Chapter 5 Instinct
The compound was odd.
I noticed it now in the way wolves moved through the grounds, faster, sharper, eyes scanning the shadows instead of each other. Men dressed in black crossed between buildings with weapons strapped visibly against their backs while others stood at the gates speaking quietly into radios.
Nobody stopped Zarek.
Nobody even looked directly at him.
They moved out of his path automatically.
I stayed half a step behind him as we walked through the hallways, trying very hard not to think about the man downstairs, the tattoo on his neck or the fact that my brother had somehow been tangled in this place long before I ever arrived.
My chest still felt tight.
Zarek pushed open the bedroom door and stepped aside for me to enter first.
The door clicked shut behind us.
I turned immediately. “You knew my brother.”
Zarek loosened the cuffs of his black shirt slowly, like the question didn’t surprise him. “Yes.”
“How long?”
“A while.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“No,” he agreed calmly. “It isn’t.”
Something about the way he stayed so composed got me angry.
“You keep doing that.”
His eyes lifted to mine. “Doing what?”
My fingers curled before I even realized I was clenching them.
“Answering questions without actually answering them.”
A faint smile touched the corner of his mouth. “You noticed.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “Was that supposed to be funny?”
“No.”
But he still looked amused.
I exhaled sharply and walked toward the window again, folding my arms tightly across my chest.
Below us, wolves moved through the compound in organized patterns now.
The intruder comment clearly hadn’t been casual.
“Who was that man?” I asked quietly.
Zarek moved behind me, not close enough to touch, but close enough that I could feel his presence at my back.
“One of the wolves who used to work for me.”
My stomach twisted slightly. “Used to?”
“He is lucky he survived,” Zarek said simply. “Most of the others didn’t.”
I turned toward him fully then.
“What does that mean?”
His gaze held mine for a second too long before shifting toward the window. “It means you shouldn’t trust him.”
“You keep saying that like it’s an explanation.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“He said they were after information,” I continued carefully. “What kind of information?”
“Information people kill for.”
“That’s still vague.”
“It’s supposed to be.”
I laughed softly then, mostly out of frustration.
“You know what’s insane?” I said. “Three hours ago I was checking wristbands for drunk rich people and losing money on underground races.”
His eyes flicked toward me. “You bet on the race?”
“Yes.”
“Which car?”
“Forty-three.”
“That car was terrible.”
I narrowed my eyes. “It came fourth before exploding, thank you very much.”
He smirked. “You chose based on color?”
“How did you know that?”
“You don’t strike me as someone who studies engines.”
“That is unbelievably rude.”
“It was accurate.”
I stared at him for a second before a reluctant laugh escaped me.
The sound surprised both of us, then silence settled afterward.
Zarek watched me differently now, like hearing me laugh had altered something slightly.
Then his gaze dropped briefly toward my bare arms. “You’re cold.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re shivering.”
I hadn’t even noticed.
Before I could respond, he crossed the room toward the chair near the bed, picked up a black jacket and held it out toward me.
I hesitated.
“You don’t have to look at it like it’s going to attack you,” he said.
“I don’t know,” I muttered, taking it slowly. “Tonight has been unpredictable.”
That earned me the smallest huff of amusement from him.
As I slipped the jacket on, warmth wrapped around me alongside the clean scent of cedarwood, smoke and something darker I couldn’t place.
My wolf stirred quietly beneath my skin.
Zarek noticed. Of course he did.
His gaze sharpened slightly. “You’re uncomfortable.”
I looked away quickly. “I’m tired.”
That was only partly a lie. The truth was worse, nothing about tonight made sense anymore. Not my dead brother, not the pack.
Not even the man standing in front of me watching me too carefully.
And definitely not the fact that despite every survival instinct I had built over the last few years… I still hadn’t tried to leave.
….
Zarek's POV
I walked past the security hall without slowing down, loosening the cuffs of my sleeves as I moved toward the room at the far end.
Most wolves avoided this part of the house unless they were called for something specific. Meetings happened here. Punishments too.
The door was already open.
Brennan, my beta, sat inside with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and his boots kicked up against the table like he owned the place.
“You look terrible,” he said immediately.
I ignored that and reached for the second glass already waiting on the table.
Brennan watched me pour the drink carefully.
The liquid sliding into the glass was dark red under the low light.
My gaze stayed fixed on the glass for a second before I took a slow sip.
The scent in the room sharpened instantly. Rich and metallic beneath the cedarwood lingering on my clothes.
Brennan noticed the shift in my expression immediately. “That bad?”
“No,” I replied calmly. “If it was bad you wouldn’t still be sitting comfortably.”
“Fair point.”
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Low music played faintly somewhere deeper in the building while voices echoed distantly from outside where patrols still moved through the compound.
Brennan took another drink before speaking again. “The wolf they caught at the warehouse was from Dorian’s side.”
“I know.”
“You think tonight was a test run?”
I leaned back slightly in my chair, glass resting loosely in my hand. “No.” My gaze stayed fixed ahead. “They already knew where she was.”
Brennan studied me carefully then. “And now she’s here.”
“Yes.”
“You brought her straight into the territory.”
“She is safer here.”
Brennan gave a quiet hum like he wasn’t fully agreeing. “Safer,” he repeated slowly. “That’s one word for it.”
My eyes shifted toward him finally. “Say what you actually mean.”
Brennan smiled faintly into his drink. “I mean you killed one of Dorian’s wolves in front of half the racing circuit over a woman you supposedly met three hours ago.”
I scoffed lightly.
“There it is,” Brennan muttered with amusement. “That thing you do when you don’t like hearing the truth.”
I took a slow sip from my glass.
Brennan watched me for another second before his expression sobered slightly. “She knows about Cole?”
“Partially.”
“And the rest?”
“Not yet.”
Brennan exhaled through his nose and leaned back deeper into the couch. “This is going to go very badly.”
“Probably.”
“You should’ve let someone else handle perimeter security,” Brennan said carefully. “You’ve been on edge since bringing her here.”
“I am not on edge.”
Brennan looked genuinely unconvinced. “Right.”
“She smells different.” The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
Brennan’s brows lifted slowly.
My expression hardened instantly. “Forget that.”
“Unfortunately,” Brennan muttered, reaching for his drink, “I heard it.”
I leaned back into the couch, gaze fixed ahead again. “The scent keeps changing.”
Brennan frowned slightly now. “Changing how?”
“Sometimes rain, fresh leaves,” I murmured quietly. “Sometimes cold air.” My jaw tightened faintly. “Sometimes…” I stopped.
“Sometimes what?”
My dark eyes shifted toward Brennan finally. “Blood.”
The room went still for half a second.
“She affects your instincts.” He growled.
“No,” I shook my head immediately.
Brennan hissed. “That’s usually how it starts.”
I ignored him and took another sip from the red drink instead.
Brennan looked worried. “You’re slipping.”
My gaze lifted.
“That girl is going to ruin your concentration.” He added.
My thumb dragged once against the side of the glass absentmindedly.
“She followed a wolf tonight.”
Brennan blinked.
“What?”
“She saw one of Cole’s old runners and chased him across the compound alone.”
“…Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
I stared ahead quietly for a moment. “She can’t know why I need her yet.”