Chapter 13 Spy
Sylvie POV
Not long after breakfast, Zarek got a call and left with that same unreadable expression he always wore whenever something serious came up.
The moment he disappeared down the hallway, the entire atmosphere relaxed slightly.
Kieran noticed it too.
“So,” he stretched lazily as we stepped outside the Alpha house together, “where do you want to start?”
I folded my arms loosely while we walked across the compound. Wolves moved around us constantly, some training, some carrying supplies, others speaking quietly among themselves.
Even during daylight, this place never truly rested.
“I still don’t understand how all of this works,” I admitted.
“That makes two of us,” Kieran replied instantly.
I blinked at him. “You literally live here.”
“And yet,” he nodded seriously, “still confused daily.”
We walked in silence for a moment before I finally asked the question that had been sitting in my head since breakfast.
“So…” I began carefully. “Lena.”
Kieran immediately looked amused.
“What about her?”
I tried to sound casual. “What’s going on between her and Zarek?”
His grin widened instantly. “Ah.”
“There’s no ‘ah.’ I’m just asking.”
“Sure you are.”
I frowned at him. “You’re annoying.”
“That’s what Zarek says too.” He looked entirely too pleased about it.
I shook my head slightly. “Forget it.”
Kieran glanced sideways at me before laughing softly. “Relax. There’s nothing between them.”
I looked away quickly. “I didn’t say there was.”
“Mhm.”
I narrowed my eyes at him but he continued anyway.
“To Zarek,” Kieran said more seriously now, “Lena is family.”
That surprised me slightly. “She doesn’t act like family.”
“She does,” he corrected. “Just not the normal kind.”
We kept walking.
“There’s history there,” he continued after a moment. “A lot of it. Stuff that happened years ago.” His expression shifted slightly. “But honestly? That’s Zarek’s story to tell, not mine.”
Something about the way he said it made me stop asking.
Then Kieran clapped his hands once suddenly. “Now,” he announced dramatically, “back to the important issue.”
“The job?”
“The job.”
I sighed softly. “You’re acting like this is some life-changing mission.”
“It is,” he said seriously. “Because if you stay idle too long, you’ll start overthinking.”
“I already overthink.”
“Exactly. We can’t make it worse.”
I rolled my eyes.
Kieran hummed thoughtfully as we crossed another section of the compound. “You’re not trained for combat.”
“That sounded rude.”
“It was practical.” He pointed ahead. “You also can’t work security because half the guards would panic if something happened to you.”
“That’s dramatic.”
“You clearly haven’t met our guards.”
I shook my head, trying not to smile.
Then he suddenly snapped his fingers. “Actually…”
I frowned slightly. “That look worries me.”
“You like observing things.”
“That is not a job.”
“No,” he nodded slowly, “but it helps.”
He gestured toward one of the larger buildings near the far side of the compound.
“The race division keeps records there. Schedules, registrations, track reports, sponsor meetings, betting logs.” He tilted his head. “It’s mostly organized chaos.”
I stared at him for a second. “You want me handling race paperwork?”
“Not paperwork exactly.” He shrugged. “More like assisting the coordinators.”
My brows lifted immediately. “Lena would hate that.”
Kieran looked delighted. “That’s actually becoming a stronger reason to do it.”
I laughed despite myself.
But honestly… It wasn’t the worst idea.
It would keep me busy. And maybe—
Maybe it would finally help me understand why everyone around here acted like these races mattered far more than they were willing to admit.
…
Zarek POV
Brennan rarely looked unsettled.
That was how I knew the situation was worse than he was saying.
The moment I stepped into the strategy room, I noticed it immediately. He stood near the large glass wall overlooking the lower training grounds, arms folded tightly across his chest, expression darker than usual.
The room smelled faintly of rain, whiskey, and tension.
I shut the door behind me. “What happened?”
Brennan didn’t answer immediately.
He turned slowly toward me, his grey shirt rolled to his elbows, dark eyes unreadable. “We have a problem.”
I expected that. “Talk.”
He walked toward the table and dropped a file in front of me. A picture of a wrecked car and one of our racers barely recognizable beneath the damage.
Something inside me snapped cold. “Who did this?” My voice lowered dangerously.
Brennan leaned against the edge of the table. “We found him near the east route an hour ago.” His expression hardened slightly. “Still breathing. Barely.”
I stared at the pictures again. The injuries were brutal, this was intentional.
“They wanted him alive long enough for us to see it,” I muttered.
Brennan gave a small nod. “Exactly.”
My fingers curled slowly against the edge of the table.
“We checked the perimeter twice last night,” he continued. “No broken patrol routes. No signs of forced entry.”
I looked up sharply. “Which means?”
His gaze met mine directly.
“The lone wolf didn’t sneak in.” His voice stayed calm. “Someone let him in.”
My wolf stirred violently beneath my skin. Kairo hated betrayal more than violence.
I pushed the feeling down slowly before speaking again. “Do we know who the wolf belongs to?”
Brennan’s jaw shifted slightly. “No pack mark.” He paused. “But the scent trail connects back toward Dorian’s territory.”
That name alone was enough to darken my mood further.
Dorian.
Of course.
I walked toward the window slowly, staring down at the training grounds below where wolves moved through combat drills like nothing was wrong.
Meanwhile someone was quietly trying to tear us apart from the inside.
“The race is in four days,” Brennan said carefully behind me. “Too many things are happening too close together.”
I turned back toward him. “Say what you actually mean.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“I think the rival pack has backing.” He spoke lower now. “Outside backing.”
“Humans?” I asked.
I didn’t want to tell him about what Kieran told me yet.
“No.” Brennan’s expression darkened. “Something worse.”
Kairo growled softly beneath my skin.
Ancient alliances between packs were dangerous enough already. Outside interference meant power, money, or blood politics.
None of which ended cleanly.
“They’re trying to destabilize us before the competition,” Brennan continued. “Take out our racers. Distract the territory. Make us vulnerable.”
My eyes hardened. “They don’t care about winning, they want war.”
The room went quiet again.
I exhaled slowly through my nose, forcing control back into myself before anger fully took over.
“They chose the wrong pack,” I muttered.
Brennan watched me carefully for a second before speaking again.
“There’s more.”