He was at his desk, phone glued to his ear, speaking in low, sharp tones. This was the third call he took since she got there, and with each call, he seemed to get more annoyed and frustrated.

Selina watched him from across the room. Michael Arthur, the guy she once thought she knew inside and out, the guy she had risked everything for.

But things had changed between them over the past two years, and in some ways, she was actually glad for it.

He hung up the phone suddenly and slammed it down onto his desk harder than needed.

"Problems?" Selina asked, trying to keep it light.

"Nothing I can’t handle," Alpha replied quickly, not looking at her.

There it was again: that distance, that wall he had put up between them.

Selina’s jaw tightened. "You’ve been saying that a lot lately."

"Because it’s true."

"Is it?" She walked toward his desk, her heels clicking against the marble floor. "From where I’m standing, it seems like you’re hiding stuff from me."

Alpha finally glanced up at her, his dark eyes hard to read. "I keep a lot of secrets, Selina. It’s part of the job. You know that."

"I do know that," she said, stopping in front of his desk. "But we used to share those secrets. We were a team. Now it feels like you barely tell me anything."

"Things change."

"Why?" The word came out sharper than she meant. "What changed, Michael? A few years ago, everything was good between us. We worked side by side, we trusted each other. Now you’re shutting me out, and I just don’t get why."

Alpha leaned back in his chair, studying her with an expression she couldn’t quite figure out. "Maybe I’ve realized that trust is a luxury I can’t afford."

Those words hit her like a punch. Selina took a step back, her mind racing.

When did we get to this point? When did everything fall apart?

She remembered the chip she had slipped into his desk drawer weeks ago, the one Zayden had given her to track Alpha’s calls and movements. She had done it because Zayden promised to help her understand what Alpha was really up to, to give her answers when he wouldn’t.

But the chip should have revealed everything by now. Zayden should have found out who this mysterious Alexander was, the guy Alpha kept mentioning in his encrypted messages.

So why hadn’t Zayden found anything yet?

Selina’s frown grew deeper as another thought popped into her head.

Unless...

She glanced over at Alpha’s desk, at the smooth surface where she had stashed the tracking chip in a hidden drawer. But Alpha was too sharp for that. Lately, she had noticed something weird.

Whenever he had really important calls, he didn’t use the phone on his desk. Instead, he would pull out a burner phone from his jacket. When he needed to meet up for sensitive talks, he avoided the usual exits. He opted for the secret passage behind the bookshelf in his private office.

Selina’s breath caught as it finally hit her.

That’s why Zayden hasn’t found anything about Alexander. Alpha isn’t using anything in this office for his important chats.

The chip in the drawer was pointless because Alpha ran all his serious business through channels she couldn’t get to. The burner phones, the secret passages, the encrypted meet-ups in places she didn’t know about, he had been ahead of her the whole time.

"Selina?" Alpha’s voice pulled her back to reality. "Are you even listening?"

She blinked and focused back on him. "What?"

"I was wondering if you’re still working with Maksim Karza."

Oh right. The other chip. The one she planted in Maksim’s phone.

"I am," she said carefully. "But it’s been slow going. He’s super paranoid about being watched."

"Aren’t we all?" Alpha muttered, running a hand through his hair. He looked tired, she noticed, stressed out in a way she hadn’t seen much before.

Part of her, the part that remembered what they used to share, wanted to offer some comfort. But the bigger part, the one that was hurt by his distance and secrets, held back.

"Michael," she said quietly, using his real name instead of the alias. "Talk to me. Please. Whatever’s going on, we can figure it out together. Just like we always did."

For a moment, just a brief moment, something flashed in his eyes, something that looked a lot like regret.

But then it disappeared, replaced by the usual cold, controlled look he always had.

"There’s nothing to figure out," he said, standing up from his desk. "I’ve got work to do. You should head out."

The way he dismissed her stung more than Selina wanted to admit.

"Fine," she shot back, turning for the door. But halfway there, she paused and turned to face him again. "Just so you know, I planted those chips. One in Maksim’s phone and the other in your desk drawer, exactly like I was told to."

She watched his face closely, hoping to catch any hint that he knew about the second chip, that he had figured out her betrayal.

But Alpha’s expression stayed flat. "Good. Keep an eye on Maksim. Let me know if you find anything useful."

Selina nodded and left, her mind racing with doubts and questions.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, she pulled out her phone and quickly sent an encrypted message to Zayden, ’We need to talk. The chip isn’t working. He’s using other ways, burner phones and secret tunnels. We need a new plan.’

The reply came back almost right away, ’Got it. Let’s meet at the usual spot in an hour.’

Selina slipped her phone back into her bag and made her way to the elevator, her thoughts heavy.

She had been convinced that putting the chip in would give them the answers they needed. But Alpha was way too careful, too paranoid. He had set up layers of security around his most sensitive stuff. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Now, she felt trapped in the middle, helping Zayden investigate the man she thought she knew while watching whatever remained between them finally fade.

What are you keeping from me, Michael? she wondered as the elevator went down. What are you so scared of?

She didn’t have the answers yet.

But she was determined to find them, no matter what it took.