Chapter 106
Cassie froze.
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Her racing thoughts snapped back to reality, and she threw her arms around me–so tight I could smell the fear sharp in her wolf aura.
“Who’s there? Who?!”
Her voice shook.
My heart pounded so hard it thudded against my ribs, and my own wolf ears shot up, straining to catch even the smallest sound outside the door.
Our eyes locked, and I knew we were both thinking the same thing: the gas explosion.
A glance at the clock–midnight on the dot.
Another doorbell chime, high and shrill, cutting through the silence like a claw scraping stone. I grabbed Cassie’s wrist, yanking her back from the door.
We stumbled away, putting more distance between us and that sound–my wolf’s intuition screaming run,
hide, danger.
Cassie, who’d just snapped “scared of what?” five minutes ago, now had her ears flattened against her skj her usually bright wolf eyes wide with terror.
“Be real with me–did you not eat enough and sneak–order takeout?”
She tried to laugh, but her voice wobbled.
I didn’t bother answering.
I hauled her back to the couch. “Let’s pretend we didn’t hear it. Ignore it.”
“Yeah,”
Cassie nodded, but her gaze flicked to the balcony–and her breath caught. I followed her eyes, and my own throat went dry: the glass door was open, midnight breeze billowing the white curtains, carrying the sharp scent of foreign wolf musk. The glass door… open!
My brain short–circuited.
“You must’ve left it open this morning! You’re always rushing out last minute and forgetting to lock the balcony!”
I snapped, but my wolf nose was already working–there was a faint, metallic tang on the handle, like someone had pried it with claws.
“I closed it! I swear I closed it!”
Cassie insisted, her voice rising.
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” even checked the lock–wolf’s honort”
“Chill, it’s the 28st floor!”
I said, but even 1 didn’t believe it.
Wolf kind could climb–some packs, like the mountain wolves, were built for it.
“What, Spider–Wolf?”
I tried to joke, but my ears were still pricked, listening for any movement.
Cassie went quiet for two seconds, then rounded on me.
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“I know I closed it. You can doubt my taste in shoes, but not my memory–my wolf’s recall never fails!”
I paused.
My wolf’s intuition hummed, loud and clear. So… there’s a threat at the door and someone inside? We were
surrounded?
“Call the enforcers!”
I said, my voice tight. Enforcers carried wolfsbane–infused cuffs, wore armor lined with pack sigils–they were the only ones who could bring real safety right now.
“I’m on it!”
Cassie yanked out her phone, her hands shaking so hard she fumbled it.
I caught it before it hit the floor,.
As the call connected, I heard the enforcer’s deep voice on the other end.
“This is Enforcer Jax–state your identity and emergency.”
Cassie sputtered out our names, our location, the open door, the knocking.
Then the lights flickered–once, twice–before popping out, plunging us into darkness. The doorbell rang again, urgent, sharp, like a warning.
I fumbled for my phone, flipping on the flashlight. The beam cut through the dark, and I saw Cassie’s face- pale, her wolf eyes glowing faintly in the low light, a trait we got when we were scared. My heart was in my throat, my tail pressed so tight to my legs it ached.
Ding–dong, ding–dong, ding–dong-
Knock, knock, knock-
The doorbell blared, now joined by heavy pounding on the door, so hard the walls shook. “Stay put,” Enforcer Jax said over the phone, his voice sharp.
“Do not open the door. Backup is five minutes out–we can smell your panic, we’re closing in.” We hung up. Our phone lights bounced off each other’s faces, both pale, both terrified–like we were the stars of a horror
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movie for wolves. We sank to the carpet, back–to–back, my phone aimed left, Cassie’s right, our claws out,
ready to slash if someone snuck up. My ears rotated, catching every creak, every breath, every distant how! of a night wolf that sounded too close.
“Anyone there?” A voice called from outside, rough, masculine. Enforcers already? No way–they wouldn’t call
out like that, not without using the pack’s emergency code.
Vivian and Cassie didn’t answer.
Then I heard it: a soft click, like a lock being picked with claws.
The door swung open, smooth as silk, and a wave of cold air rushed in–carrying that foreign scent, stronger
now.
We snapped out of our shock, scrambling to our feet.
“Bathroom!” I
yelled, grabbing Cassie’s arm.
We bolted, our boots sliding on the floor. I could hear footsteps behind us–light, fast, wolf footsteps.
“You-” The intruder got one word out before Cassie screamed, high and loud, a she–wolf’s distress call.
We slammed the bathroom door behind us, and I jammed a towel under the crack, my claws digging into the
wood to keep it shut.
We panted heavily, our chests heaving.
The outside went quiet–too quiet.
Then Cassie’s hand clamped down on my arm, her nails digging in.
“Vivian–look.”
She pointed to the small door leading to the balcony.
It was creaking open, slowly, revealing a pitch–black void, the wind carrying that same musk.
We were rational wolves–we didn’t believe in ghosts, in spirits.
But now… a chill ran through me.
In our frazzled minds, we wondered if talking about that pup all night had woken something–his spirit, angry,
seeking justice.
Then a face appeared, leaning in slowly, outlined by the moonlight.
Tall, broad, with a familiar scent, mixed with Gideon’s sharp aura.
We nearly screamed again, our claws flying up to attack–until he spoke.
“Ladies, don’t run–it’s me.”
Caleb’s voice was soft, calm, trying not to spook us further. His wolf eyes glowed faintly, a warm amber, not
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the cold red of a threat.
I froze. Then I wanted to punch him. Hard.
My claws retracted.
“Do you know what time it is?”
I snapped, my voice shaking with leftover fear.
“You scared us half to death–my tail’s still in knots!”
“Gideon sent me.”
Caleb held up his hands, palms out, a peace offering.
“He said… he could smell your fear from his apartment.
Said you two were in over your heads.
He wanted someone to keep an eye on you.”
His aura softened, like he was sorry.
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“I didn’t mean to sneak in–I tried the doorbell, but you didn’t answer. The balcony was open, so I… climbed.”
Of course he did–Caleb was from the Rockfall Pack, built for scaling cliffs.
Soon, the enforcers arrived–three of them, their armor clinking, their wolf auras stern and protective.
I could smell wolfsbane on their cuffs, a scent that made my nose tingle.
Cassie explained the knocking was just Caleb, and the power?
A tripped breaker, the enforcers said–coincidence, but it still made my skin crawl. They checked every inch of the apartment: the closet, the cabinets, even under the bed. No one else was there.
No strange scents, no claw marks. They left, but not before telling us to call if we smelled anything off
again.
That night, Caleb crashed on the couch–his big frame taking up most of it, his wolf ears twitching in his
sleep.
Cassie and I shared the bedroom, both too scared to be alone. We lay in the dark, the sheets pulled up to our
chins.
“Why not ask Gideon to take down the Quinn pack?”
Cassie said, her voice quiet, half–giving up.
“I’m scared we’ll be dead before we get the evidence. His aura’s strong–he could crush them.”
I rolled onto my side, staring at the wall.
My wolf heart ached at the thought of Gideon he’d looked at me in the elevator.
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Chapter 106
“Even if he’d help, what if he asks for something… inappropriate?”
I said, my voice low.
“Wolf deals are binding. If I say yes, it’s a pact–one I can’t break. Do i trade my pride for safetyr
“Maybe I’m being cynical,”
Cassie said.
“But even if he asks for nothing,” I continued,
“if he does me this huge favor, can I ever say no to him later? That’s just a deal in disguise. Wolf kind doesn’t do ‘free‘–not when it matters.”
Cassie snorted, the sound soft in the dark.
“You make ‘giving yourself to him‘ sound like a horror story. Like he’s gonna turn you into his mate and lock you in a den.”
I shot back,
“Giving myself‘ is a transaction. I’m not trading my freedom for help–not even from him.” My claws dug into the sheet, leaving tiny holes.
“I’d rather trade with that pig–dog Adrian. He wants to bond with Vanessa? Raise pups? Let him. He wants tie himself to a monster, that’s his funeral. I’m not gonna be the one begging for scraps.”
Cassie was quiet for a minute, then sighed.
“Fair. Let them gloat for now. Once we’ve got the bug’s evidence–Vanessa’s voice, Lydia’s confessions–we‘ settle the score. Including that stupid forgiveness pact.” She paused. “Murder’s a heavy crime. With ironclad proof and pack outrage? Even the Blackwoods and Quinns can’t cover that up. Enforcers hate nothing more than pups being hurt–it’s against every wolf law.”
I didn’t respond, closing my eyes.
But my wolf mind wandered to Gideon–why had he sent Caleb? Why did he care? I pushed the thought away. Cassie glanced at me, and I could feel her smile in the dark.
“You know, you talk so tough,” she said softly,
“but you don’t even notice when your ears heat up when you mention Gideon. Some wolves are just bad at hiding their hearts.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but then closed it. She was right–my wolf’s body betrayed me, every time. Everything in the world could be traded–money, favors, even bonds. But a true heart? That was something no wolf could buy or sell.
The next morning, Cassie went with me to the enforcer station to sign the forgiveness pact. Adrian had been hounding me for weeks, and I figured–sign it, bide my time, let him think he’d won. The station smelled like wolfsbane and iron, the walls lined with pack sigils: the moon, the claw, the tree of life. Enforcers walked
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Chapter 106
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past, their uniforms emblazoned with the pack’s crest, their auras sharp and focused.
Adrian rushed over when he heard I was there.
I could smell him before I saw him–his usual sweet, cloying scent mixed with Vanessa’s dark, bitter aura.
By the time he arrived, I was done, the pact signed with my wolf’s mark. I stepped out of the office, and we
met at the entrance.
“Vivian, I’m so glad you agreed to sign.”
Adrian’s voice was soft, his eyes wide with that fake, pained look.
“I know you’re furious–you can ask me for anything. I’ll make it up to you! Anything a wolf could want–I’ll get
it.”
“Adrian, your hide’s thicker than a pine tree’s bark!”
Cassie spat.
She kicked a rock at his feet, her wolf aura flaring with anger.
“You’re gonna make me puke–your scent’s so fake it’s making my nose burn!”
I didn’t even glance at him.
He was nothing to me–thin air, a pest.
I walked straight past.
But he chased after me, his boots thudding on the pavement.
“Vivian! Wait! Just talk to me–please!”
Nearby, a car slowly rolled toward us. I smelled it first.
Gideon’s car.
The window rolled down, and his face appeared–sharp, cold, his eyes locked on Adrian.
His aura flared, strong and protective, a male wolf warning off a threat.
Adrian froze, his scent turning to fear.
I stopped, too, my heart skipping a beat.
What was Gideon doing here?
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