She's suspicious
Talon POV
My face twisted as fury tightened through every muscle when the report sank in. My fists clenched, a low, animalistic growl escaping my throat as I scanned the room of elders, my gaze blazing.
“Who did this?” my voice sliced through the silence, cold and deadly. The elders looked down, none daring to meet my eyes, the tension around me thickening with each passing second. My rage pulsed outward, suffocating, seething.
“I said—who did this?” my voice dropped, promising pain to anyone who withheld the truth.
Finally, Evans stepped forward, bowing. “Alpha.”
“Gather the warriors. Search the area and don’t return without answers.”
“Yes, Alpha,” Evans replied, then disappeared from the room without hesitation.
“I want everyone to investigate this—no exceptions,” I ordered, my gaze hard. The elders nodded, murmuring their agreement.
With a growl, I stormed out, charging into the forest. I barely noticed the crunch of leaves underfoot as my muscles tensed and bones cracked, twisting as I shifted into my wolf form. My hands lengthened into claws, fur bristling over my skin as my body gave in to the beast’s fury. They would all pay.
Hours passed, each search growing more brutal, but there were no answers. The rage and grief gnawed at me. My pack—my people—murdered with no explanation, no leads. How did they manage to breach the security? How…did they even commit these murders? The victims were just children and women—innocent lives. If they had any grievance, they should face me directly, not hide like cowards.
I shifted back, the transformation exhausting me, and I returned to the palace.
Later, restlessly pacing my room, I couldn’t shake the sense that something—someone—was hiding in the shadows. I slipped back into the forest, taking a different route, shifting again into my wolf form as I moved stealthily among the trees. Near the forest’s edge, I caught sight of a familiar figure on the rooftop, a flicker of movement that sent a cold, unsettling chill down my spine. Anthena.
Her gaze was fixed on the trees, her expression a mixture of shock and something else. Did she see me? My heart pounded as I tried to read her eyes, even at a distance. Could she possibly know?
I darted deeper into the forest, her scent still in the air, unmistakable and… close. As I followed the trail, I caught her voice, hushed and hurried, on a phone call.
“John, I think I found something… strange. It might be what we’ve been searching for.”
Searching for? My hackles rose as suspicion clawed at me. Was she friend or foe? Was she connected to the killings? I considered confronting her, but something in me held back. If she was a spy, I'd uncover the full truth first.
After she disappeared into the night, I returned to my territory, ordering Evans, “Strengthen the borders. No one gets in or out without my approval.”
Anthena’s POV
A sense of unease gnawed at me, urging me back to the forest, to the spot where I’d seen that strange, hulking figure. I was sure of what I’d seen—it wasn’t a normal wolf. My pulse quickened with excitement. After all these years, after everyone called me crazy, maybe I hadn’t been wrong.
Still in the forest, I pulled out my phone and called John, my closest ally in the investigation. “John, I think I found something… strange. This might finally be the lead we’ve been waiting for.”
His excitement echoed through the phone. “Are you serious? We’re so close, Anthena. This could change everything.”
I hung up, a surge of determination filling me. My aunt, my team, everyone who’d doubted me—they would see I wasn’t wrong.
Returning to my room, I barely slept, tossing in bed, my mind racing. When I finally drifted off, my dreams were fractured, haunted by images of werewolves and shadows in the forest.
The next morning, I dressed in black, the anniversary of my parents’ deaths weighing heavily on me. As I entered the building, Dan appeared, catching me by surprise.
“Anthena,” he said, smiling warmly as he approached, looking polished in his blue suit. “You look beautiful.”
“H-hey, Dan,” I stammered, trying to mask my shock. “I didn’t know you worked here.”
He grinned. “I do. Can we catch up later tonight?”
I hesitated, but then nodded. “Yeah… sure.”
After exchanging numbers, he left, and I took the elevator to the fifteenth floor, still surprised by the encounter. Once inside, I noticed Talon’s office door open. Gathering my nerves, I knocked and entered.
“Good morning, sir,” I greeted, but Talon’s expression was cold, his gaze sharper than I’d ever seen.
“Who are you?” he snapped, his tone icy.
“Sir…?” I faltered, taken aback. “It’s me, Anthena Wellington.”
He approached me slowly, his stare dark, unreadable. “Who. Are. You?” he repeated, his voice dangerously low.
I backed up, my spine pressing into the wall, heart hammering as he leaned closer, hands resting against the wall on either side of me, trapping me in place. His eyes, colder than usual, locked onto mine as if searching for something, stripping me bare with a gaze that left me breathless.
For a moment, I considered pushing him away, breaking his intense hold over me. But his face was close, and I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. His eyes roamed over me, lingering, almost… possessive. His breath brushed against my skin, and in the silent tension, I felt my pulse, or perhaps my heart race.
He leaned in, his lips just inches from mine, and my heart seized as I shut my eyes.
It was silent for a moment, but instead of the kiss I expected, he stopped, his voice a harsh whisper against my ear. "I know what you’ve been hiding."