23 Alpha Justin


    ~Liam~


    Josephine and I lingered outside, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the ambnce. The woman''s


    condition was critical, and though the odds seemed bleak, we clung to a glimmer of hope that the


    medical team would save her life.


    My mind couldn''t escape the haunting question: why would anyone want to harm a mere


    housekeeper? It baffled me as we stood there, trying to make sense of the senseless act.


    Throughout the traumatic ordeal, Josephine tightly held onto me, seekingfort and sce. I


    wished I could shield her from the gruesome scene we had just witnessed, sparing her the burden


    of such a disturbing sight.


    With heavy hearts, we both knew our ns for the evening were shattered. The experience was too


    overwhelming to carry on as if nothing had happened, so we decided it was best to call a cab and


    return to the safety of the pack house, where we could process this unsettling event together.


    "I apologise for how everything turned out, Jo. I truly wanted us to enjoy ourselves," I expressed as


    we strolled toward the road. She interlocked her hand with mine, offering aforting touch.


    "Putting the housekeeper incident aside, I genuinely had a great time, Li," she confessed, and the


    sincerity in her voice brought a sense of relief to my troubled mind.


    I hailed a cab, and we entered. I was determined not to let any distancee between us. Pulling


    her close to my body, she nestled in, and a wave of calm washed over me. In that moment, holding


    her close, everything else seemed to fade away, and I cherished the connection we shared.


    The drive to the packhouse was brief, and we soon arrived. It beingte at night, my assumption


    was that everyone would be asleep. To avoid encountering or disturbing anyone, Josephine and I


    quietly made our way toward the staircase, intending to head to my wing. However, our path was


    unexpectedly blocked by Justin, whose expression revealed clear anger—undoubtedly rted to


    the incident at my grandmother''s house.


    "What the Fuck, Li!" he eximed, causing Josephine to flinch slightly. Josephine wasn’t an alpha,


    so she couldn''t help but feel intimidated by Justin''s imposing presence. She clutched my arm tightly,


    seeking reassurance, and I nced at Justin.


    "Please, let''s keep it calm," I linked him, hoping to diffuse the tension. His gaze shifted to


    Josephine, and he realised his mistake, acknowledging her vulnerability in this situation.


    "Why would you jeopardise both your lives like that? What if the assants were still there in that


    house? Why did you even decide to go there in the first ce? When did you leave this ce?" he


    questioned, clearly agitated and concerned. He resembled my grandparents whenever they feared


    for my safety.


    "You know this isn''t a game, and you''re not supposed to take matters into your own hands. Why


    involve Josephine in all of this, Liam?" he pressed, leaving me speechless as I had no valid


    response. He was the one in charge, not me.


    "Taking Josephine along was reckless. What if something had happened to both of you? You were


    just a toddler back then, but I still vividly recall our parents hurriedly hiding us in a safe house when


    the Stepanovs shed with the Volkovs. It was precisely because of situations like this.


    Do you honestly believe Lord Alexei will take it lightly that his daughter died while trying to solve a


    case you brought to the table? Do you think he will consider the bond between our families? This


    kind of behaviour is what I expected from Noah and Sebastian but not from you, Li," he expressed,


    his gaze shifting to Josephine.


    "You should have stopped him. Just because he''s an alpha and the crowned prince doesn''t mean


    you have to unquestioningly obey his orders," he added, his anger evident in his words.


    "Your father tried calling seven times, desperately wanting to speak with you. I had to lie, iming


    you had locked yourself in your room and were asleep. Unfortunately, I was caught in the lie when it


    turned out you had actually called your grandma to ask her to postpone her trip.


    You should have informed me about such matters. You were meant toe home. I can''t help but


    feel disappointed in you," he conveyed, his disappointment sounding sincere.


    I remained silent, choosing not to respond. Taking the me for the situation was fine with me


    because, in truth, it was all worth it.


    "It''s not his fault, Alpha Justin," Josephine asserted, pulling away from me to face Justin directly. I


    tried to signal her to refrain from saying anything that might lead to trouble, as thest thing I


    wanted was for Justin to report this incident to Lord Alexei and risk Josephine being sent back to


    Gad.


    "There''s no need to cover up for Liam," Justin replied sternly, but Josephine shook her head firmly.


    "Liam has never been the impulsive type, and you know it," she countered, and I saw a glimmer in


    Justin''s eyes, suggesting he believed her.


    "We were at the fellowship park when we heard the sirens. Liam wanted us to return, but I got


    curious and ran toward the event. It was all my fault," she confessed, taking responsibility. Justin fell


    silent, seemingly processing the information.


    I could sense that Justin was at a loss for words. He turned to me, seeking confirmation, but I shook


    my head subtly, urging him not to reveal this to Lord Alexei, knowing the consequences that could


    follow.


    "Please, Justin, you know how he is with his family and what he might do. He''ll insist she returns.


    We''ll be more careful next time, I promise," I linked him, hoping he would understand.


    "Excuse us, Josephine," he said gently to her and then turned his attention to me. "Follow me to my


    room," he ordered, and Josephine looked worried. I managed to give her a reassuring smile as I


    followed Justin to his room. She proceeded to my wing, and I knew she would be feeling anxious


    and concerned.


    "Be more cautious, Liam," Justin advised firmly as we entered his room, and I nodded in agreement


    without hesitation.


    "I know you''re determined to find Sophia, but don''t jeopardise our lives in the process," he


    cautioned, assuming that my actions were connected to Sophia''s disappearance. However, I


    disagreed, as checking on the fire had nothing to do with her.


    "Honestly, it had nothing to do with Sophia," I rified, but he shook his head and picked up his


    remote control. He pointed it towards the television, turning it on, and a picture of a man wearing a


    ski mask appeared on the screen.


    "This came in a few hours ago," he informed me, pressing y to reveal further details.


    "This message is for Prince Liam. The key to freeing your girlfriend lies with the council. We have


    certain demands, which we will share with you soon," he conveyed, followed by an unsettling image


    of Josephine and me preparing to hail a cab outside. The chill down my spine confirmed that they


    wanted us to be aware of their surveince.


    "Your father and Lord Alexei have seen this. I haven''t heard from Lord Alexei yet, but I can only


    imagine what''s going through his mind. Please, Liam, I need you to be extremely cautious. We have


    no idea who these people are or what their intentions might be. It''s crucial that we stay vignt as


    we proceed with our investigation," he urged, and now I understood the reason behind his distress.


    My father must have rattled him after witnessing that scene, and it was clear that the situation


    demanded heightened awareness and caution.


    "I apologise, Justin. I promise it won''t happen again," I said sincerely, knowing he deserved an


    apology. He smiled warmly and nodded in eptance.


    "What are big cousins for?" he said yfully, attempting toe closer to ruffle my hair, but I


    quickly stepped back, wary of his tricks. He raised his hands in mock surrender, and the moment I


    rxed my guard, he seized the opportunity to ruffle my hair and swiftly stepped back to avoid


    retaliation. We both shared a goodugh at the yful exchange.


    "Now, tell me, anything you want to share about the crime scene?" he finally inquired, and I couldn''t


    help but beam at him, ready to share the details of what we had discovered.


    "The van that caught fire was initially at Grandma''s house. We noticed tire tracks leading from


    Grandma''s gate to the burnt vehicle, and it was Josephine who spotted it. We suspect the


    perpetrators of the crime at Grandma''s house were the ones connected to the burnt van. It''s


    puzzling why the van would catch fire just around the corner, burning a neighbour''s house," I


    exined, and he furrowed his brow in contemtion.


    "That''s indeed perplexing. They should have made a clean getaway unless someone didn''t want


    them to escape. Perhaps someone was watching, ready to cover their tracks?" Justin spected,


    not dwelling too long on the thought.


    "Tomorrow, our investigation begins Li. I''ll request reports from the fire service to see what they''ve


    discovered. We can''t fully trust them either, as corruption can seep into any organisation.


    Nevertheless, it''s a starting point. Additionally, we''ll question the neighbours and thoroughly search


    Grandma''s house," he outlined, giving me a reassuring smile.


    "Your idea to ask them to postpone their trip was wise. Your father wasn''t too thrilled when Grandma


    called him, but with the update, he should have a better understanding of the situation," he added,


    and I chuckled.


    "Thank you, Liam. You''ve had a long night, so have a good night," he said, indicating it was time for


    me to leave his room. I expressed my gratitude and left to attend to my own matters.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    I hurried towards my wing, hopeful that Josephine hadn''t fallen asleep yet. As I reached my


    destination, I pondered whether I should knock on her door to check on her before retiring for the


    night. We had shared some special moments earlier, and I wished they had led to something more,


    but our encounters were continually interrupted. It was frustrating, and I felt a strong desire to


    resolve the situation.


    Standing outside Josephine''s door, I hesitated for a moment, contemting whether or not to


    knock. Eventually, summoning up the courage, I gently tapped on the door, but there was no


    response. I tried again, but it seemed like she might have already fallen asleep. And I couldn''t


    me her; the day had been filled with running around and expending a lot of energy—we were


    both likely exhausted.


    I returned to my room and headed straight to the shower. The unsettling video that Justin showed


    me lingered in my mind, and I couldn''t help but feel relieved that Josephine and I had made it back


    home unharmed. The realisation hit me that we needed to be more cautious; those bastards could


    have posed a serious threat. We were fortunate, and I silently expressed gratitude to the moon for


    keeping us safe.


    After finishing my shower and donning clean shorts, I prepared to lie down when I heard a soft


    knock on my door. Knowing it was Josephine, I hurriedly opened the door, and there she stood with


    her hair still damp from the shower.


    "I was in the shower when you were knocking," she admitted, and I stepped aside to invite her into


    my room. She seemed a bit hesitant at first, but eventually, she walked in.