The storm clung to his fur, each drop sliding like fire down his spine. Anita bled at his side, snarling in pain, but he had stopped her before she could tear into the new girl. He didn't know why. He only knew he couldn't let her be devoured.
She should have been prey, another human caught in the endless war that gnawed at Atlas City. But her scent was sharp and unforgettable, binding him in place. Something older than blood coiled inside him, and for the first time in years, instinct had bowed to something stronger.
The pack wouldn't understand when word of him sparing a human girl got back. Mercy wasn't his way, yet this wasn't mercy. It was compulsion. It was destiny. And it terrified him more than the storm ever could. With one final glance at her unconscious form, he walked away.
Light swallowed the darkness. My eyes snapped open again, and I could hear the faint sounds of voices surrounding me.
"She's finally awake." This was Bella's voice as I forced myself to sit up. The blinding light made it clear I had been rescued and I was back at our base. The forest, the wolves, and the storm all crashed back into my mind at once. My arm burned where teeth had torn me, my head splitting with pain.
"You need to rest."
"No, I want to leave this place." My voice cracked into sobs before I could stop it. The image of the other man being ripped apart clawed at my mind. "I saw him get torn apart by a human wolf… and you all act like this is normal?"
The room fell silent. Faces turned away.
"We know already," one of them muttered. "And we've accepted this job."
"I need the money," Bella whispered so softly it almost broke me.
I knew I needed the money too, but I couldn't stay in this abnormal place any longer. Each passing moment felt like a threat. I had been almost devoured, but I didn't understand why the wolf had stopped halfway. I had shot a white werewolf twice. Everything I had read in novels…creatures, werewolves, fated mates it had all come alive before my eyes.
The door creaked open. Our boss stepped inside, the same man who had killed someone on the very first day. His scarred face, cold and expressionless, made him look heartless.
"Becky," he said flatly. "How are you?"
I shrank back, my voice small and cowardly. "Can I leave? I'll refund the money back."
He stared at me long enough for me to know I had said something I shouldn't have. His eyes were knives. Finally, his voice cut through the silence, low and cold.
"You can't leave, Becky."
My throat tightened. "I—I said I'll refund the money."
He raised a hand, and the rest of my words died in my mouth.
"I told you all from the beginning," he continued, each word deliberate, as if he wanted them carved into my head. "Anyone who tries to walk away has to be silenced. Forever."
My heart pounded against my ribs. Silenced forever. He wasn't bluffing. I had seen him kill on the first day like it meant nothing. A chill seeped into my bones as his words settled. I wasn't just trapped in this job. I was trapped in this world.
When the meeting broke, the others drifted out one by one, leaving me behind like an afterthought. No one met my eyes. No one spoke. It was as if admitting I wanted to quit had already branded me as good as dead.
I didn't sleep that night. Every creak in the floorboards made me jump. Every shadow stretched too long against the wall. His words replayed in my head like a curse: silenced forever.
By morning, I forced myself to school, clinging to the illusion of normal life. Walking like a zombie, I could see students buzzing in lazy chatter. For a heartbeat, it almost felt safe, almost like nothing such had happened and someone didn't get torn by a werewolf in my presence.
I saw Kessy, the mean girl, but Anita wasn't with Kessy. Their desk, always shared, always loud, sat half-empty. My stomach twisted. Where was she? Did anything happen to her at the party yesterday? I didn't even want to think about that possibility.
Then my gaze met Drey's. His face was pale and his lip was red. I didn't understand why I was admiring this mean guy's features. He leaned against the back wall, arms folded, eyes sharp enough to slice through me. But it wasn't his usual smirk. It was irritation, almost anger.
"Hi," I found myself waving at him, but he just sneered and looked away. I walked over and sat beside him, not minding his stare.
"You better leave this city before it's too late," he muttered when I sat, low enough that only I heard.
My heart skipped. "What… what do you mean by that?"
His jaw flexed. For a second, I thought he wasn't going to answer. Then he looked at me with something strange in his eyes. Fear, maybe? Or pity?
I swallowed hard, lowering my voice. "Drey… did you see them? The wolves?"
The word slipped out before I could stop myself. Maybe he was like me, human. Perhaps he'd been caught in the crossfire last night. Maybe that would explain the way he looked at me, like he knew something he shouldn't.
His gaze dragged over me, slow and deliberate, like he was measuring how much of me was worth saving or ruining.
"You're too stubborn to take advice," he said flatly. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
Something in me snapped. "You think you're so mysterious, don't you? Standing there, glaring at me like you've got all the answers. If you know something, say it. Or maybe you're just scared too."
I hadn't expected him to move, but suddenly he was right there, too close, leaning in. His hand brushed the edge of my hair, his breath warm against my ear.
"Scared?" he whispered. "You don't even know the meaning of fear yet."
A shiver ran down my spine. I caught myself looking at his lips. I hated the way my pulse jumped at his nearness, hated the way he smelled faintly of masculinity and coffee, and hated that my body leaned before my mind could scream stop.
I swallowed. "Just tell me about the wolves." The words cracked.
His eyes darkened, unreadable, but for a heartbeat, something flickered—recognition. Then he smirked, the kind of smirk that made me want to slap him and kiss him in the same breath.
"Careful, Becky," he said softly. "Keep asking questions like that, and you might find yourself in a place you can't escape from."
Before I could respond, a perfume-sweet voice slid to our seat.
"Drey, there you are."
Kessy appeared like she owned the place, slipping her arm through his. She looked me up and down, her smile sharp enough to slice skin. "Funny, I keep catching you staring at him, Becky. Did you forget he's already taken?"
Heat flushed my cheeks. I tried to look away, but the way Drey didn't pull back from her, didn't deny her claim, dug deeper than it should have. Why did it matter? If he liked her, why did it sting?
Kessy leaned closer to him, but her eyes stayed locked on mine. "A word of advice? Don't go playing with fire you can't handle."
With that, she tugged him away, her laughter echoing as they both walked out of the class. Drey didn't look back once.
I left the classroom, my footsteps echoing through the nearly empty hallway. My chest still raced from Drey's glare and Kessy's smug intrusion, my mind spinning with questions I couldn't answer.
A shadow moved behind me. I froze. He stepped into view. He was tall, lean, and the opposite of Drey in almost every way. Where Drey radiated aura and control, this one carried a playful, manipulative demeanor. Yet undeniably handsome, with sharp cheekbones, dark hair falling perfectly, and eyes like steel that seemed to calculate everything as if life had played him.
He stopped a step away, and a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, a thin, playful smile that made my pulse skip. He leaned slightly, just enough to brush the air near me.
"Stay away from my brother," he said, his voice smooth, low, and dangerous. "He's not what you want to play with. If you cross the line, Blondie…" He let the nickname hang in the air, teasing flirty. "You can come be with me instead."
My stomach twisted. His words were a warning, yes, but the playful lilt made my pulse stutter. There was danger here, yes, but also temptation I couldn't quite resist. His eyes lingered on me, teasing, sharp, and impossible to read.
And just like that, he was gone, leaving me trembling in the hallway. Two brothers. Enemies. And somehow, I had been caught right in the middle of their war.