Chapter 33

Anthony reverted to his human state, retrieved shorts from a bag stashed in a tree near his home, put them on, and entered the house, only to find the front door ajar. He detected the scents of his mate and the surroundings but didn't head to the back door leading to the pool where the three bodies were. Anthony walked to the open basement door, and as he turned to go down, he grabbed someone's wrist and pulled them forward, revealing Sarah.

“Sarah, it’s only me. Did you talk to Kathy yet?” asked Anthony.

“Actually, I was just about to do that when I heard footsteps; she’s probably waiting for you.”

Sarah and Anthony went down the stairs, approached the door, and began knocking, uncertain if Kathy could hear them, until the sound of a lock turning was heard and the door opened, revealing Kathy in her bed robe, looking at them. Anthony tried to hug her, but she pushed him away due to his odor, while Sarah was covered in blood.

"Is everything all right?"

“Yes, before I came down here, I saw some food was out. You were in the middle of cooking?” asked Anthony.

"Indeed, I was, until Sarah instructed me to go to the saferoom for my safety. Anthony, you smell bad, too.”

Anthony smiled gently at Kathy, reaching to take her hand, guiding her away from the tense air that still lingered in the hallway. He led her upstairs, careful to keep her gaze from drifting toward the windows overlooking the backyard, where grim secrets were quietly waiting under the fading afternoon sun. There was no reason for her to see what lay beyond the pool—at least, not now, not after everything that had happened.

Unbeknownst to Anthony and Sarah, Kathy had already seen the aftermath; she was just better at keeping her fears hidden. She squeezed Anthony's hand briefly before slipping away, her mind working ahead to the kitchen. She knew, after all, that battles left everyone hungry, and the smell of food—however faint beneath the metallic tang of blood and the traces of shifting fur—offered a kind of peace she desperately wanted to restore.

Without a word, Kathy returned to the kitchen, rolling up her sleeves and putting on an apron with practiced calm. She began reheating the dishes that had cooled on the counter, her movements brisk and determined. There might not be enough for everyone now, so she rummaged in the pantry for more ingredients, deciding to make extra just in case Sarah wanted to bring Miles along. The warmth of the kitchen and the clatter of pots and pans became a shield between her and the chaos outside, a way to reclaim normalcy after the storm.

“Anthony you need a shower so do you Sarah go home and come back to have dinner with us,”

“Yes, Luna,”

After Sarah left, Anthony went upstairs, and Kathy saw two men removing bodies as she realized she killed them. Kathy went upstairs to put on clothes. Entering the room, she heard the shower and smiled, hoping for a special night, but the earlier fight ruined it.

Kathy slipped into a simple dress, the soft fabric a gentle contrast to the adrenaline that still tingled beneath her skin. She was fastening the last button when Anthony emerged from the bathroom, a towel slung low around his waist, droplets of water glimmering on his skin. He ruffled his hair dry, pausing mid-motion as his gaze landed on Kathy, standing quietly with a flush rising in her cheeks.

For a moment, the air between them thickened—not with fear, but with something warmer, sweeter, and achingly fragile after the ordeal of the afternoon. Anthony stepped closer, his eyes never leaving hers, and Kathy found herself unable to look away or even move.

He leaned in, his breath warm against her ear, and whispered with a soft, teasing intimacy that sent a shiver down her spine.

“You like what you see?” asked Anthony, his voice low and playful, a crooked smile tugging at his lips as he closed the small distance between them. Kathy’s breath caught, her heart skipping in her chest, but she managed to hold his gaze, a spark of mischief glimmering in her eyes.

“Um… yes, but you must hurry because Miles and Sarah will come over for dinner,” Kathy replied, her voice as soft as the dusk filtering through the window. She tried to stifle a nervous laugh, her hands lingering on the last button of her dress.

Anthony grinned, the warmth in his eyes deepening as he straightened. “I’ll make it quick, then. Wouldn’t want to leave you alone with all the preparations.” He planted a light kiss on her forehead before turning to rummage through the dresser for a fresh shirt, his movements unhurried—teasing her with his deliberate calm.

Kathy watched him, the knot of tension in her chest slowly loosening, replaced by something like hope. The scars of the afternoon—real and metaphorical—still lingered, but for a fleeting second, she felt the possibility of normalcy return. The sound of Anthony humming under his breath, the familiar rustle of fabric, the anticipation of friends arriving for dinner: all of it stitched her world back together, thread by fragile thread.

She turned to the mirror, smoothing her hair and resolving to set the table with her best dishes, as if beauty and order might ward off the darkness still lurking at the edges of their lives. Downstairs, the house was quiet, scented faintly with the promise of roast chicken and fresh bread. For tonight, she thought, let there be laughter—no secrets, no shadows. Just family, and the warmth they could create together, against all odds.

Alpha, Luna, and Noah emerged to find everyone cleaning the mess, but they weren't helping. Thanks to Anthony, there were no fatalities despite the pack's vulnerability to the rogue. They pretended everything was okay. Some pack members believed Alpha Samuel should be stripped of his title. Noah heard some groans and moaning in the wood and cautiously followed the sounds to where he witnessed Betty and a rogue engaged in a passionate encounter. Seeing what was happening made Noah shift into his wolf, the scent of rage filling the air as he stalked toward them, until Betty's scream pierced the silence. Their heads were brutally torn off by him, and the rest of their bodies were soaked in blood.

Noah, covered in blood, turned toward the packhouse, uncaring if anyone saw his naked form as he hurried to cleanse himself. Noah suspected that Betty was cheating on him, but he could never gather evidence as she would always take a shower beforehand. He's still trying to win Kathy over and break her and Anthony up, but he needs to be careful because it could go wrong. He entered his room and then went to take a quick shower in the bathroom, after which he put on clean clothes and decided to talk to his parents.