Chapter 15: In the Midst of Wolves and Weirdos

“You're bleeding again.”

Elena groaned and rolled her eyes without looking up from her laptop.

“Ethan, I swear, if you don’t stop mothering me, I’m going to stab you with my nail file.”

Ethan leaned against the side of the surveillance van, arms crossed, looking entirely too smug for someone who wasn’t even supposed to be there.

“I’m not mothering you,” he said. “I’m just pointing out that for someone who claims to be the best hunter in New Orleans, you manage to walk into a lot of sharp things.”

Elena gave him a look. “You’re a werewolf. Your definition of ‘sharp’ includes rose bushes.”

He shrugged. “Still counts.”

She grabbed a napkin from the dashboard, dabbed at the scratch on her forearm, and glared at him. “I got clipped chasing a rogue, alright? He was faster than expected, and I had to dive through a busted window. It’s called field work. Look it up sometime.”

“Oh yes, your glamorous job of sitting in a creaky van, eating stale granola bars, and listening to bad guys whisper on crackling radios. Riveting.”

She threw the napkin at him. “I don’t just sit in a van.”

“No? Because every time I show up, you’re here, parked in the same spot, hacking into things you shouldn't be touching and glaring at people who breathe too loud.”

“I glare at you because you exist. That’s different.”

He smirked. “Still can’t believe you’re Roxanne’s best friend. She’s so... intense. You’re like a raccoon with Wi-Fi.”

“Charming. And I still can’t believe you’re Aidan’s best friend. He’s brooding, noble, mysterious. You’re... a golden retriever with a god complex.”

“Don’t project your attraction to me.”

She snorted. “You wish. I’d rather date a cactus.”

“Cacti don’t have abs.”

“I don’t need abs,” she said, popping the lid off a can of soda. “I need a man who won’t shed on the furniture every time the moon gets emotional.”

Ethan laughed, then moved closer, surprisingly serious for once. “You know you’re putting yourself in danger being here, right? If someone from the Bloodfangs is watching the estate, they’ll see you coming and going.”

Elena’s smile faded a little. “Yeah. I know.”

“And you’re still doing it.”

“Because Rox is in the middle of something huge, and she needs someone who doesn’t turn furry at night watching her back.”

He tilted his head, watching her carefully. “You care about her a lot.”

“She’s my sister in everything but blood.”

He nodded slowly. “I get it.”

Then, almost too quietly, he added, “Just... be careful. I know you hate me, but I’d still rip someone apart if they hurt you.”

She stared at him.

And for once, didn’t have a comeback.

Instead, she tossed him a protein bar from the glove box and said, “If you’re gonna hover, at least earn your keep. Pass me that headset.”

Ethan took the seat beside her and sighed.

“God help me,” he muttered. “I’m aiding a hunter.”

Elena grinned. “Relax, furball. I won’t tell your Alpha.”

\---

Meanwhile, back at the estate…

I sat in the Luna’s study, staring blankly at the edge of the desk, the hunter report still echoing in my head.

“The Silverlake massacre was no accident.”

“Witness silenced.”

“Targeted attack.”

The more I learned, the less I understood.

My family was murdered.

I was meant to die.

But someone had spared me—and someone was still watching.

The worst part?

I was starting to think that the answer didn’t lie outside the pack.

It was bur

ied inside it.

I heard a knock on the door.

I didn’t answer.

Aidan walked in anyway.

“You’ve been quiet.”

I didn’t look at him. “I’ve been thinking.”

“You’re always thinking.”

I glanced at him then. He leaned against the doorframe like he didn’t have a care in the world—but I could see the tension in his jaw, the shadow in his eyes.

He was worried.

And maybe… so was I.

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “Whatever it is, you don’t have to carry it alone.”

“I do,” I said quietly. “This started with me. It ends with me.”

“Does it?” he asked, walking over slowly. “Because it doesn’t feel like it’s just yours anymore. It feels like ours.”

I looked away. “That wasn’t the plan.”

He knelt in front of me, forcing my eyes to his. “Neither was falling for a girl who once tried to gut me in an alley. But here we are.”

My throat tightened.

“Aidan…”

“I know you’re holding back,” he said. “I see it in every look you give me. You’re waiting for me to screw up. Waiting for me to become the monster you think I am.”

I said nothing.

“But I’m not your enemy, Roxanne,” he said. “And I think you know that now.”

He stood slowly, offering me his hand.

“Come with me.”

“Where?”

“Somewhere no one will follow.”

\---

Ten minutes later, we were deep in the woods behind the estate.

The forest was quiet. Peaceful, almost. The moonlight painted silver trails across the mossy ground as we walked, our footsteps soft against the earth.

Aidan led me to a small clearing with a fallen tree at the center.

He sat down and looked up at me.

“I come here when I need to think,” he said. “No guards. No politics. No expectations.”

I sat beside him.

The silence settled comfortably around us.

Then he reached into his coat and pulled something from his pocket.

A small, polished stone.

He handed it to me.

“What is it?” I asked.

“My mother gave it to me when I was a kid,” he said. “She said it was protection. That as long as I carried it, no enemy could touch me.”

I rolled it in my palm. It was smooth, warm from his touch.

“She sounds like she was smart.”

“She was,” Aidan said. “And kind. And strong. She was Luna in every way that mattered.”

I looked down at the stone.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

He met my eyes. “Because you’re in danger. And I know you’ll pretend you’re not. But I see the way your hand twitches when you’re thinking too hard. I see the way you flinch when you’re alone.”

I swallowed.

“Aidan—”

He cut me off. “You don’t have to say anything. Just take it. Please.”

I slipped the stone into my pocket.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He nodded once, then leaned back and looked at the stars.

For a moment, I did the same.

And for a heartbeat—just one—I let myself feel safe.

\---

We walked back together in silence.

But as we approached the estate, a guard met us at the gate.

“Alpha. Luna.”

He bowed slightly.

Aidan nodded. “Report.”

The guard hesitated. “It’s about the girl. The human friend.”

My chest went tight. “Elena?”

“She’s fine,” the guard added quickly. “But… we caught someone snooping around her van. They ran before we could catch them. Left this behind.”

He handed Aidan a folded piece of paper.

Aidan opened it.

His jaw tensed.

He handed it to me.

My hands shook slightly as I read the words.

“The hunter has forgotten her place. Time to remind her.”

Beneath it, a small handprint.

In blood.