<h4>Chapter 116: Chapter 116 Midnight Illness and Morning Clues</h4>


    Author’s pov


    The street was bathed in quiet moonlight, the glow of the asionalmp pooling across the pavement like liquid silver.


    At the far end of the block, a sleek silver Jaguar idled near the corner, its engine a low hum in the silence.


    Inside, Alpha Sebastian ck sat in the driver’s seat, one hand resting on the steering wheel, his sharp profile lit faintly by the glow from the dashboard.


    His amber-flecked eyes were fixed on the figure parked across the street—Cecilia’spact car, which hadn’t moved in minutes.


    He frowned, tension etched between his brows.


    In the passenger seat, Tang awned without restraint, slouching against the car door.


    "We’ve been tailing her for over thirty minutes," Tang grumbled, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "How long are we nning to camp out like this, Alpha? Why not just walk over and say something?"


    Alpha Sebastian didn’t so much as nce away from the window.


    His voice was soft, contemtive."If I go directly... she’ll be scared again."


    Tang blinked, bewildered. "Scared? Of what?"


    "You wouldn’t understand."


    The way he said it shut down any further questions.


    Alpha Sebastian’s gaze remained locked on Cecilia’s car, like a predator debating whether to approach its wounded prey—or offer it safety.


    Tang gave a weary sigh and mumbled under his breath, "Of course I wouldn’t... Alpha business."


    He really didn’t understand. Who in their right mind drove around the city after midnight, shadowing someone who clearly didn’t want to be found?


    And now they were ying some kind of invisible hide-and-seek, where neither party was supposed to know the other existed.


    For moons’ sake, it was well past one in the morning.


    Alpha Sebastian exhaled, pulling his phone from the center console.


    Some instinct had told him to follow Cecilia when he noticed her hurried departure from the apartmentplex.


    At first, he thought it might just be a restless night.


    But then he saw it: she was driving around the pharmacy area. Not just one store, either.


    His brow furrowed deeper, realization dawning.


    Cecilia wasn’t just out driving.She was in pain.


    Without wasting another second, he scrolled through his contact list and tapped a name.


    Cecilia’s pov


    Back in my car, I rubbed at my eyes, half-asleep from the exhaustion and stress.


    I finally pulled myself together and drove home, desperate for rest if nothing else.


    When I reached the apartment, I was surprised to see someone standing outside the lobby entrance.


    Broad-shouldered and dressed in ck jeans and a dark tee, Tang looked like he belonged more on a stage than holding a giant cardboard box under a streemp.


    "Tang?" I blinked at him, struggling to connect the dots through my haze. "What are you doing here thiste?"


    He gave me a sheepish smile, shifting the box in his arms. "Running an errand. Liam needed his meds, so I came to deliver them."


    "Liam? Is he okay?" I frowned, my eyes flicking down to the enormous box he carried. "All that’s for him?"


    Tang nodded seriously. "He’s older, you know? So he takes medicine for all kinds of little things. This is just routine stuff."


    "Couldn’t it have waited until tomorrow?" I checked the time—nearly 2:00 AM.


    He shrugged with a grin. "What can I say? Sudden burst of enthusiasm."


    I couldn’t help but snort. "Sure, let’s go with that."


    We headed up together, the elevator humming quietly as it carried us toward my floor.


    Once inside, Tang eyed me with a bit more curiosity than usual. "By the way, what were you doing out thiste? You okay?"


    "Oh, uh..." I rubbed my temple. "Just some stomach trouble. Probably indigestion."


    Tang looked at me like I’d solved a puzzle for him. "Wait, wait, wait. You mean you went through all that trouble and still didn’t find any meds? Girl, it’s your lucky night."


    His eyes lit up as the elevator dinged. He practically dragged me out by excitement alone.


    We hadn’t even finished closing the door to my apartment before Tang began tearing through his medical haul like a treasure hunter, rambling about antacids and probiotic blends.


    I stood to the side with a water bottle in hand, peering curiously into the box that looked like it belonged in a fully stocked pharmacy.


    Capsules, liquids, vitamins, cooling patches, ointments for joints, even... was that a bottle of anti-diarrhea syrup next to a suppository pack?


    "...Liam’s body sounds like it’s hosting a civil war," I muttered.


    "Aha! Found it!" Tang held up a strip of digestive tablets with a flourish, wiping the sweat from his brow for dramatic effect. "Actually, here—take these too. Works faster."


    I epted the meds with both hands. "Thank you, really. How much do I owe you?"


    He waved me off. "Forget it. It’s on me."


    I shot him a look but didn’t argue. "Fine, but I’m buying you a coffee tomorrow."


    Tang left a few minutester, whistling and humming like he hadn’t just yed drugstore roulette at two in the morning.


    I took the pills, settled into bed, and finally let sleep pull me under.


    ----


    Next Morning.


    I was fast asleep when one of my phones vibrated on the nightstand. I ignored it unconsciously, rolling over beneath the covers.


    By the time I checked it, daylight was already slipping across the edges of my room. One new message.


    From Luna Dora:I did some digging. The boy’s body may be hidden somewhere in Boulder. Rural, with a high little hill, flowers, grass, a small pond, and a wooden cabin. Ring any bells? You were his ssmate. Think.


    "Boulder?" I muttered, sitting upright.


    That name again. Boulder.


    Why did it keep appearing like some cursed loop in my life?


    Instinctively, I dialed Harper.


    Before I could say a word, her voice came through crisp and alert. "I’m on my way to your apartment. Ten minutes, tops."


    "...Okay."


    True to her word, Harper arrived dressed like a litigator ready for war, a grim look set on her face.


    She epted a ss of orange juice, taking a long sip before diving in. "So... I listened to the recording fromst night. Luna Dora really pulled something off. She got Cici drunk and managed to squeeze out a few clues."


    "And I got a message from Luna Dora around the same time," I replied, handing her my phone.


    As we yed both the audio and text together, it became clearer.


    Cici’s drunken voice wandered, disjointed and eerie. "Mason? Heh... nice ce... I hid him in a good ce. Pretty... high hill... white clouds... flowers... the pond, will it be too cold for him? Hmm... don’t worry... no one will find him..."


    It painted a surreal - almost poetic - picture.


    "She definitely said Boulder," I repeated in a low voice. "Does that line up?"


    Harper nodded. "Yes. I found his records—he was from Boulder originally. Cici only transferred in from there midway through sophomore year. She was sent away after shing another girl’s face here in Denver. High-profile family, trouble followed. The White family swept her under the rug by shipping her to Boulder."


    Pieces were clicking into ce.


    "But a high little hill doesn’t sound like deep woods," I murmured. "And those kinds of poetic words... flowers, ponds, cabin... Those don’t scream wilderness."


    We were both stumped. Until----


    "What if we find someone who really knew Mason?" Harper suddenly suggested. "I remember someone mentioning he had a close female friend—a little too close, if you know what I mean. Rumor was they were a thing before he disappeared."


    "You’re thinking she might recognize the description?"


    "She lived in Boulder too. Makes her our best lead."


    I nced at the weekend calendar. "Tomorrow then?"


    Harper raised a brow. "Why not?"


    I hesitated briefly, then shrugged.


    Even if Alpha Sebastian and Miss Hazel would be in Boulder that weekend, I had every right to be there as well.


    Boss or not, Boulder was a public ce.


    And honestly? My reasons for going were just as valid.