Chapter 175 Half a Breath Away

Isabella couldn’t let it go.

So what if Serena was carrying her brother’s pup? That should have had nothing to do with her. The money was another story.

She had never seen a hundred million dollars in her life. The thought of losing her share kept her awake at night.

Twice, she had tried to sneak away and make a deal with Eira. Twice, Luna Margaret had caught her by the collar.

"Don’t think I can’t read that look on your face," Luna Margaret snapped. "Serena is carrying your brother’s heir. Stop stirring the pot."

"How do you know the baby is his?" Isabella shot back. "There are always men coming and going around Serena. That guy from the cruise is one example."

Luna Margaret’s expression tightened.

Isabella pressed on. "Who says the baby belongs to Sebastian? She’ll sleep with a young, high-profile Alpha. Why couldn’t she sleep with a Pack elder twice her age?"

Luna Margaret hated that the argument made sense.

"Your brother isn’t stupid," she said. "He accepted the pregnancy report without a fight. The baby is his."

"And if it isn’t?" Isabella gripped the plane ticket she had stolen the last time. "Then we lose everything. Mom, stop blocking me. I’m getting my share."

This time, Luna Margaret let her go.

Isabella went straight to the Silix Institute. Security noticed her within minutes. After questioning her, the guards decided she was too clueless to take pictures of classified technology and let her leave.

She searched for Eira online and found a press release on the Sterling Group website.

Then she headed straight there.

She had barely started loitering near the entrance when two security guards took her down onto the pavement.

"Eira!" Isabella screamed. "Eira, get out here!"

It worked.

Eira stepped outside in a white lab coat, pulling off her mask.

The guards released Isabella. She brushed the dirt from her clothes and lifted her chin.

"See? I told you I know her!"

Eira glanced at the guards. "If she starts yelling again, put her back on the ground."

"Yes, ma’am."

"Eira, don’t be like that. We’re on the same side."

"I don’t have time for this." Eira looked at the ticket in Isabella’s hand. "What do you want?"

Isabella held it out.

"Here."

Eira did not take it. "This is worthless to me."

"Then what do you want?"

Eira stepped closer.

The cold look in her eyes made Isabella swallow and take a step back.

"W-What are you doing?"

"You know Serena is pregnant?"

Eira watched her face carefully.

The shock that flashed across Isabella’s expression told Eira everything she needed to know.

"Get me Serena’s prenatal records," Eira said. "Or arrange for her to be tested at a clinic I choose."

Isabella stared at her. "You want me to steal medical records?"

"So you do have a conscience."

Eira’s gaze turned dismissive.

"I’ll give you thirty percent of the marital assets. That’s at least thirty million dollars."

"Deal!"

Isabella reached out for a high five.

A cold voice cut across the courtyard.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Alpha Killian was already striding toward them, his silver-gray eyes fixed on Isabella. He gave the guards one sharp look.

They moved immediately.

Before Isabella could say another word, they grabbed her and pulled her away.

Alpha Killian stopped in front of Eira, his brows drawn tight. The warning presence of an angry Alpha rolled off him, making the air feel colder.

"Did she touch you?"

A strange warmth stirred in Eira’s chest. It disappeared before she could figure out what it meant.

"She came to offer me a deal," Eira said. "That’s all."

"What kind of deal could she possibly..."

Alpha Killian stopped when he saw that Eira was unharmed. The tension left his jaw, but his eyes stayed cold.

He turned to Kate and Natalie, who had hurried over after hearing that a Hale woman was causing trouble on Sterling property.

"Any word from the team?" he asked.

"Airport pickup confirmed," Kate said.

Natalie checked her phone. "Lainey Crawford just landed."

She gave Alpha Killian a pointed look, then glanced at Eira.

Lainey was the last of Alpha Killian’s admirers who still refused to take a hint. Every few weeks, she sent him a text.

Alpha Killian never answered. He simply handed the phone to Natalie, who replied with a sweet voice message about him being tied up in meetings.

Lainey always accepted the excuse. She had never crossed the line far enough for Alpha Killian to block her without turning it into a family issue. Seraphina had already warned him not to make things ugly with the Crawfords.

As if on cue, Natalie’s phone buzzed again.

She looked down at the screen.

[Killian, I’m in town.]

Natalie pulled out the Sterling work phone and typed a reply.

[Hi, Lainey. Alpha Killian is booked solid today. I’ll let him know you reached out.]

She showed the message to Kate. "Too obvious?"

Kate read it and gave her a thumbs-up. "She’ll buy it."

Eira looked from one woman to the other. "What’s going on?"

"Lainey Crawford," Natalie explained. "She texts Alpha every time she’s in town. He never answers, so I do."

Kate glanced at Eira. "You’re in his personal contacts too, Dr. Crawford. Welcome to the club."

Eira nodded. "Good. Corporate drones have to stick together."

A few steps ahead, Alpha Killian stopped and looked back.

His expression was colder than the mountain wind.

Kate and Natalie lowered their heads and started walking faster.

Natalie made it three steps before turning around. "The team tracked Serena and Vincent to an old apartment complex near the university. I just sent the address to your phone, Alpha."

Then she hurried after Kate, mouthing Bye to Eira.

Eira gave her a small wave.

Alpha Killian pulled up the location on his phone.

"Do you think they’re going to Serena?" Eira asked.

He zoomed in on the map. "Most likely. She’s probably staying with her parents."

"Let me see."

Eira stepped closer. Her hair fell loose around her face. The ends grazed his wrist and slid across his palm.

Alpha Killian caught a few strands before they could fall. He ran them once between his fingers, then let them go.

A clean, herbal scent lingered in the air. He recognized it from one of Barry’s old remedies.

Mrs. Jones must have started giving it to Eira.

Alpha Killian looked up.

Eira turned at the same moment.

They stood inches apart, their breath mixing in the cold air.

For one suspended second, Alpha Killian forgot to breathe.

Eira was like a drug, the kind he could get hooked on anywhere, anytime.