Chapter 221: Chapter 221 Under the Nose
Caroline’s POV
After my parents returned to Maplewood, I told Draven I wanted to visit Nate at the hospital. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea, insisting I needed rest, but I reminded him I wouldn’t strain myself since I had the wheelchair.
"I’ll be fine. The wheelchair makes it easy," I argued, rubbing my enormous belly where the quadruplets were restlessly shifting.
Draven finally agreed to accompany me. When we arrived, Nate was with Teresa. Despite the brevity of our visit, seeing my friend recovering lifted my spirits considerably.
"You look good, Nate," I smiled, watching him perform his physical therapy exercises with determination.
"Getting stronger every day," he replied, wincing slightly as he stretched. "The doctors are impressed with my progress."
Teresa touched my shoulder. "How are you feeling, dear? You look exhausted."
"Four babies will do that to you," I laughed. "But we’re managing."
Since we were already out, I decided to push my luck. "Draven, could we stop by the mall? There are still some things we need for the babies."
His violet eyes narrowed with concern. "Caroline—"
"Please," I begged, making my best puppy eyes. "I’m going crazy staying at home all day. I promise to stay with the security guards. Eleanor and Ruby will meet us there."
Rory gave a supportive growl inside my head. "We need some fresh air before we go insane."
Draven sighed, clearly recognizing defeat. "Fine. But stay close to security at all times. No wandering off."
"Yes, Alpha," I teased, earning a playful growl from him.
At the mall, Ava and Ruby were waiting by the entrance. They both hugged me carefully, mindful of my condition.
"Look at you!" Ava exclaimed. "Those babies are getting huge."
"Tell me about it," I groaned. "I feel like a walking planet."
We headed straight to the baby boutique. While the girls went wild grabbing adorable outfits, I wheeled myself toward a rack of tiny dresses near the storefront window. As I examined a delicate pink onesie, a strange chill ran up my spine. I turned toward the window but saw nothing unusual among the shoppers passing by.
"You okay?" Rory asked, sensing my unease.
"Just jumpy," I replied silently.
After making our purchases, hunger struck—as usual.
"Food court?" I suggested hopefully.
Ava laughed. "The mama needs feeding."
They left me at a table while they fetched our food. I watched a mother with twin boys laughing over French fries, imagining myself with my four little ones soon. Suddenly, I felt something brush against my hair. I whipped around, heart pounding, but saw only a man in a black coat and cap walking away.
"Did you feel that?" Rory growled, hackles raised.
"Something’s wrong," I whispered back.
When the girls returned with trays of food, I tried to appear normal, but my appetite had diminished considerably.
"I need to grab a book for my cousin from the bookstore," Ava mentioned after we finished eating. "Want to come in?"
The bookstore looked crowded and stuffy. "I’ll wait out here," I replied. "There’s an ice cream stand right there, and the security guards are with me."
One of Draven’s men got me a vanilla cone while I waited. As I took my first lick, my phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number,
"Enjoy your ice cream while you still can."
My blood ran cold. I scanned the area frantically but saw no one suspicious among the crowd. Just as Ava and Ruby emerged from the bookstore, I received Draven’s mind-link, his voice echoing in my head.
"Draven..."
"Where are you right now, sweetheart?" His tone was tense.
"At the mall, like we planned."
"Caroline, listen carefully. I need you to come home immediately." He paused. "I just received a photo of you eating ice cream outside the bookstore. From an unknown number. I think it’s Howard."
My hand shook. "I got a message too."
"Get home now. I’ll meet you there." The mind-link went silent.
Immediately, one of the security guards crouched beside my wheelchair. "Luna Caroline, we need to leave. Now."
Ava and Ruby rushed over, concern etched on their faces when they saw my expression. I quickly explained the situation as the guards escorted us toward the exit.
As we passed a kiosk selling metallic balloons, I spotted him—Howard’s unmistakable figure lurking between the colorful displays.
"There!" I shouted. "It’s Howard, by the balloons!"
Four guards rushed in the direction I pointed while the remaining two whisked us outside to waiting vehicles. My heart hammered wildly as tears streamed down my face. Ava pressed a water bottle to my lips, forcing me to drink.
"Breathe, Carrie. Just breathe," she whispered, holding my hand.
Fifteen minutes later, the other guards returned empty-handed. Howard had vanished.
When we arrived at the pack house, Draven, Ryan, Joseph, Kyle, and Luke were already there with Investigator Magnus and several police officers.
Draven rushed to me, gathering me in his arms. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"
"He was there," I sobbed against his chest. "Watching us the whole time."
"You’re safe now," he murmured, his arms tightening protectively around me.
Magnus approached us. "We’re combing the area and analyzing security footage. Can you tell me exactly what happened?"
I recounted everything, from the hospital visit to the message and sighting.
"What I don’t understand is how he got my number," I said. "It was changed after Liam’s kidnapping."
"Most likely the informant within your company," Magnus replied thoughtfully. "But here’s what’s strange,I checked traffic cameras around the hospital and found no vehicles following you. No unusual activity at all."
"So what, he just happened to be at the mall?" Ryan asked skeptically.
Magnus shook his head. "Men like Howard don’t take casual strolls in public places while being hunted. Every move is calculated." He turned to me. "It’s almost as if he knew you’d be there. Luna Caroline, where did you get your current phone?"
"It’s a company phone," I explained. "Set up with my email and contacts."
"And who physically handed you this device?" Magnus pressed.
"The IT department delivers them already configured," I replied, a sinking feeling forming in my stomach.
"Alpha Draven, would it be possible to have someone examine her phone?" Magnus asked.
Within an hour, Leo from IT was inspecting my device in our living room.
"Investigator Magnus was right," Leo announced, showing his screen to the detective. "There’s spyware embedded in Luna Caroline’s phone. Someone could track her location, read her messages, even activate the microphone remotely."
"How did it get there?" Draven demanded, his face darkening with rage.
"This type of software requires physical access to the device," Leo explained. "It can’t be installed remotely."
"That narrows our search considerably," Magnus noted. "We’re looking for someone in your IT department, Alpha Draven."
Draven’s violet eyes flashed dangerously as he pulled out his phone to call Arthur. Whoever was feeding Howard information was watching us very closely and they were right under our noses.