bChapter /bb189 /b

    1

    b20 /b

    ra’s POV

    I couldn’t make sense of what Thorne was holding in his hand. It looked like… dirt?

    “What is that?” I asked, eyeing the cup with suspicion.

    Dorian crossed his arms and let out a halfugh. “Dirt? Really? You’re expecting that to track down the bandits?” His tone was light, but the mocking glint in his eyes made it clear he wasn’t impressed. “Nice try, Thorne. I’ve got to say, this is a pretty bad attempt at getting ra’s attention.”

    “Hey!” I shot him an elbow. “No trash talk, remember?”

    He raised both hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, sorry. Didn’t mean it.”

    I shot him a warning nced. “That’s strike one.”

    Turning back to Thorne, I asked, “So, what’s wrong with this dirt?”

    Thorne didn’t seem bothered by Dorian’s sarcasm. In fact, he barely seemed to notice it at all. He raised the dirt a little higher so we could all see it more clearly, his eyes focused. “This dirt is from somewhere else. Look around. The forest has moist ck soil, fine, textured loam. But this-” he rubbed the dirt between his fingers, “-this is sandier, rougher, and, if you look closely, there’s a scarlet hue to it.”

    I leaned in, feeling the grains slip through my fingers. He was right. This didn’t belong here.

    “So, you’re telling me…” I trailed off, piecing it together. “This dirt was carried by the criminals. Under their shoes. We just need to find out if any nearby areas have this kind of soil.”

    The realization hit all of us at once, and a round of astonished gasps followed. Every soldier standing around us had their eyes locked on Thorne, a

    mixture of awe and disbelief on their faces.

    “Captain,” I said, taking the lead. “Do we know of any areas around here with this scarlet soil?”

    The captain scratched his head, clearly thinking hard. “I’m not sure…”

    But one of the soldiers interrupted, excitement creeping into his voice. “I know! There’s ba /bpatch of red soil on Lord Roy’snd. It’s just ba /bcouple of miles

    south of here.”

    My heart skipped a beat. Lord Roy?

    I knew that name. He’d been invited to the party tonight as one of the most respected elders. Cael spoke of him with admiration, and even more, Roy had helped stabilize the Blood Moon Pack when Cael first became Alpha.

    But there was more–rumors had floated around that Lord Roy wanted to marry his daughter off to Cael. That had never gone through, but why?

    Could Roy be connected to this?

    b“/bLead the way,” I told the soldier, trying to keep my voice steady despite the rising tension.

    “Of course, ma’am. Follow me!”

    We piled into our cars and sped toward Lord Roy’s estate, the urgency in our movements making the air around us tense.

    The mansion stood alone, a lone figure amidst a vast open field. As we drove deeper binto /bthe property, the bdirt /bbeneath us gradually bchanged/bb, /bbjust /bblike /bThorne had said–scarletb, /bsandy, rough.

    Minutes bter/b, we pulled up to the massive iron gates guarding the mansion. The wind bwhispered /bbthrough /bbthe /bbnight/b, bmaking /bbthe /bcreaking bgates /bbsound /bblike /bba /bbwarning/b.

    b1/3 /b

    b20 /b

    b10:20 /bbMon/bb, /bb18 /bbAug /b

    bI /bgot out of the car and walked toward the gate to ring the doorbell. Dorian was right behind me, his presence solid and calmb, /bas always.

    While we waited, I felt him lean close, his breath hot against my ear. “Can’t we just break in?”

    I shook my head, my voice low. “No. Lord Roy is a friend of Cael’s. I don’t want to make a scene unless we have solid proof.”

    Before we could say anything more, footsteps echoed from inside. A middle–aged man appeared, looking warily through the crack in the gate.

    “Who are you?” he demanded, his voice sharp.

    “I’m ra Manning, Alpha Cael’s sister,” I said, my voice firm. “We need to talk about a crime that took ce nearby. Please, open the door.”

    The butler’s expression faltered. “W–What crime? I don’t know anything about this. You can’t juste barging in like this.”

    “We’re only here to investigate,” I pressed, trying to remain calm. “It’ll be quick.”

    His face twisted in a mix of fear and disbelief. “I told you, we don’t know anything about any crime! Please, just leave.”

    I clenched my fists, my patience thinning. I could feel Dorian’s restlessness behind me. The urge ito /iforce my way in was tempting, but I didn’t want to escte things without knowing if Lord Roy was involved.

    “Have you seen anyone suspicious around here? Anyone sneaking around the property?” I asked, keeping my voice even.

    “No,” he replied too quickly, his eyes flickering nervously. “Everything’s normal here.”

    I was about to respond when Dorian spoke up, his voiceced with certainty. “He’s lying.”

    The butler’s face paled. “What?”

    Dorian sniffed the air, his gaze sharp. “I can smell them. The same scent. The criminals. They were here, not long ago.”

    I froze. I didn’t smell anything, but then again, Dorian’s senses were far sharper than mine.

    “Lies!” the butler shouted, his voice trembling with panic. “I told you, no one’s been here! Go!”

    I stepped back, ncing at Dorian, who now wore a look of determination. He looked at the gate, then shrugged. “One way to find out.”

    Before I could protest, he shoved the gate with a single, brutal push. The lock snapped with a deafening crack, and the gate copsed with a force that

    made me flinch.

    The butler staggered backward, eyes wide in horror. “No! You can’t-”

    But Dorian was already moving, dashing through the gate. I had no choice but to follow, Thorne right on my heels.

    We ran across the pitch–ck front yard, the only lighting from the silver moon above. The mansion loomed over us, silent, ominous.

    “Over here!” Dorian shouted, gesturing toward the darkened house.

    I kicked off my heels, my feet hitting the cold ground, and I sprinted after him. Then, I heard the unmistakable roar of an engine.

    A minivan came barreling toward me, its headlights cutting through the night.

    “Look out!b” /bThorne’s voice was frantic.

    Before I could react, Thorne lunged forward, knocking me to the ground just bas /bbthe /bminivan swerved past us, barely missing bus/b. bThe /bbvehicle /bbtore /bbacross /bbthe /byard and sped toward the mansion entrance.

    “Stop it!” I shouted, frustration boiling over.

    b2/3 /b

    b10:20 /bbMon/b, b18 /bbAug /bO

    I wanted to shift, to chase them down as a wolf. But before I could, a massive shadow fell over me.

    I whipped around, eyes wide.

    It was Dorian–his Lycan form.

    I froze, unable to tear my gaze away. The power emanating from him was palpable, a force I hadn’t fully understood until now.

    And the night had just begun.

    AD

    Comment