17-SILHOUETTE

The patrol car rolled to a stop outside Viv’s house, the engine cut, and the driver’s door opened.

Detective Maxwell Stone stepped out. He reached back for a flashlight, already focused on the scene ahead.

Why did it have to be him? The question burned in my mind.

“We have had reports of a disturbance here,” he said finally.

Viv moved forward before I could step in, her hands still shaking even though she was trying to hide it, her shoulders squared in that stubborn way of hers.

Stone angled the beam of his flashlight toward the doorframe and stepped closer, crouching slightly as he ran his fingers along the splintered wood.

He let out a low whistle.

“Who or what in the hell did this?” he asked, not looking at her.

I shifted just enough for Viv to catch my eye, letting the warning sit there without words.

She hesitated for half a second, then spoke.

“I didn’t get a good look,” she said, her voice steadier than it should have been. “It happened so fast, and I called my friends. They got here and scared off the intruder.”

Stone straightened slowly, the beam of his flashlight lifting with him, sweeping across the interior and pausing on Kaelyn before moving on as if nothing had caught his attention.

“Protocol sure hasn’t been followed here,” he muttered, as if to nobody.

He stepped past us into the house, checking the windows, the back door, and the hallway.

Outside, work had already begun.

Sebastian began fixing the door, dragging parts of the broken door and hammering them into place, his expression unreadable as he worked without asking for help.

Luke assessed the damage, then stepped in to help, griping about temporary fixes. They would just need to keep out the elements till the morning. Luke's irritation sat below the surface, in a way that meant he cared more than he would admit.

Kaelyn stood apart from all of them, looking unbothered by any of it.

My jaw tightened as my wolf leaned in.

Stone reappeared a few moments later, stepping back out into the night as he circled the house, his flashlight cutting across the fence line, the ground beneath the windows, the shadows that gathered at the edges of the property, his movements methodical and deliberate, like he wasn’t going to miss a single detail.

By the time he returned to the front, Sebastian had secured the first board in place, the sharp crack of the hammer landing in steady rhythm as he drove the nails in clean and sure.

Detective Stone stood at the edge of the steps, checking the damage again before finally settling on Viv.

“This wasn’t a random attack,” he said, sure of himself.

Viv folded her arms around herself, drawing in a breath that didn’t quite steady her.

“I didn’t think it was,” she replied.

Stone nodded, his eyes still searching for clues unseen.

“Whoever did this wanted inside,” he said. “This type of aggression points to a personal grudge.”

“Personal, how?”

“Any disgruntled ex-boyfriends or recent altercations with bar patrons?

“All of my exes are losers, but not like this. I get along with the bar patrons.”

“A jealous woman, then? Someone has it in for you. These things are never random.”

Viv looked up at that.

I glanced at Kaelyn.

Let him hear it, I thought bitterly.

He didn’t react.

Viv let out a small breath.

“So, anyone who doesn’t like me,” she said, dryly.

He ignored that comment.

“You shouldn’t stay here alone tonight,” he said, his tone shifting just enough to soften the edge. “I doubt they will come back, but it pays to be safe.”

She hesitated, glancing back toward the hallway where her kids were, then back to him.

“I’m not dragging them out at this hour unless I have to,” she said.

Stone considered that, looking toward his car.

“My shift ends soon. I’ll stay out front, keep watch over the place.”

Viv blinked then, caught off guard.

“You don’t have to do that,” she said quickly. “You’ve already…”

“It’s fine,” he replied. “I’d rather make sure you are safe.”

She hesitated again, then gave a small nod.

“There’s a couch inside,” she said. “If you need it.”

“I’ll stay outside for now,” he said. “See how the night goes.”

Something in her expression softened at that.

Kaelyn was watching me.

I caught Kaelyn’s arm and tugged him aside, leading him far enough away that the others wouldn’t hear us over the hammering and low voices.

“You’re really saying she didn’t do this?” I challenged him.

“She did not come here to harm your friend,” he pushed back.

I looked at him in disbelief.

“You actually believe that.”

“She believed there was a threat here,” he replied. “She acted on it.”

"She broke into her house," I said, frustration rising. "She terrified Viv and her kids. That’s not protection."

“Bianca knows what she is doing,” he said, defending her again.

I let out a low growl in response.

“I almost trusted you, and you nearly had me fooled.” I spat as fury washed over me, “but you’re just another man who can’t be trusted.”

“Rose…”

“No,” I cut in. “Don’t.”

He reached for me, his hand gripping my throat, venom in his eyes.

The vision I half-expected didn’t arrive; my traitorous body reacted to his touch anyway. I pushed the feeling away.

Then startled, he dropped his hand almost immediately.

“Don’t touch me ever again,” I said, the warning loud and clear. “You hate wolves, remember?”

His expression changed; a dark, dangerous cold swept through the air. He didn’t like being pushed back.

“You don’t walk away like this,” he fired back in warning.

“I’m not standing here while you defend her,” I shot back. “Call her whatever you want, but she crossed a line tonight.”

“She is my right hand,” he said.

We stood there, neither of us willing to move.

I turned away first.

Luke glanced between us, already reading the tension.

“I’m going back to the bar,” he said.

“I’ll ride with you,” I replied.

He shook his head and held up his hands.

“No, I’m not stepping into whatever this is,” he said, nodding toward Kaelyn. “You two can sort it out.”

I didn’t argue, I knew he was right.

Instead, I checked on Viv, who seemed calmer now. She stood near Stone as he spoke quietly with her, his posture relaxed but attentive.

“You okay?” I asked.

She nodded.

“Max is watching the place,” she said, glancing toward him. “I’ll be fine.”

“Call me if anything changes,” I said.

“I will.”

I stepped outside.

Kaelyn was waiting.

“Bianca is out there dealing with Inquisitors alone,” he said. “She’s doing it for you, for me.”

I raised my hand to silence him.

“Don’t,” I said.

“You don’t listen to reason,” he snapped.

“I’m done,” I snapped. “No more dates. No more flowers. Just leave me alone.”

“Rose…”

I didn’t stay; I had to leave while I still had control of my wolf.

I swung a leg over the bike, started the engine, and twisted the throttle. The bike roared to life beneath me, its sound loud enough to drown out anything he might have said, loud enough to push everything else away for a moment.

I rode faster than I should have.

The road stretched ahead, dark and empty, the wind tearing at me as I leaned into it, trying to burn the anger out of my system.

By the time I hit the stretch just before Howl at the Moon, my pulse was still racing, my thoughts still tangled, my temper sitting right on the edge.

And then I saw her.

Bianca stood unmoving in the middle of the road. It was as if she had waited there the whole time, her silhouette framed by my headlights. She raised her head slightly, stepping just enough that my lights caught her on purpose.

The engine growled as I leaned forward, my grip tightening on the handlebars.

If she thought I was going to slow down for her, she was about to learn exactly how wrong she was.