Semua Bab Howl between us: Bab 11 - Bab 18

Chapter 11 – Truths Buried in AshesThe apartment was cloaked in silence, the kind that blankets a room after something world-shaking crashes into it. Riley sat on the floor beside the couch, her fingers wrapped tightly around her sister’s hand. Her palm was damp from the fevered sweat clinging to Cassie’s skin, but she wouldn’t let go. Not again.Not after all these years thinking she was dead.Jaxon stood nearby, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall, eyes sharp despite the hour. His wolf was on edge—he could feel the tension rolling off Riley like a wave, and it clawed at his chest. She hadn’t said much since he brought Cassie in. Just kept whispering her name, over and over, like she needed to convince herself it was real.“She’s stable,” Vincent said softly from the corner where he’d been checking Cassie’s vitals. “Whatever they pumped into her, it’s suppressing her shift. But not completely. Her body’s stuck between forms.”“Can you fix it?” Riley asked without looking up.

Chapter 13 – Rumors in the UndergroundThere were places in the city even the boldest werewolves didn’t go without backup. The Underground was one of them.Technically, it was a collection of decommissioned subway tunnels beneath the East District—abandoned decades ago after a chemical spill scared off the humans. But in the shifter world, it had a different name: No-Man’s Packland.Riley had only been there once before. That night ended with a broken rib and a threat scrawled on the back of her jacket in blood.So, naturally, she was going back.“I still don’t like this,” Jaxon muttered as he locked the SUV and scanned the shadowed stairwell leading down into the darkness. “We’re walking into a den of outlaws and rogues. Half of them would sell their own mates for a bottle of wolfsbane.”Riley zipped up her jacket. “Good thing I don’t trust anyone.”“That’s not a good thing.”She smirked, stepping into the gloom. “Depends on who you ask.”The air grew colder as they descended, stale

Chapter 15 – A Name in the FireThe car ride back from Club Eclipse was silent.Not the comfortable kind.The what-the-hell-were-you-thinking kind.Jaxon’s fingers were locked around the steering wheel, knuckles white. His jaw was clenched so tightly Riley could see the tension crawling along his throat. The soft hum of the city lights passed by in blurs, but her eyes never left the windshield.She knew the silence was about to break.And when it did, it shattered.“You could’ve gotten yourself killed!” Jaxon snapped, slamming the door shut behind them once they arrived at the apartment. “Do you have any idea what that was?!”“I was improvising,” Riley replied, pulling off her heels and tossing them aside. “It worked. He took the bait.”“You improvised in front of a man who designed a serum to rip our kind from the moon! A man who tortured your sister! That’s not brave, Riley—it’s suicidal.”She spun toward him, fury lighting her eyes. “You think I don’t know that?! Every time I breat

Chapter 17 – BreachThe fire still smoldered when they drove away from the cold storage facility, city lights blinking in the distance like a civilization oblivious to the war waging in its shadows.Riley sat in the back seat, knees drawn to her chest, her reflection flickering in the car window.She couldn’t shake Lorne’s voice from her head."It’s not because of what you’ll reveal, Riley. It’s because of what you’ll awaken."“What the hell does that even mean?” she muttered under her breath.Vincent glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “You said something?”She didn’t answer. Instead, she turned her gaze to Jaxon, sitting in the passenger seat. His jaw was tight, his hands clenched. He hadn’t said a word since the explosion. His silence worried her more than his anger ever had.When they arrived back at the safehouse—a worn brownstone deep in the West District—Jaxon walked inside without waiting. Vincent lingered, watching Riley with uncharacteristic hesitation.“You okay?”