Chapter 24: Stealth Mission
KIX:
It was a moonless, cloudy night, but thankfully, I have perfect vision. I was able to see what the hell was happening in Room 307 where my mate was supposed to reside.
Near the balcony was a bed, but Jade was not there. She was there by the kitchen, her back turned away from me. It seemed like she was intently looking at her computer screen.
Riley and I heaved a sigh of relief. Thankfully, that rat was nowhere to be seen… Or did he just go out for a while to buy some snacks and would come back shortly?...
Fear crept inside our shared thoughts. That he has gone out momentarily only to go back to Jade’s room was a highly possible scenario, right? I’d better hang out here for the time being and look at my mate just to make sure she’s safe from that foul rat…
I decided I would stay quietly, hidden in the shadows like this. I forgot that Riley had a fat ass and that he had a nervous streak that usually makes our concealment improbable when he is stressed out.
As such, after just ten minutes of hovering outside, a loud noise was heard when we accidentally crushed a flower pot with our butt.
“Awwooo,” I whimpered in pain. Not only was it just a flower pot. It was a cactus flower pot.
“Hello… Are you alright?”
I looked at the balcony door, and Jade was already standing there, looking concerned at me.
When I gave out a sudden whimper, she quickly came to me, her hands raised over her head.
Sh*t, my cover has been blown! She’s going to slap me so hard I would probably forget my name… right?
I winced as the hand descended not on my cheeks but gently on the top of my head. She stroked my furry head very warmly.
“Hello there, little fella. Did you hurt yourself? Did you get lost somewhere?”
There was no way I would look anywhere near a ‘little fella.’ I was double her size if I stand on my hind legs now, but Jade didn’t seem to notice that at all.
“What happened? Did you prick yourself with the cactus?”
She was still stroking my head, but she was also checking out my behind.
My Goddess, did I even wash myself up well in there? I was mortified beyond words…
“It seems you a really were pricked by my cactus. Bad cactus, right? How about we go inside? I’ll treat you first before looking for your owner…”
Was this really happening? Jade did not seem to recognize me at all!
Well, to be fair, she had only seen Riley in his natural form once, and that was four, freaking years ago… My Jade must not have a very good memory. This was a good thing!
“Careful now, just stay on the bed so that you don’t break anything,” she said gently.
She stood and went through one of her cabinets. When she went back, she was already carrying a first aid kit.
“Don’t worry, little one. I’ll remove the thorns and treat your wounds, okay? Now if you could just…”
Before she could even speak, I already readied myself by making my butt pop out on one side while wagging my tail happily.
“Hmmm… You’re such a smart boy, aren’t you?... Are you really a dog?”
My heart palpitated as her eyes slinked away in suspicion. Did my mate just remember who I was?
“I guess there’s only one way to find out… Left paw.”
At her command, I gave her my left frontal paw like a good old boy.
“Right paw… Roll over… Play dead.”
There’s no way she should find out it was me! I catered her every bidding and followed her requests as soon as she shouted it. I even faked a bark happily and gave her the best puppy-like stare that I could do for maximum effect.
Oh, Goddess, I hope no one in the pack finds out about this!
“Wow, you really are a smart one, aren’t you,” she said, grinning from ear to ear as she stroked my belly while I tried playing dead. “Okay, I believe you… No wolf could be this adorable and cute, right?”
I felt a tiny stab in the heart as she said this, but, ah, screw it! If I only knew I could make my Jade this happy by doing these doggy tricks, I would have done it years ago in a heartbeat…
“Now, let’s get you healed, okay?... Mind you, this would sting…”
As Jade said this, she used her tweezers and pulled out a thorn from my butt cheeks. I yelped in surprise.
It took a good twenty minutes for her to pull all those blasted thorns out of me and clean my wounds.
How am I supposed to face my Jade after exposing my butt to her like this? She’s probably think that Riley and I are pathetic.
“Are you hungry now? Do you want to eat anything?”
After hearing the word ‘hungry,’ I remembered I hadn’t had any dinner yet since I was too busy worrying about my Jade. I wagged my tail and whimpered a bit, rubbing my cheeks to her belly.
Jade was so fragrant. I really won’t be able to get over her scent of calming lavender and baby’s breath.
“I don’t know if there’s anything to eat though… I wonder if Liam next door would have some dog food, by any chance…”
At the sound of that rat’s name, I growled. I rubbed my face even more towards my Jade – my one and only human mate.
“Hey, you don’t want me to call the neighbor? Then, let’s just see what you can eat here,” she said, reading my thoughts perfectly well.
My heart leapt in sheer happiness! So, that Liam rat did not stay with Jade like I had imagined. However, he was still her neighbor. I must make sure he does not cross his boundaries while Jade stays here…
After my mate gave me her left-over piece of chicken, I felt satisfied. I began to snuggle beside her on the table as she looked at her laptop screen.
I put my front paws on the table, and as soon as I did, I discovered what Jade has been occupied with these last two hours.
On her desk were files and books on autosuggestion, and in her computer screen, she was browsing through someone else’s social media accounts…
It was none other than the third and most recent victim of the college crimes – Marian Rabelo.
