MasukEMBERLYGlass crunched under the heavy tread of Jordan’s combat boot. Stepping away from the shattered smartphone, he stared blankly at the dark hardwood floor of the safehouse. "Jordan, look at me," I demanded.He didn't move. His shoulders remained rigidly locked, the heavy leather of his jacket squeaking as his hands balled into massive fists. The raw, territorial scent of cedar radiating from him suddenly turned sour, spiking heavily with sheer panic."They moved her," he repeated, his voice dropping into a hollow, vibrating whisper. "Route 9. Eastern Hospice.""We can still leave," I urged, grabbing the two forged Canadian passports from the granite kitchen counter. Shoving the black booklets directly into his chest, I forced him to acknowledge me. "You have the cash. You have the vehicle. We are ten minutes away from slipping the perimeter entirely."Swatting the passports out of my hand, Jordan turned his pitch-black eyes toward me. The little black books hit the floor, slidin
JORDANThe heavy bass vibrated directly through the concrete floor, rattling my molars.Neon green lasers sliced through the thick, muggy darkness of the underground basement. Hundreds of sweating, half-shifted wolves ground against each other on the packed dance floor. The air in the industrial sector club tasted like cheap vodka, stale ozone, and raw pheromones. My jaw locked tight. Pushing through the writhing crowd, I kept my hands out, shoving aggressive shoulders aside.Get the forged passports. Get back to the safehouse. Get Amberly out of the state before midnight. That was the only objective keeping my blood from boiling over.Ducking under a low-hanging ventilation duct, I reached the VIP booths lining the far brick wall.Jax sat alone in the corner booth. He nervously tapped a silver lighter against the scratched wooden table. A lit cigarette hung from his lower lip. He wore a heavy leather jacket, his eyes darting frantically across the crowded club. He smelled of sour pan
JORDANStanding up, I moved quickly to the mirrored cabinet above the sink. Pulling out a heavy black tactical medical kit, I grabbed a bottle of surgical antiseptic, a curved suture needle, and a spool of medical silk.Sitting back down on the tiles, I uncapped the antiseptic."This is going to burn," I warned, locking my eyes onto hers."Do it," she whispered, gripping the edge of the bathtub with her uninjured hand.Pouring the clear liquid directly over the open wound, the chemicals hissed against her torn flesh. Amberly bit down hard on her lower lip, stifling a scream. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, tracking through the dirt and rainwater smeared across her cheeks.Grabbing the sterile needle, I threaded the silk with practiced precision."Look at me," I commanded softly, tapping her chin to draw her focus away from the bleeding arm.Her dark, terrified eyes met mine.Driving the needle through the edge of her skin, I pulled the thick thread tight. She whimpered, her
AUTHOR'S POVKicking the splintered apartment door open, Garrett stepped over the ruined deadbolt. Sterile bleach and industrial floor cleaner assaulted his nostrils. His primary goal of ambushing the Lynne girl inside Jordan’s campus housing evaporated into the freezing, damp air. Empty coat hangers rattled inside the open closet. Starving, operating without pack funds, and running entirely out of time, Garrett tightened his grip on the silver-laced combat knife."The place is completely scrubbed," Briggs muttered, coughing into his fist.Heavy, wet combat boots tracked mud across the pristine hardwood floor. Briggs and Cole, the last two surviving mercenaries on Garrett’s payroll, stepped into the empty living room. Freezing rain pounded against the large campus windows, matching the bitter, foul mood suffocating the squad.Pacing toward the bedroom, Garrett scanned the bare mattress. No clothes. No burner phones. No lingering scent of female Omega. Jordan had purged the location ho
AMBERLY The dust motes danced lazily in the dim, yellow light filtering through the high cathedral windows of the library's fourth-floor archives.Sitting cross-legged underneath a massive, solid oak reading table, I buried my face in my hands. The thick smell of decaying paper and old leather binding offered a tiny fraction of comfort. Nobody ever came up to the fourth floor. It was entirely reserved for ancient university records.My heart rate finally started to decelerate. The crushing anxiety of the biology lab slowly released its grip on my lungs.Just breathe. Keep the cover intact. Wait for Jordan to text the burner phone.A sudden, violent change in the air pressure hit my senses.My inner wolf instantly threw itself against the bars of my ribcage, whining in absolute terror. I dragged in a sharp breath through my nose.Predators.It wasn't the scent of human security guards. It was the heavy, metallic musk of wet asphalt, gunpowder, and raw, unrestrained werewolf aggression
JORDANThe fumes burned the back of my throat, thick and suffocating in the sterile air of the university biology lab.The tweezers trembled in my right hand. Hovering over the pinned, grey flesh of a fetal pig, sweat pooled at the base of my neck. Get through the dissection, secure the passing grade, and keep the human college-student cover completely intact. Those were the only things i needed to get done. If I failed this mandatory lab, Professor Vance would report my academic standing directly to the Packhouse administration, and Magnus would drag me into the Executive Wing for another interrogation."You're shaking, man," Josh whispered.My lab partner leaned against the black resin counter, chewing loudly on a piece of spearmint gum. He smelled like cheap body spray and stale corn chips."I'm fine," I rasped, forcing my voice into its lowest register.Adjusting my grip on the metal tweezers, a sharp, stabbing pain pierced my ribs. The heavy canvas chest binder was laced entire
AUTHOR'S POV"If... if we are finished," Emberly stammered, her voice shaking as she carefully stood up from the leather chair. She looked down at the floor, playing the part of the terrified human boy. "I need to get back to the campus for my afternoon lecture. Alpha Magnus. Jordan.""You are dism
EMBERLYThe back alley behind the campus cafe smelled heavily of sour milk, wet cardboard, and freezing rain. I pushed the heavy metal service door open with my shoulder, dragging two massive, leaking trash bags across the slick concrete. My arms ached with a deep, pulsing exhaustion, and my ribs f
EMBERLYThe morning light filtering through the bulletproof glass of the secure loft was pale and cold. I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at my reflection, dreading the physical process of erasing myself. The absolute safety of Jordan’s off-grid apartment was a temporary illusion. Th
EMBERLY"What the hell are you doing?"Jordan was standing in the doorway. His dark eyes tracked my movements, his shoulders practically blocking the entire exit. The raw, protective warmth he had shown me an hour ago was completely gone, replaced by a rigid, tense Alpha panic."I have to leave, Jo







