I asked.
members” I muttered thoughtfully “but it seems awfully strange that she ran from the pack house and came across a stranger who snapped her neck just like that. I think she came out here to meet someone” I told Alex grimly “But who the hell would she have come out to meet?” I asked puzzled.
I doubted she had much in the way of allies left, but what about enemies?
“We know Maxwell is dead and Sarah’s in the cell,” Alex said equally confused “Maybe she met someone on the way who promised to help her and then decided she was a liability?”
I exhaled. “Who knows? I guess Mother was right in not trusting her. I suppose she doesn’t pose a problem now but I sure as hell wish I knew who she met. Just something is niggling in the back of my mind but I don’t know what it is.”
Alex looked remorseful. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t insisted on helping her” he trailed off a guilty expression on his face.
I cupped his face “Don’t apologize for doing what you thought was right. Your kind and compassionate side is what I love about you. I wanted to help her too, because Jordan wanted too. The only one who had reservations was mother and maybe that was because she was female too or maybe it was instinctive with her. I don’t know. But please don’t blame yourself” I said quietly “We can’t do anything to change it and right now we have a bit of a mystery on our hands.”
He nodded. I kissed him softly on the lips and then turned back to Stella’s body, feeling sorry for her. It was a relatively quick death from the looks of it, but it didn’t mean it was painless. Not to mention the horror of feeling like she’d been betrayed in her last moments would no doubt haunt her in the afterlife.
I heard a rustle behind me and turned, my mother and father, walking out of the trees hand in hand. My mother gasped as she took in Stella, a look of dismay on her face.
“Her neck was broken by a male shifter” I supplied as they halted in their tracks, my mother putting a hand to her mouth ” We figure she went out here to meet someone and they killed her.”
“I knew that b***h was up to something” my mother declared indignantly, her eyes blazing.
My father cleared his throat “Well you were right my dear” he said tactfully “but there is a question of who exactly she was meeting and what threat they posed. It could have been someone she knew, a stranger, or someone who promised to help her and backed out on their word. We have no way of knowing and that makes me nervous” he admitted.
“Oh dear,” my mother said dismally “I hadn’t thought of that. It’s definitely not one of our pack members though,” she said helpfully.
She turned pale. My father noticed and hastily turned her so she wasn’t facing the body. “Honey perhaps we should make our way back. It can’t be good for the baby to be seeing this” he said hastily.
“It’s just the image of it. I think you might be right, besides we have that ultrasound later today” my mother babbled excitedly “where we get to find out the gender.”
I smiled. She was so excited that it was endearing. “What do you want to have?” I asked her with interest even though I had a pretty strong suspicion I knew what it was. I turned away from Stella and came up to her, Alex following behind. My father grinned “Well I would love another boy to play ball with and football and train” he boasted as my mother frowned at him.
“I would love a girl to dress up and play dolls with and tea parties and train to kick ass,” my mother said excitedly.
I laughed. Alex chortled. We slowly began to walk in a group towards the pack house, taking our time, my father clutching my mother’s arm.
I mind-linked some warriors to take care of Stella’s body. There were no other clues to who the perpetrator was and she would only attract creatures of the woods if she remained out there. It was best to take care of her body as soon as possible before she was feasted on by the animals and strewn across the forest floor as grim as that sounds.
“Are you coming to the ultrasound too?” my mother asked making me blink at her nervously.
“Um, don’t you want it to be a private affair between you and father?” I asked. I mean shouldn’t it be? I was content to wait to be told the news.
Alex nodded. “I think that it should just be between you two and then you can tell us the good news when you get back,” he said hastily. I’m sure he had visions of my mother with her legs up in the air and a probe between her legs. To be fair, I was having the same thoughts.
“Yes, think how exciting it will be telling them the news,” my father said as my mother looked slightly upset “You can come up with a really cute way to tell them!” he added desperately in an attempt to make her happy.
She perked up considerably, her eyes shining as she began to think of all the possibilities. I gave Father a look of gratitude, although wondered just how she was going to tell us the good news. I suspected that it would involve a lot of chaos and embarrassment.
We reached the pack grounds and Alex and I stopped to put our clothes on. Suddenly a thought came to me. “You don’t think,” I said slowly.
“Think what?” my mother asked raising an eyebrow.
“Well, what if Stella was meeting someone to tell them where Jordan was?” I thought out loud “I mean she pretended she didn’t hurt Jordan but what if she was here to find out information on where she was? What if her being here was just a ruse all along? What if Jordan was her main target? I mean, she could be blaming Jordan for everything that happened to her. Who better to take her revenge out on?” I said urgently.
God, I’d been a fool. f**k. What if I was right?
“But the person killed her. So unless they have a reason to kill Jordan or want her” my mother said doubtfully “I doubt she’s in any danger. It’s more likely that it was someone who promised to help her and then decided she was a liability. At least that’s what I think.”
Even as we made our way back to the pack house, my mother chattering away to my father, her mouth working a mile a minute, something kept niggling in the back of my mind and I couldn’t get rid of my apprehension. My instincts were screaming that something was wrong, that I needed to remember something. If only I knew what it was. In the meantime, I thought decisively, I would phone Jordan and not only inform her of Stella’s death but also warn her that her safety was at risk. It didn’t hurt to be extra cautious I thought, even as I wracked my brain constantly, wishing I knew what it was that I was struggling to remember. Blaze would protect her, I thought with relief, but a small voice inside my head wondered, if I was putting the two of them in danger and whether Blaze was strong enough to handle what might be coming his way.
End of The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella Chapter 87. Continue reading Chapter 88 or return to The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella book page.