Chapter 46 – The Weak Link
Sam's POV
The note burned in my pocket all morning.
I couldn’t stop touching it, couldn’t stop replaying those three words: I know you.
Maybe it was Declan. Maybe it wasn’t. That was the problem—there were too many sets of eyes in Dorm 9, too many boys who thrived on tearing apart weaknesses.
If I wanted to survive, I needed more than Elias’s half-baked protectiveness. I needed eyes inside their circle. Someone who’d slip, someone who’d talk.
And as it turned out, not every wolf in this place had sharp teeth.
Mason.
He was loud, obnoxious, and stupidly eager to please Declan. But he was also insecure. I’d seen it a hundred times—how his laugh was just a little too forced, how he bragged too much, how his face went red whenever Declan dismissed him.
A perfect weak link.
So, I started small.
It was after dinner when I found him in the lounge, fiddling with his phone, pretending he wasn’t waiting for someone to notice him.
I dropped onto the couch beside him. “You always sit here alone?”
He looked up, startled. “What do you care, Hale?”
“Just asking.” I leaned back, casual. “You’re usually glued to Declan. Surprised to see you without him.”
Mason smirked, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Declan doesn’t need me every second.”
“Maybe not,” I said, lowering my voice, “but I bet he notices when you’re not around.”
That got him. His smirk faltered. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Relax. I’m saying it’s obvious you’ve got his back. More than the others do.”
His chest puffed slightly. “Damn right. I’ve been tight with him since day one.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Then why do the others laugh behind your back?”
Mason stiffened. “They don’t.”
“Sure they do,” I said lightly. “I’ve heard it. You talk tough, but they don’t take you seriously.”
He flushed, jaw tight. “That’s not true.”
I shrugged. “I mean, I don’t care. Personally, I think loyalty’s rare around here. If I were Declan, I’d value that more than the guys who just laugh at his jokes.”
For a moment, Mason looked torn between storming off and sitting taller.
He chose the latter.
“You get it,” he said, almost grudgingly.
“Yeah,” I said. “I do.”
We sat in silence for a moment. Then Mason leaned closer, his voice dropping. “Truth is, they’re jealous. They think I don’t see it, but I do. Declan trusts me.”
“Does he?” I asked carefully.
“More than anyone else,” Mason said quickly, too quickly. “I’m the one he talks to. About plans. About people. About…” He stopped himself, biting his lip.
I tilted my head, feigning disinterest. “About what?”
“Nothing.” He smirked again, but it was shaky this time. “Just stuff you wouldn’t get.”
I grinned like I wasn’t pressing. “Fair enough. Still… must be hard, carrying all that for him.”
His shoulders straightened. “Yeah. It is. No one else could handle it.”
That was the opening. And I wasn’t going to waste it.
Over the next week, I fed the bond carefully, like coaxing a stray dog closer with scraps.
I asked small questions, dropped small comments. I made Mason feel smarter, stronger, more important than he was. And slowly, he cracked.
One night, we were on the roof—an unofficial hangout spot where the boys smoked and swapped stories. The others had left, drunk and stumbling, leaving Mason and me under the night sky.
“You know,” Mason said, flicking ash from his cigarette, “I think Declan’s planning something.”
I turned my head. “What kind of something?”
“Big,” Mason whispered. “The kind of thing that makes Dorm 9 untouchable.”
I forced a laugh. “Dorm 9 already thinks they’re untouchable.”
“This is different,” Mason insisted. His eyes glittered in the dim light. “Declan’s got dirt. Real dirt. Stuff that could ruin people if it got out.”
My chest tightened. “What people?”
Mason grinned smugly. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Obviously,” I said. “But I’m guessing you’re not supposed to talk about it.”
His grin faltered. “Yeah, well… Declan trusts me. He told me things he hasn’t told anyone else.”
I leaned in. “Then why are you telling me?”
That got him. He looked at me, cigarette trembling slightly between his fingers. “Because you’re not like the others. You… listen.”
I stayed quiet, letting him fill the silence.
Finally, he leaned closer. “Declan’s got a list. Names. Things they’ve done. He keeps it hidden, but I’ve seen it.”
My heart skipped. “A list?”
“Yeah,” Mason said proudly. “And when the time’s right, he’s gonna use it. Everyone who’s crossed him? Done.”
I tried to steady my breathing. A list. If my sister’s name was on it—
“Where does he keep it?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
Mason hesitated. “Can’t say. That’s… that’s too far.”
I forced a chuckle. “Relax, I’m not asking for the launch codes. Just curious.”
Mason smirked, but his eyes darted away. “Let’s just say it’s not in plain sight. And you won’t find it unless you know where to look.”
My mind spun. I wanted to press harder, but pushing too much now would risk everything.
So I leaned back, gave him a half-smile. “You really are his guy, huh?”
“Damn right.” Mason’s grin returned, bigger this time. “When Declan makes his move, I’ll be right there.”
And just like that, I knew I’d hooked him.
The next day, Elias caught me in the stairwell.
“What’s going on with you and Mason?” he demanded.
I blinked. “Nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me,” Elias said. “You’ve been glued to him all week. Why?”
I crossed my arms. “Because he talks. And when he talks, he spills.”
Elias frowned. “You’re using him.”
“Exactly,” I said.
His jaw tightened. “That’s dangerous, Sam. Declan may be the leader, but Mason’s his shadow. If Declan catches you—”
“He won’t,” I cut in.
“You can’t be sure of that.”
I stepped closer, lowering my voice. “I don’t have the luxury of being careful, Elias. I need answers. And Mason’s the one weak enough to give them.”
Elias studied me, frustration warring with something else in his eyes. “And what happens when Mason realizes you’re playing him?”
I swallowed. “Then I make sure he never gets the chance to tell anyone.”
Elias shook his head. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”
“Or,” I said, “I’m going to get the truth.”
That night, Mason slipped again.
We were in the hallway, everyone else asleep, when he leaned against the wall and whispered, “You didn’t hear this from me, but Declan’s got eyes everywhere. He knows things about people’s families, their pasts. Stuff no one should know.”
I froze.
Family.
He had to mean my sister.
“What kind of stuff?” I asked, voice tight.
Mason smirked. “Let’s just say, if you’ve got skeletons, Declan’s already dug up the bones.”
My pulse hammered. “And if someone wanted to see this list?”
Mason’s smirk widened. “They’d have to be willing to risk everything. Because Declan doesn’t forgive snoopers.”
I forced a laugh. “Lucky for me, I’m not stupid.”
Mason chuckled, clapping me on the shoulder. “Good man.”
But my mind was racing. A list. A secret stash. Somewhere in this dorm was the key to everything—maybe even proof of what happened to my sister.
And Mason had just given me enough breadcrumbs to start the hunt.
I was about to respond when a voice sliced through the silence.
“Well, well,” Declan drawled from the shadows.
We both froze.
He stepped forward, slow, deliberate, eyes gleaming. “What are you two whispering about?”
Mason stammered, “N-nothing. Just—just talking.”
Declan’s gaze slid to me, sharp and unyielding.
“Funny,” he said softly. “Because it looks like Hale’s trying to steal my dog.”
The hall went dead silent.
And for the first time, Mason didn’t look so sure whose side he was really on.