Chapter 83 The Hidden Prodigy?

Lila snatched her phone back.

"Hold on."

Alpha Killian took it again and enlarged the author line.

Eira Crawford

He read it twice before looking through the open office door.

Eira sat at her desk, calmly sorting files as if nothing had happened.

Lila followed his gaze. Then she looked at the paper again.

"No way."

Her surprise quickly turned into excitement.

"Do you think that’s our Eira?"

"Where did you get this?" Alpha Killian asked.

"Professor Chase sent it. My chip prototype bombed, so he gave me a reading list."

"Which journal?"

"Nature Computational Science."

Alpha Killian’s attention sharpened.

The journal was one of the most respected publications in the field. The paper was not a student project or a minor lab report. Whoever wrote it was an expert.

Lila stared at Alpha Killian. "That can’t be a coincidence."

"Ask her."

"Why me?"

"You’re the one dying to know."

"You want to know too."

Alpha Killian gave her a look.

Lila rolled her eyes and walked into the office.

She dropped into the chair beside Eira and held out her phone.

"Okay, I need a straight answer."

Eira glanced at the screen. Recognition flashed across her face, but it disappeared almost at once.

"What about it?"

"The author is Eira Crawford." Lila leaned closer. "Please tell me you’ve secretly been a genius this whole time."

Eira remained calm. "It isn’t me."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Lila pointed to the affiliation. "Then how do you explain this?"

Eira handed the phone back. "Crawford isn’t exactly a rare last name."

"Eira isn’t exactly common."

"No, but it isn’t unique either."

Lila studied her face.

Eira did not look nervous. Her voice stayed steady.

"Are you sure?" Lila asked.

"If I could publish work like that, would I be organizing expense reports in your brother’s office?"

That was hard to argue with.

Lila sighed. "Fine. Same name. Weird coincidence."

She glanced toward the doorway. "For the record, Killian made me ask."

Eira looked up. "He did?"

"Yep."

That concerned her more than Lila’s questions.

Alpha Killian knew Professor Thorne had created the project Sterling Tech was trying to acquire.

Now he had seen a major paper written by an Eira Crawford.

He would not miss that connection.

Lila texted him in full view of Eira.

[Not her. Same name.]

His reply arrived seconds later.

[Okay.]

Lila held up the screen. "See? Case closed."

Eira looked toward the doorway.

Alpha Killian was already gone. He had not asked another question.

That meant he believed her. For now.

Eira lowered her eyes and returned to the file in front of her.

The rest of the day passed quietly, but Alpha Sebastian kept blowing up Eira’s phone.

She finally muted him.

When she left Sterling Tower that evening, she spotted his borrowed sedan near the main entrance. She turned around, slipped out through the parking garage, and called a rideshare.

Once she was safely on her way to Southridge Estates, she texted him.

[I’m already at Mrs. Thorne’s. Don’t come.]

Alpha Sebastian drove there anyway. Security stopped him at the gate.

He hit the steering wheel and grabbed his phone.

[Do you really have to shut me out like this?]

[How long are you going to stay mad?]

[Can we talk after you cool off?]

Too tired to argue, Eira sent one word.

[Fine.]

It was vague enough to get him off her back for the night.

Over the next few days, Alpha Sebastian stayed away from the Hale estate. He also froze Isabella’s allowance.

Alpha Roger and Luna Margaret blamed Eira for both.

"What else do you want from this family?"

"How long are you going to keep this up?"

Eira hung up on them.

Her attorney had more useful information.

"The police investigation is still open," he told her. "But without a clean chain of evidence connecting Isabella to the drug and the man at the hotel, it may stall."

"So she gets away with it?"

"Criminal charges are up to the police and the district attorney. You can still move forward with a civil claim, but it could take time."

He paused.

"At this point, the main benefit may be keeping pressure on the Hales."

Later, Eira told Lila what he had said.

Lila’s eyes lit up. "Keeping them miserable sounds like a solid benefit to me."

"It could drag on for months."

"Good. Let Bella sweat."

Eira gave her a look. "She’ll burn the whole place down before she admits she was wrong."

"Probably." Lila grinned. "But if she ever comes crawling over here with an apology, let me handle it."

"You have a plan?"

"I always have a plan."

Eira smiled. "Fine. She’s all yours."

Lila suddenly sat up straighter. "Speaking of plans, you’re cooking for Killian tomorrow, right?"

"Yes."

"Can I come?"

"Ask him."

Lila sent a message.

Alpha Killian replied almost at once.

[No.]

She stared at the screen. "Wow. Not even a fake excuse."

"Want me to try?"

"Yes. Maybe he’ll act human for you."

Eira texted him.

[Can Lila join us for dinner tomorrow?]

His answer came just as quickly.

[No.]

Lila groaned. "Okay. That’s a hard no."

She said. "What are you making? I’ll have the groceries delivered. Southridge is in the middle of nowhere, and you don’t have a car."

"I’ll send you a list, but I’m paying."

"Deal."

Lila put away her phone, then gave Eira a wounded look. "I’m still salty that you wouldn’t stay at one of my places."

"What would make you feel better?"

"Let me crash here tonight."

Eira laughed. "All right."

"That was way too easy."

"You’re my friend. You don’t need an excuse."

Lila’s teasing smile softened.

Most of the women she knew from powerful packs spent their time at charity events, art shows, or family businesses. Very few worked in a lab. The ones who tried to get close to her usually wanted access to the Sterling name.

Eira never asked for anything.

"I don’t have many real friends," Lila admitted.

"Neither do I."

"Great. Two antisocial lab rats. We’re a perfect match."

They spent the night at Number Nine, talking long after they should have gone to sleep.

--

The next morning, Eira woke to a message from Rachel.

[Everyone checked in. Class is ready.]

Across town, the same class reminder appeared on Alpha Sebastian’s phone.

He grabbed his keys and headed out.

If Eira would not take his calls, he would wait for her after class.