West POV
It was confirmed that his order for her not to set foot in Korea was in effect. Trying to figure out where she went after she got off the plane was the issue. Being here would have caused enough pain for her to want to flee and leave. So where did she go was now the question?
She could fly out of Seoul and go anywhere in the world. T.J. was unimpressed by the fact that West had put an Alpha Order on her, knew the minute it hit her, he was restless and agitated, had outright demanded to know what West had done. West had told him the truth.
T.J. had stood and stared at him. "If she can't get out, it could kill her," he’d yelled at West.
It would not kill her, he’d informed T.J. just make her really want to leave and, yes, there would be pain, but that she was the one who had defied her own Alpha’s Order, right away.
His Beta, his best friend, was very angry with him, that much West could see.
Stalked around on the plane for well over an hour and a half, nearly two hours before he’d settled and sagged into a chair, glared at West and stated “You’re an ass hat, you know that right.”
“I did it, because she is not safe by herself out here, Terence.”
“That’s a load of bull.” he’d shot right back. “ You just want her where you can see her.”
“That too.” West admitted “But what pack members live overseas? It’s completely ridiculous and you know it.” and it was, his father was stupid to allow her to live off of pack territory for this long.
West understood why. He was the reason why. But she should have been made to come home years ago, regardless of how it made either one of them feel. She was not safe to be alone in the world, an un-mated she-wolf, with no one to protect her, anything could happen to her. He’d never liked it, not one bit. She-wolves went missing all the time.
West paid a very large sum of money to many people in the airport security to have them check the footage for her. Got to see her stumble and fall the minute she put her foot on Korean ground. Sat with her feet off the ground, tested it and then put her head on her knees, as it dawned on her.
His forbidding her to come here, was an actual Alpha Order not to come here. She had obviously not realised it, Volt was unhappy about seeing her trying to walk around the airport, or her dash from departures, smart girl left right away.
He was punched in the jaw by Terence when they saw her go into a jewellery store and come out wearing a bracelet “Silver.” T.J. had grated “Look what she is resorting to.”
“She’ll be fine.” West stated he was unhappy about his Beta punching him one, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’d done so during their friendship. He’d stared at T.J. a little on the angry side but had, in the end, let it go.
She was actually keeping her feet off the ground where it was possible, though watching her run over to a bin and vomit, worried him more than he let on. Was his Order doing more damage to her than he knew? He hoped not. Was informed the flight she had boarded went to Singapore, headed with T.J. right back to his plane to file a new flight plan and they were headed for Singapore.
“Do you think she’ll go back to the Pack? Once in Singapore,” he queried out loud.
“Unlikely.” T.J. stated “Probably thinks that you will beat her for this.”
“I have never laid a hand on the girl, Terence. Not once.”
“I know that West.” he nodded “I’m just saying, she might think it. Defying an Alpha’s order is punishable. She would know that.”
“So you think she will run then?” he sighed.
“I don’t know. Stay clear of you maybe...Head home...I doubt it.” he shrugged.
“A hunt it is then, I guess.”
“Lots of people in Singapore, West. Tracking one woman might not be that easy.”
“You’re here for a reason Terence.” he looked right at him pointedly.
“Ah, so it’s not to stop her from bolting away at first sight of you. Its to track her for you.”
“I’m not stupid Terence. You and Jo-anne…” he let it trail off, hated the thought that T.J. was likely going to end up as Jo-anne’s Mate. Not that there was anything he could do about it. On the bright side, he would always know where she was, he supposed. Turned to look out the window.
Heard Volt snarl inside his mind ‘Deal with it Volt, even you see it.’
‘Not going to happen, Clova is mine.’
‘No she is not. Not for the past ten years.’
‘Mine,’ he snarled. ‘already Mated her again.’
‘Stupidly so.’ West shot at his wolf and felt him stalk away to the back of his mind and stay there, unhappy himself. With the possibility that Clova may end up being Lark, T.J.’s Wolfs' Mate and not his. Volt had seen enough of T.J. and Jo-anne to know there was a serious connection between the two of them. West had always seen it, since childhood.
Hadn’t even stopped when he’d found himself Mated to the girl. T.J. had taken that news in his stride, had actually looked after Jo-anne that first week, while she had recovered from her injuries. West had stayed away from her, had not wanted to look at her at all.
Turned his thoughts to something else altogether, he would not go down memory lane, hate it when he did, their Mate Bond had been unhappy for both of them and certainly not healthy for either of them.
‘Stop it.’ he chastised himself, realising he was tripping down memory lane. It's in the past, let it stay there.
He’d seen her in the pack, his father had told him she was ‘well now’ and, for all appearances, she did look well, smiled and laughed, hung out with her friends from school, had even gone out dancing and gotten drunk from his understanding.
Gotten along with Miranda even, seemed genuinely happy that he had found his Mate, that he had been able to move on. Even bought him a gift. A gift she had tried to hand to him herself. It was still in his office, still wrapped and untouched by him.
How would she even know what to get him? He’d never spent time with her like that, barely even talked to her in the two years of their Mate Bond. He didn’t know what it was, probably some kind of framed print. That’s what it looked like, though of what he had no idea. He wasn’t likely to open it. Didn’t want her to get him a gift. He’d never gotten her anything ever.
Why she’d even bought him a gift he didn’t know. He would not have bought her one. She’d certainly not like the only thing he’d gone out of his way to get her. Had set it on fire, in fact, and let it burn to ashes, only the diamonds had survived the fire.
They now sat in his safe in a bag doing nothing now. He hadn’t even cleaned them, they were still covered in soot, they were a firm reminder to him to never buy gifts, ever. That gifts from him were unwelcome. West closed his eyes and tried to relax for the rest of the flight.
He had the best Jo-anne tracker in the entire pack, sitting across from him, they would find her, and he would get her back to the Pack, where she belonged. Terence was like a Jo-anne radar. He would be able to sense that girl out quicker than West would be able to pick up her scent or track her with the tether.
They landed just after 9pm Singapore time and hired a car to drive into the city. It was weird driving on the left side of the road, but at least it was late enough that traffic was relatively light.
He’d already booked them into a hotel and they were heading for it. His pilot, Tony, was staying at the airport hotel, quicker for him to ready the plane, when he was ready to leave after they picked her up.
West had been prepared to bribe the security to check the footage here but Terence shook his head “still here, somewhere.” he stated.
West did not doubt the man, not when he seemed to have a Jo-anne radar built right into his DNA, it seemed. Right from the day she was born as well. Would likely have died as a baby if not for Terence that night.
Both he and T.J. crashed out in the hotel suite, awake for well over 24 hours.
Ordered breakfast and he made a couple of calls to the pack. First being to Rick his Gamma to find out Jo-anne’s mobile number which his father or Jonathon would have, it hadn’t been in her file if he recalled correctly. Curious about that, perhaps his father didn’t trust him with it. Though why? He had known where the woman lived, the exact address in fact.
He was told he had to call Miranda. She was apparently frantic, not knowing where he was. He’d not informed the woman of what he was up to or where he had gone, it was none of her business. But apparently he had to call her. His mother had stated, she’s the future Luna, call the woman, she’s upset you just disappeared. Told him he had to learn to be considerate of her feelings towards him.
West had not wanted to call her, didn’t feel the need to explain himself to her at all. So had not. She had called him in the end. Demanded to know where he was.
West had informed her “Out finding a lost pack member.” to which she had asked why he’d had to be the one to do it, that’s what trackers and retrieval teams were for, then had practically demanded him to come home to her.
Saw T.J. look right at him, he could hear her on the phone, shook his head, but said nothing. West had told her “He would be home when he got home.” and that she was to “not ever dare demand things of him. It was not her place to do so.” He was the Alpha.
She’d yelled right down the phone at him “I have every right. I’m going to be the Luna.”
West had looked at his phone, hit the end call button, fully annoyed with her.
How many times had he told her she could leave if she wanted to? He had no intention of making her his Luna. He’d not once ever told her that he would be. Had never even eluded to it. She just presumed, because she had been in his bed for the past two years and was alpha-blooded, that he was going to take her as his Mate, once he was the actual Alpha.
She had called him right back and he’d rejected the call instantly. She’d not called back a third time. Ricky had finally called back with Jo-anne’s number and he’d dialled it right away. It was not picked up and there didn’t appear to be a message service. A few times he’d gotten a busy signal and then by the end of the day it had been turned off.
Angered him to no end. How could she be so bloody careless as to turn it off? If something happened to her, she might not have time to turn it on to make an emergency call. Yet it was off.
The woman had clearly lived on her own for far too long. Did as she damned well pleased at all times, it seemed. T.J. and he were out driving around in the car. West was driving so that T.J. could focus on her himself, but nothing, it seemed. He could only sense she was still here, tired, he thought.
The next day, T.J. wanted to try a different approach to trying to find her, go to some of the local art attractions, it was her thing. So they hit art galleries and museums, one after the other, but frustratingly, again nothing.
It wasn’t until late that evening as they were standing up on an observation deck, to Singapore’s famous and beautiful, even he had to admit, Solar Powered Trees, that T.J. sensed her close by. The pair of them were on high alert for her. Tried to mind-link her several times if she was here in the park, she was definitely close enough for him to link to. It wouldn’t connect, it was more than unusual. He’d been able to when Volt had stalked Clova, so why not now? Could feel her nearby with the pack tether. Just unable to mind-link her.
It started to rain, not that he cared, saw people heading away. Umbrella’s opening and people hurrying and running to get out of the rain. Heard T.J. swear and rub at his knee. Smiled to himself. Knew right away it was Jo-anne as T.J.’s head whipped around “there.” he’d stated, pointing, and they saw her down on one knee, waving a couple off, obviously had knocked her over.
She was smiling, picked up her phone and answered it. He tried again to mind-link her while he was looking right at her, focused solely on her. Couldn’t reach her again and frowned as she turned and raised a hand. His eyes followed her direction, a man standing by a car not too far away, and then she was heading off in his direction.
“Terence?”
“I can’t reach her.” he shook his head. “odd, it’s like she is there but not picking up on me trying to reach her.”
“Get that number plate,” West stated and headed off on foot at speed. He couldn’t very well use Volt in front of all these people, it wouldn’t go down so well, the car was gone by the time he got down there.
How on earth did Jo-anne manage to find a well-to-do man to escort her around in just a day? The woman, it seemed, was a bloody man magnet. He didn’t like it. ‘Tell me you got that number plate.’
‘I did.’ T.J. answered him.
He came down to meet up with West. “Who do you think he was?” T.J. asked him.
“I don’t know but that was a Mercedes, so well off.” West frowned. “Not even here a day and she’s got some man at her side.”
T.J. laughed softly “Did turn out lovely, so why wouldn’t she West. You know yourself, humans find us attractive, she is arm candy and a half.”
“Knock that shit off.” West snapped at him. He didn't like thinking others would use her like that. Arm candy had many in-connotations to it. He didn’t want to think about those. “We got to find someone to give us access to that car's info.”
“I know a guy who could likely talk me through it.” T.J smiled.
“Why are you so happy?” West shot at him. The girl had gotten away. What was there to be happy about?
West watched as the man shrugged at him. “She’s fine, that’s all that matters to me.”
West was more than annoyed, the full moon was on them tonight. It would set in a matter of hours, anything could happen, hell that man could be a shifter for all he knew, her Mate for all he knew and T.J. wasn’t even concerned that she, possibly his own Mate had vanished in some strangers car. West, on the other hand, was bloody furious, she’d gotten away from him, yet again.
They returned to the hotel and T.J. called his guy, explained the situation. The guy offered to do the job for a fee, stating it was unlikely that T.J. would be able to do everything needed. West had nodded and let the man. It only took him 2 hours to get the call back with the information they were looking for.