C2

"Jack, pick up the damn phone! Where are you?"

Evan Mercer’s voice didn't just sound impatient through the speaker; it sounded entitled, vibrating against my eardrum with a jagged edge. I sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass of the Lunar Forensics Lab, watching the silver moonlight hit the London skyline. I didn't answer.

"Jack Quinn! You promised to meet me at the Medical Sanctuary after your shift. I've been waiting for twenty minutes. Why aren't you here?"

The text messages started flooding in, one after another, lighting up the dark room. I took a slow sip of ice-cold water, watching the screen glow.

/?

Jack, what the hell is this? Why are you playing games? Answer me!

My patience is thin, Jack. You’d better have a damn good explanation for blowing me off!

JACK!/

I let out a dry, mirthless chuckle and finally swiped the screen.

"What do you want, Evan?"

"What do I want? Jack, what the hell is wrong with you?" Evan’s voice was thick with suppressed rage, but underneath the anger, I heard it—that low, gravelly rasp of post-coital satisfaction. The scent of betrayal felt like it was coming through the signal itself.

"I asked what you want. Make it quick."

"Jack, are you serious right now? You’re the 'Ice Judge' of the forensics world, the man everyone says is too noble for his own good. I’m the only one who actually puts up with your coldness!"

I knew exactly what he was doing. He loved the status of being the man who tamed the "unreachable" Dr. Jack Quinn. Every time he picked me up from the pack HQ, he’d smirk at the other enforcers, feeding his own vanity off their envy.

"Is there a point to this call, or are you just enjoying the sound of your own voice?"

"Jack, calm down. Was the autopsy today that bad? Did the rogue case get to you?" His tone shifted instantly, turning into that calculated, gentle purr he used when he wanted something. "Look, I’ve spent weeks planning a surprise for your birthday. Why don't you just drive over? Let your boyfriend help you unwind. You know you can’t handle these things alone."

"A surprise? Is that what you’re calling it?"

"Yes! I’ve been working on this for so long. Is your work really more important than us? Do you even care about me anymore?"

"Do you care, Evan?"

"What... what kind of question is that? Jack, you're being paranoid. You’re acting like a stray."

I gripped the phone so hard the casing groaned. I wanted to howl. I wanted to tell him I’d seen him in that Audi with Sienna, heard them plotting to kill my mother. But Margaret Quinn was still in his ward, and until I moved her, I was a wolf in a cage.

"I’m tired, Evan. I’m staying late at the lab. We’ll talk another time."

I cut the line before he could respond, leaving him to scream at a dead signal.

"Dr. Quinn! Thank the Moon you're here!"

Maya Collins met me at the entrance of the Blackridge Enforcement HQ. I’d barely stepped out of my truck when a young man in a frantic state lunged at me.

"You're Quinn? The one who found the scent? My cousin—he’s one of the victims—"

"Silas! Stand back!"

A voice like rolling thunder cut through the chaos. The young man flinched and recoiled instantly. As he let go of my arm abruptly, I stumbled back, my boots slipping on the slick, rain-washed steps of the station.

I braced for the impact of the stone, but it never came.

A massive hand clamped around my waist, hauling me backward with effortless strength. I was pulled flush against a chest that felt like solid oak, enveloped in a scent so powerful it made my inner wolf go silent—heavy cedar and cold mountain air.

I looked up, catching only the sight of a sharp, dominant jawline and eyes that burned with an ancient authority.

"Let go of him!"

The growl didn't come from the man holding me. It was Evan. He had followed me. He lunged forward, grabbing my wrist and ripping me out of the stranger's arms with a violent jerk.

"Jack, what the hell are you doing? You ignore my calls to come down here and throw yourself at other men?"

I looked at Evan, then back at the towering figure of Alpha Ronan Blackridge, realizing my life had just collided with a storm I couldn't outrun.