C4

Our waitress? I think, my heart sinking.

A dark, heavy thought hits me right then. Callum is the bad guy here. He is the one stealing resources from the royal owner, and Damon is helping him do it. I am almost sure of it now.

Even though Theo has all the royal power from the owner, he stays quiet and holds back. He is just trying to watch and learn their secrets today. He does not want to show his claws too early. If Callum is a rogue wolf inside the pack, it makes sense that he does not care about fairness.

Theo turns his eyes back to me, his voice softening just a little bit. “Zara, why don’t you tell everyone exactly what happened?”

My eyes fill up with hot, heavy tears. “Well, he—”

“What is done is done!” Callum shouts, cutting me off before I can finish a single sentence. “Zara caused a noble customer to get hurt. The hot berry juice could have burned her skin. The lady is going to take us to the Grand Wolf Assembly now because of her.” He steps closer to me and points to the door. “Your work is terrible. You are fired from this pack hall!”

My heart drops into my stomach. “You cannot fire me! This was a complete accident caused by Damon!”

“You arrived late to your shift today!” Callum yells.

“Only by three minutes!”

“Yesterday was the same thing! Three minutes late!”

Why is he being so incredibly mean to me?

I squeeze my hands into fists. “You called me on my rest day at eleven-thirty and begged me to come help because the hall was short-staffed!”

“That is no excuse for a lazy wolf to be late!”

Callum has no shame at all. A good manager does not scream at his workers in front of a whole room of hungry guests. It makes everyone feel uncomfortable.

I want to see Theo rip this little monster to pieces, but I know a big fight will not help me get my job back.

“No more talking from you. Get out!” Callum yells, slicing his hand through the air.

Theo steps right between us, towering over Callum like a giant mountain. “You have no right to treat her like dirt in front of everyone, and you have no right to kick her out. You are nothing but a rogue scumbag.”

“I hold the power here, young warrior!” Callum barks back, puffing out his small chest.

Theo looks back at me, his eyes wide and dark. “Zara, wait—”

I lift my hand to stop him. “Just leave it alone, Theo.”

I turn around on my heavy heels and run out of the feast hall as fast as my legs can carry me, tears finally spilling down my cheeks. I try to hurry down the stone steps, but a loud shout from behind makes me freeze.

“Shadow Trackers! Nobody move a single muscle!”

Who called the pack guards?

I look back through the doorway and see Damon Thornclaw laughing. He is holding up his communication stone, waving it in the air with a giant, evil smile.

That absolute monster.

Trying to find a new job in the Moonhaven Metropolis when you cannot use your last boss as a reference is like trying to hunt in the middle of a winter blizzard. For five whole days, I walk until my feet are covered in blisters, but every single pack door slams shut right in my face.

I used to work in small territory kitchens a long time ago, but those do not count anymore. The Moonlight Feast Hall was the only big place on my record.

I hope you get chased by wild rogues, Callum Harrington Blackthorn.

To make this terrible day even worse, my female wolf cycle just started this morning. My stomach hurts so bad, and my whole body feels heavy and tired. At least now I have a real reason to stay inside my tiny room and hide under my thin blankets all day.

I do not want to move, but I know I have to get up and fix myself. I slide off my flat, lumpy floor mat and walk slowly toward the tiny washroom. As I step inside, I look down at the small woven basket on the floor.

I need to find a new bundle of cotton pads.

I drag my feet over to the old wooden cabinet next to my small food box. I open the squeaky doors, and then I freeze completely.

I do not own any iron tools. Why is there a metal screwdriver sitting inside my private cabinet?

My eyes slide over to my secret box of female cotton wraps, and my heart stops beating for a second. With shaking fingers, I grab the box and pull off the lid.

Pure terror rushes through my blood.

The box is empty. It drops out of my hand and hits the floor with a soft thud.

No, no, no.

My secret tip coins.

Someone stole all my hidden silver coins.

It has to be that creepy pack hunter who manages this basement building. He is the only one with a master key to my door. But how did a male wolf ever find my secret hiding spot? Most males are terrified of looking inside a female box. I thought it was the safest place in the world.

I do not have a job anymore.

I do not have anyone to help me.

I do not have a single silver coin left to my name.

All the hard work I did for those extra tips is gone. How am I going to give the pack leader my rent coins next week? How am I going to buy fresh meat at the market? I do not even have enough silver to buy more cotton pads for today.

I slam my fist hard against the old wooden cabinet. I hit it with so much strength that the small clay jar on top wobbles and crashes down to the floor, breaking into a million pieces. The landlord told me that a special jar would keep the damp basement air smelling clean.

Great. Now it is broken. I know that means Hunter is going to make me pay fifty coins to replace it.

I bend down on my knees to pick up the broken clay pieces, but then I stop. My eyes narrow when I see a strange, shiny silver wire sticking out from the middle of the broken clay.

This is not a regular clay jar. Why does it have a magical wire inside it?

I pick up the biggest piece of glass from the centre and turn it around in my hand. I look closely at the tiny, round dark circle hidden inside. Is that... a scrying stone lens?

I drop the piece like it just burned my skin. I scramble backwards across the floor, grab my communication stone from my bag, and quickly type a search into the public pack network.

When the answers pop up on the glowing stone, my breath catches in my throat.

Clay jars with hidden spy crystals. I stare at the words in total shock.

“That dirty beast has been watching me,” I whisper, my voice trembling.

A horrible, scary thought runs through my mind. This tiny basement room is so small that it has no hidden corners at all.

“He saw me... without my clothes on?”

I look around the room with wide, terrified eyes. I spot another small clay jar sitting high up on my food shelf. I run back into the washroom and find a third one sitting right on top of my broken mirror.

Oh, Moon Goddess. The perverted wolf has been spying on me this whole time.

My chest heaves up and down fast, and I can hear my heart pounding loudly inside my ears. Why do these awful things always happen to me?

I walk out of the washroom and stand right in the middle of my tiny home. It does not feel like a home anymore. It feels like a cage where someone is watching me like an animal.

What am I going to do now?

A huge wave of sadness hits me, and I just stop fighting. I cover my face with my hands and start to cry out loud, feeling completely lost in the dark.

Suddenly, a loud, heavy knock on my door makes me jump.