WOLFSBANE

Taydyn POV

I had been sitting in the parking lot for about an hour when she finally pulled in.

Zey sensed her before I did.

Mate.

The word hit my skull like a hammer.

My eyes snapped up just in time to watch her climb out of her Jeep, shoulders tight, movements quick and efficient. But what really caught my attention—

—some loser trailing her like a bad smell.

My grip tightened on the steering wheel.

The guy closed the distance between them, talking, pressing.

Zey was instantly on edge.

Get out.

His growl rumbled through my head, low and dangerous.

I cracked the window just slightly, straining to hear.

The male leaned closer.

Too close.

My hand was already reaching for the door handle when her voice cut through the night, sharp and controlled.

“I’m having a small allergic reaction… and I’m hoping the Benadryl kicks in…”

I paused.

Well.

She handled that better than most grown wolves I knew.

Zey snarled in my head.

We could have saved her. Been heroic.

I rolled my eyes, still watching her.

“Yeah,” I muttered under my breath. “And more likely terrified her into thinking I’m another creep. Especially if she noticed how I acted the other night at all. That alone was enough to freak out and sane human being.”

Zey grumbled but didn’t argue further.

For now.

Inside the gym, she moved like she was being chased by invisible deadlines — vacuuming, wiping down machines, stalking the cooler, hauling towels.

Too much.

Way too much for one person.

My jaw tightened.

Before I could spiral too far down that road, headlights swept across the lot.

Terrence.

He pulled in smooth and easy at 11:53 sharp and gave me a subtle nod as he put his car into park across from mine.

A second later, his voice slid into my head.

“Tsk tsk… lurking like a stalker. How long have you been here Tay?”

I flipped him off jokingly through the car window.

“Cutting it a little close, aren’t you?”

I leaned back in my seat.

“Hmm…I call it strategic staggered stalking.”

I let out a chuckle.

If she’s actually a werewolf like you say, even dormant she may pick up on things she doesn’t realize.

That… had not occurred to me.

Because she seemed so—

I grimaced.

Yes, yes. Good. Normal human.

Terrence laughed outright in my head.

Yeah, because we definitely look like average Joes.

Fair.

I glanced at the clock.

11:59.

Right on cue, an aged, beat-up Fox Body Mustang screamed into the lot like it was personally offended by the concept of speed limits.

Nate exploded out of it like a caffeinated squirrel and beelined for the door.

I huffed a quiet breath.

That’s Nate, I told Terrence. Little strange, but not a threat. Seems like he cares about her. Good someone’s got her back.

Zey immediately bristled.

Another male protecting our mate.

Yeah.

Didn’t love that either.

The creep from earlier trailed in behind Nate, and my shoulders tightened automatically.

Hey, I sent to Terrence quickly. When you talk to her, make sure she’s okay. She mentioned an allergic reaction.

Got it, boss.

Terrence grabbed his gym bag and headed in, casual as could be.

I listened.

Every sense dialed to eleven.

“Hi! Welcome in!”

My chest did something stupid at the sound of her voice.

Exactly the same as last night.

Warm.

Professional.

Completely unaware she was slowly destroying my sanity.

“Hi, I’d like to set up a membership.”

Smooth, Terrence.

Real smooth.

She launched into the membership rundown, voice efficient and polite. I caught every word.

Every breath.

“And we offer a tour of the facility if you’re not familiar with it.”

Pause.

Terrence played it up.

“Sure, yeah, that would be great. I’m kind of new to all this.”

Nate immediately snorted.

“Dude, you look like you haven’t missed a gym day since you were born.”

I huffed a quiet laugh despite myself.

Terrence leaned into the joke, something about genetics, and the two of them went back and forth—

Then suddenly—

His voice cut through the link again.

Sharp.

Tight.

Taydyn… something is wrong.

Every muscle in my body locked.

WHAT. What is it?

Silence.

Too long.

I watched him lean over the counter, filling out paperwork like nothing was wrong.

Then—

I smell wolfsbane.

Everything in me went cold.

…what?

Inside my skull, Zey exploded into a furious howl.

My hands clenched so tight the steering wheel creaked.

Terrence’s voice came back, grim.

The rash on her skin — it’s not an allergic reaction. It was faint at first, but when she handed me the paperwork… I’m sure.

My pulse thundered.

That means…

She must be a wolf, Terrence finished quietly.

Zey paced like a caged predator.

Terrence continued, slower now.

I can’t smell her wolf clearly. The wolfsbane is overpowering everything. But if she’s reacting to it like this…

He trailed off.

Inside, her voice floated back toward the front.

“Okay, let’s check out the main floor.”

Footsteps.

Movement.

Then—

“Oh — I didn’t catch your name, by the way.”

Terrence answered easily.

But I barely heard him.

Because her reply hit me square in the chest.

“Seanna. Your personal saleswoman, at your service today.”

Seanna.

The name settled into my bones like it had always belonged there.

I watched them move through the gym floor, every nerve in my body stretched tight.

Seconds passed.

Then Terrence came back through the link again, voice low and unsettled.

It’s faint. Very faint.

My stomach dropped.

But also… the wolfsbane is almost… amplifying it in flashes.

A pause.

Hesitation.

The kind Terrence almost never showed.

Ice crept down my spine.

What? I pushed.

Another beat.

Then—

It’s almost like…

He exhaled slowly.

…the scent of a dead wolf.

The world tilted.

For a second, I forgot how to breathe.

Because there was only one conclusion.

Her wolf wasn’t just dormant.

It was dying.

And she didn’t even know.