Claude didn't know why the smile looked apologetic. Len hadn't done anything wrong yet. Before Claude could ask, he heard a noise outside. It was as if someone was running toward them. Claude would have moved away, but the door already opened in a big swing. It would have been fine if it were any other person in the house, really.
Courtney just had to show up, with a tinge of urgency in her eyes. However, it was quickly replaced with loathing as she saw Len and Claude sitting too close. She glared at the rogue, but a head shake came instead of an outburst.
She composed herself. "Len, I think something happened in the dorms. Hunie left me a blank voicemail… which I told them to do if they needed my help."
"Have you contacted Marvin and Jane?" Len sighed and gestured for her to step closer. He received her phone and listened to it at the loudest volume.
They could barely hear anything as if the phone was stuffed inside a tight space while dialing Courtney's number. Claude leaned closer and listened well to the second time Len played the sixty-second voicemail. He moved back and looked at Len.
The Alpha only nodded and returned the phone to Courtney. He said with a serious expression Claude had never seen on him, "You're not wrong to suspect trouble. There's no sound of activity or people moving around. Hunie must have left her phone, hoping you'd receive her call for help. She must have been removed from the dorms. Have you tried Jane again?"
"Jane isn't answering. Marvin and the others are scouring the university premises. I think Ryberg had already sent an alert message through the eagles." Courtney held her phone to her chest. "Shouldn't we head back to the dorms and look?"
Ring! This time, it was Len's phone that rang. They looked in its direction, prompting Claude to reach for it from the nightstand. He showed the screen to Len. "Does he call you often?"
Len frowned at Eugene's caller ID. "This is the first."
He reached out and picked up the call without taking the phone from Claude's hand. He said as soon as the call went active, "You're disrupting an important meeting."
"Well, I'm just as important." Eugene huffed, but his tone grew serious in an instant. "Hey, can you reach Claude? He's supposed to be home, but his phone isn't picking up. He could also be in trouble this time, you know."
"What do you mean, also? Did something happen?" Claude didn't play since Courtney was already glaring at him and his hand on Len's phone.
"…dude, why didn't you tell me you were meeting Len?"
"I didn't know I was meeting Len."
Eugene sighed and grumbled without a word. He continued talking, "Doesn't matter now. Hey, Len, can my homie go home? Like here in Hatter's Town? Police mobiles are on the street and… yep, some people broke into their house. I saw at least three ambulances leaving the scene. Claude's grandpa is scary. I don't want to go closer and ask on my own."
Claude flinched and turned to Len. "Sorry, Len. I need to go home. Uhm, do you need my help with that problem with Courtney's friend?"
Len shook his head. "I'll handle it on my own for now. If she reaches out to your side, let me know. I'll see you tomorrow at school."
Claude nodded and quickly left the room… only to return the phone to the owner. He jogged out, running into Irving. The new guy walked Claude out of the manor and reminded him how to return to Hatter's Town without a problem.
Inside Len's room, Courtney bit her lower lip and slowly sat on Len's bed. She looked at him, who ended the call without another word. He just texted Eugene where he might pick Claude up. Courtney knew since she could watch him type down his message. She sighed. "Len… why did you let him go? What if he had something to do with Hunie's case?"
"He was prepared to claw at my face to save Reina from a 'suspicious stranger'. I doubt he will get Hunie and Jane kidnapped." Len didn't spare her a glance and only checked into their group chats. "Jameson might have found something. Even Odessa is missing.
"Head back to the dorms and find more clues." Len pocketed his phone. "I will speak to the Council again. My affairs are not the most important things to discuss now."
Courtney gritted her teeth and got to her feet as soon as Len got up. She blocked his path and leaned her body against her chest. Her hands were on his shoulders, and she spoke softly, "You're not thinking of rejecting me as your mate, right?"
The corner of Len's lips rose, but he didn't look down at her longer. "No."
…
The soft engine died as Eugene turned off his motorbike. He had to pick Claude up at the border of the town, without having the time to scold the other. The two college students arrived before Claude's grandpa's house. Claude waited for Eugene and got to the door. With a key in hand, he entered the house and saw the destruction caused by the break-in.
Charles, who was around seventy, sat on the only furniture left unturned. Perhaps he even turned it over just to sit on it. He glanced at the side and pointed at the mess with a chin. "I don't know where to start. Give me a few minutes to get it sorted out."
"Are you hurt?" Claude hurried to his grandpa's side and gave him a visual inspection. "Is that blood on your shirt? Did they shoot you?"
"They stabbed me with a toy. Well, I think it's a toy. It's so small." Charles hummed before getting up. "You're here now. Why don't you help me clean everything. The police walked all over my house. I can't stand their smell. Start dusting everything they touched. Oh, wait, I think the mop's handle is still broken. Just grab the duct tape and fix it."
Claude took the chance to lift Charles's shirt carefully. However, the wound had already healed. He couldn't even see a trace of this stab. He looked at Charles, who stopped moving. "Are you sure you feel nothing right now?"
"What are you on about? Do you think I'm a broken old man?" Charles grew angry, without loud body language. He only pointed at the broken window. "Look that way. Do you see glass by the window? No? That's because I threw one of those thugs out. You and the neighbors… Do I look weak to you now, Claude? I can still throw a car if I want to!"
"But… don't you feel anything weird?" Claude didn't back down. "Like… you're hungry…? So hungry that you just want to eat whatever moves…?"
Charles glared at the grandson, but Claude didn't budge. Then, Charles flinched and fell back into the couch. He grabbed Claude's shoulders. "Claude? Did you…? Had you…? I couldn't see the memory clearly. Did you eat humans?"