Chapter 16: A Line in Blood

The paper in my hand felt heavier than steel.

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

A bloodstained handprint stamped at the bottom like some twisted seal of approval.

Elena.

They were going after her now.

I didn’t realize I was shaking until Aidan took the paper from me, his jaw locked and unreadable.

“How long ago did this happen?” I asked the guard.

“Just before dawn. She’s safe—Ethan got to her before anything happened. But whoever it was, they knew where to find her. And they left that deliberately.”

Aidan’s hand clenched around the paper. “They’re escalating.”

“They’re getting personal,” I muttered, already moving.

I didn’t wait for permission.

I grabbed my coat, my blades, and stormed out of the estate.

Elena was mine—my only tether to who I used to be, to everything before wolves and blood and fate. And I’d be damned if anyone laid a finger on her.

\---

I found them just outside the Quarter—parked in the same spot where she usually ran stakeouts, tucked between old warehouses and an abandoned jazz club.

When I flung open the van door, I half expected to find her yelling at Ethan.

Instead, I found them sitting shoulder to shoulder, sharing a bag of gummy bears, looking... cozy.

She looked up, startled. “Rox?”

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. “Are you okay?”

She blinked, then gave me a small smirk. “Well, I didn’t die. But thanks for asking.”

I knelt in front of her, hands on her shoulders. “I’m serious. Someone marked you, Elena. They want to scare me. Or use you. Either way, I need to know—are you sure you’re okay?”

Her expression softened. “Yeah. I’m okay.”

Ethan, sitting beside her, gave a small nod. “They didn’t get close enough. I chased them off before they could even see her face.”

I glanced between them. “I owe you.”

Ethan shrugged. “You’d do the same.”

Elena snorted. “You have done the same. Multiple times.”

I looked at her. “You’re staying at the estate tonight. No arguing.”

“I wasn’t going to argue,” she said. “I already packed a bag. The guy who chased off the attacker is also a werewolf Uber now, apparently.”

Ethan gave her a flat look. “You said you’d delete the nickname.”

“I said I’d think about it.”

Despite everything, I smiled.

God, I needed this.

Just for a second.

I helped her to her feet and pulled her into a hug.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” I whispered.

Then, louder, “Let’s go.”

\---

Back at the estate, Elena was given a guest room in the west wing—secure, private, and close enough that I could keep an eye on her.

Aidan joined me in the hallway after we got her settled.

“They won’t touch her again,” he said. “I’ve doubled patrols. Nobody comes or goes without my clearance.”

I nodded, but I didn’t feel better.

Not really.

“They’re watching everything,” I said. “My people. My movements. Even my decisions.”

“You don’t have weaknesses,” he said quietly.

I looked up at him. “You are one.”

He didn’t flinch.

“I know,” he said. “And I don’t care.”

My breath caught.

I stepped back. “Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

“Too late.”

\---

Later that night, I returned to the Luna’s study—my study now.

I couldn’t sleep.

Couldn’t think.

So I pulled out the old journal again. The one with the Bloodfang mark and the list of names.

I reread the note next to mine.

"Kill last."

It still made no sense.

Why spare me?

Why now?

My fingers brushed over Jackson’s name.

I still hadn’t confronted him.

Not yet.

But I would.

Soon.

For now, I focused on what I could control.

The hierarchy.

The inner circle.

The ones in Aidan’s pack who might’ve had ties to strange disappearances, unexplained deaths, things swept under the rug.

As I cross-referenced old rosters and leadership charts, I found something I hadn’t seen before.

A name.

Buried in the records of Silverlake from fifteen years ago.

Ryder Caldwell.

He had been there.

Not visiting.

Not passing through.

Assigned.

By the Alpha at the time—Gregory Thorne.

Aidan’s father.

My blood turned to ice.

I grabbed the paper and stormed into the hall.

\---

Aidan was still awake, shirtless, standing near the hearth in his room when I barged in.

He turned, startled. “Roxanne?”

“Ryder,” I said. “He was in Silverlake. Fifteen years ago. Under your father’s orders.”

His expression darkened instantly. “Are you sure?”

I held out the paper. “See for yourself.”

He took it, scanned it, cursed under his breath.

“I don’t know what this means yet,” I said. “But I know this—I need answers. Real ones.”

He stepped toward me, jaw tense. “We’ll get them.”

“No,” I said. “I will. Starting with your father.”

Aidan went still.

“You don’t know what you’re asking,” he said.

“I know exactly what I’m asking.”

“You don’t confront an Alpha like that, Roxanne. Especially Gregory.”

“I’m not just anyone anymore. I’m Luna.”

He stared at me.

And in his silence, I knew.

He didn’t want to stop me.

He wanted to follow me.

Even if it meant tearing everything down to find the truth.