79

79

Andrea dragged herself out of the cab, barely mustering the strength to carry her backpack. The day had left her completely drained—physically, mentally, emotionally. School had been chaotic. Between juggling classes and running back and forth from the library, she hadn’t had a second to breathe.

Her class was set to compete in a library quiz competition the following week, and being one of the top students, Andrea had taken the preparation seriously. She’d practically lived in the library all day, eyes glued to dusty pages and ears ringing with shushed whispers and the turning of old books.

That’s why she hadn’t gone home with the boys. Jaxon had even called her during lunch, his voice casual yet full of that lazy charm that always managed to tickle her stomach. They’d talked about dinner plans—coconut rice and turkey, one of her absolute favorites. It was the first thing that pulled a tired smile from her lips today.

She’d hurried home after their call, eager to unwind, eat, and maybe sit beside Jaxon on the couch again like last week—close, too close, the kind of closeness that made her heart betray her mission.

The cab pulled off, and Andrea stepped inside the house with a slow breath, hoping the smell of food would greet her.

But nothing.

The house was silent. Too silent.

She shut the door gently behind her. “Hello?” she called out as she slipped off her shoes. “Anyone home?”

Her voice echoed.

Something tightened in her chest.

“Jack?” she tried, setting her bag down beside the shoe rack. “Jaxon? Rick?”

No reply.

She moved through the living room, expecting to find one of them passed out on the couch or maybe in the kitchen getting started on dinner. But the kitchen was cold, untouched. Not even the faintest aroma of rice or fried onions.

Confused, Andrea climbed the stairs, her footsteps slow and uncertain. Maybe they were all upstairs?

She knocked lightly on Rick’s door. No answer. She pushed it open. His room was empty.

Jaxon’s room? Also empty. His sneakers, always tossed carelessly near the door, weren’t there.

Her breath caught.

Jack?

Nothing.

A wave of anxiety crashed into her chest. A dull throb pounded behind her eyes. The stillness of the house felt… wrong. Not like when they were away on errands or out at school. No backpacks, no jackets hanging. Even their school shoes weren’t outside the main door like usual.

She pressed her palm to her chest, her breathing uneven. “Did they… go out? Without telling me?”

Her mind raced, and her fingers trembled slightly as she reached for her phone to call one of them—but just as her fingers brushed the screen, her phone buzzed.

Unknown number.

Her brows furrowed. She hesitated, then pressed “Answer.”

“Hello?”

The voice on the other end was nothing like she expected. Deep. Gruff. Shadowed with menace.

“Hello, Miss,” the man said slowly, deliberately. “So you still haven’t figured it out, have you? The true Alpha we’ve been looking for?”

Andrea froze.

Every nerve in her body fired at once.

“What… what are you talking about?”

“Even after everything—your parents, your so-called friends—you still haven’t figured it out?” the voice continued, ignoring her question. “Don’t worry. I believe I have. And in a few minutes… the Alpha will be dead.”

“What? Wait! Who are you—what are you trying to do?!” she yelled into the phone.

But the line went dead.

“Hello? HELLO?” she shouted, her voice cracking.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Andrea’s hand trembled as she dropped the phone. Her entire body went cold. No. No, this can’t be happening.

Without a second thought, she grabbed her bag, turned on her heel, and raced back outside. Her breathing was sharp, her heart galloping. She flagged down the nearest taxi like her life depended on it—because it did.

“Drive. Please, just drive!” she cried, slamming the door shut.

“To where?” the driver asked, startled.

“School. Back to my school.”

The driver nodded, sensing the urgency in her voice, and peeled off into the road.

Andrea’s thoughts spiraled. Who was that man? What did he mean by “the Alpha will be dead”? And more importantly—how did he know? Was it Jack? Rick? Could it be Jaxon?

Her instincts said no.

But she couldn’t trust her instincts anymore. They’d failed her too many times lately—especially around Jaxon.

She squeezed her eyes shut as the car sped down the street, trying to focus. She was a wolf. She could use her scent to track them. That’s how she’d find them. That’s how she’d save them.

The taxi screeched to a halt in front of the school gate. Andrea flung money at the driver and bolted from the car, ignoring the man’s shout behind her. Her legs burned as she sprinted across the courtyard. The front doors were unlocked—maybe a cleaner or a night class had left them open.

She burst inside, the fluorescent hallway lights flickering above her. Everything looked too normal. Too clean. Too empty.

Her chest tightened again.

She sniffed the air—concentrated.

There. A faint trace of them—Jaxon’s cedarwood musk, Rick’s warm cinnamon, Jack’s minty pine.

She followed the scent like a lifeline, dashing through the halls. Her shoes squeaked as she ran.

Andrea muttered under her breath. “God… I haven’t prayed in so long. Not like this. Not from the bottom of my heart. But if you’re listening—please. Please let them be safe. I can’t lose them. Not now.”

The scent got stronger.

She turned a corner, then another. Then—bam—the sharp metallic smell of blood hit her nose.

Her body jolted. No. No, no, no.

She followed it, faster now, each step threatening to send her collapsing to the floor.

The trail led her to the basketball court behind the gym.

Her heart dropped into her stomach.

It was dark. Too dark. Only the faint moonlight illuminated the court, but what it revealed turned her blood to ice.

A man in a black hoodie stood at the far end, his back turned to her. The glint of silver flashed in his hand. And in the next second, Andrea saw him raise the blade—and twist it into someone lying beneath him.

“No!” Andrea screamed, her voice raw and sharp.

She rushed forward, her feet pounding against the concrete.

Her eyes darted to the victim—

And froze.

The body on the ground, the one writhing in pain—

It was no other person, but!!!!…….