Fangs in the Dark

Chapter Three 

The Iron Fangs rolled into the lot just after midnight, engines snarling loud enough to rattle the windows of the warehouse they called home.

 Raven felt every vibration in her bones, a reminder that she had made it back alive, though the night still clung to her like smoke. She dismounted the Harley slowly, Sabrina clambering off with shaky legs. The bike was in bad shape, but not as bad as her nerves.

Reed Cutter hadn’t said much on the ride back. He hadn’t needed to. His silence was heavier than threats, the kind that left her waiting for the knife to drop. He rode ahead of her the whole way, like a shadow guiding her into judgment. Cole, of course, was another story. He never stopped smirking, tossing her looks that said he couldn’t wait for her to fall.

Inside, the Fangs spread out into the warehouse. It was part clubhouse, part garage, part den for men who thought the world owed them something. Oil-stained floors, rusting tool racks, neon beer signs buzzing faintly in the corners. Pool tables had seen better days, and the bar was nothing but old plywood and bottles stacked against a wall. But this was their kingdom, and Reed was its cold, sharp-eyed ruler.

Raven parked her Harley in the corner, keeping her face neutral. Her wolf was restless under her skin, still humming from Axel’s presence, still clawing at her ribs with the word she refused to acknowledge.

“Funny,” Reed said at last, sliding off his gloves. His voice carried, even with half the Fangs crowding around. “You break down in Rider territory, and yet you’re still breathing.”

Raven rolled her shoulders, feigning nonchalance. “Maybe luck’s finally on my side.”

Reed exhaled a plume of smoke, eyes narrowing. “Luck doesn’t keep Riders from sinking their teeth into Fang business.”

The others murmured in agreement. Sabrina hovered close to Raven, looking like she wanted to disappear. Cole leaned against the wall, his grin smug and sharp.

“I told you she’d screw up,” Cole said. “Raven always thinks she’s untouchable. Maybe it’s time she learned she’s not.”

Raven snapped her gaze toward him. “Careful, Cole. You’re mistaking your own failures for my flaws.”

His face flushed, but Reed cut between them with a look that silenced the whole room. “Enough.”

The word echoed like a command. The chatter died.

Reed stepped closer, smoke curling around him like another weapon. His eyes locked on Raven’s, and for a heartbeat she wondered if he could see through her, down to the bond tethered to her soul. She forced her expression blank, nails biting into her palms.

“You’ve got secrets, Blackthorne,” Reed murmured, low enough that only she caught it. “I smell them. And one day, you’re going to tell me what they are.”

Her stomach twisted, but she held his gaze. “Maybe I’m just more interesting than you give me credit for.”

His lips quivered, into a half smile. “Or maybe you’re playing a dangerous game.”

He tapped ash into a tray and walked away, leaving tension hanging thick in the air.

Cole pushed off the wall, stepping into her space once Reed was gone. His eyes gleamed with mean satisfaction. “You think you’re better than the rest of us,” he spat. “But you’re not. You’re not even one of us. Reed might let you ride along, but don’t forget where you really stand.”

Raven leaned in, voice sharp enough to cut. “Where I stand, Cole, is still higher than you. And you hate it.”

For once, his mouth opened without words. She left him standing there, fists clenching, as she guided Sabrina toward the bar.

The night stretched on. Music thumped from an old stereo, laughter echoing off the walls. Fangs drank, gambled, argued over pool games, their chaos blending into a rhythm Raven knew well. She nursed a beer without tasting it, her thoughts replaying Axel’s words on the highway.

You’re mine.

Her wolf shivered at the memory. She drowned it with another swallow.

Sabrina, meanwhile, was buzzing with nervous energy. She drifted toward the edges of the crowd, caught up in the reckless atmosphere. Raven should have kept her close, but the weight of Reed’s suspicion and Cole’s simmering hostility pressed too heavy. She just wanted one moment to breathe.

That was her mistake.

Near the edge of the lot, Sabrina leaned against a post, laughing too loudly at something a stranger said. Raven stiffened immediately. She hadn’t seen him before. Tall, clean-cut blond hair, leather jacket that didn’t look worn-in enough to belong here. Boots polished. Posture too precise.

He didn’t smell like a Fang and didn’t smell like grease or smoke or whiskey.

He smelled like gun oil.

Raven’s blood ran cold. 

Hunters.

She was moving before she realized it, weaving through the crowd until she reached them. The man smiled politely at her approach, like he already knew what she was.

“Friend of yours?” he asked, voice smooth, calculated.

Raven ignored him, grabbing Sabrina’s arm. “We’re leaving. Now.”

Sabrina pulled free, cheeks flushed from beer. “Rave, relax! He’s just a guy. Can’t I have fun without you breathing down my neck?”

The stranger chuckled softly. “She’s protective. That’s good. Means she cares.”

Something in his tone made Raven’s wolf bristle. She scanned the crowd, but no one else seemed to notice him. How long had he been here? Who let him in?

Sabrina shoved a napkin into her pocket. “See? He just gave me his number. Big deal.”

Raven’s hand shot out, snatching it away before Sabrina could react. The stranger’s smile didn’t falter, but his eyes glittered like steel.

“Careful,” he murmured. “Wouldn’t want to seem paranoid.”

Then he melted back into the shadows, gone before she could even move to follow.

Her pulse thundered. She unfolded the napkin with stiff fingers.

One word scrawled across it in jagged ink:

Wolf.

The letters seemed to burn into her skin.

Sabrina frowned, confused. “Rave? You’re scaring me. It’s just a number…”

“No,” Raven snapped, crushing the napkin in her fist. Her gaze swept the warehouse, the dark edges of the lot where the stranger had vanished. Her wolf snarled inside her chest, furious and afraid.

Someone knew what she was.

And the hunters were already here.

Raven’s heart pounded as she shoved Sabrina behind her, eyes scanning the shadows. The word on the napkin still burned in her palm.

Somewhere in the dark, a hunter had her scent.

And she had no idea which one of the Fangs had invited him in.