Chapter 172
Lynette's POV
The deck was crowded. Maybe thirty people, all wearing masks.
I counted them automatically. Old habit.
Venetian masks with gold trim. Simple black half-faces. Even a few full animal heads that looked expensive and ridiculous at the same time.
Everyone kept their distance from each other. Small clusters of two or three, standing far apart like they were marking territory.
My hand touched the cold metal of the mask on my face.
Kael leaned close. His breath was warm against my ear.
"Red cloak on the left. Silver Fang Pack from the East Coast."
I followed his gaze. A woman in crimson, talking to a shorter man in gray.
"Tall guy by the railing. Lone Star Beta from Texas."
I memorized their positions. Their postures. The way they held themselves.
These weren't random guests. These were people who mattered in the wolf world.
My stomach tightened.
A young woman in server's uniform approached. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Welcome, honored guests. Please proceed to the security checkpoint. You'll need identity verification before entering the main cabin."
The crowd started moving. Slow. Cautious.
I watched a man ahead of us get stopped. The guards made him hand over a knife from his boot. His face went tight with anger, but he complied.
I thought about the pen in my jacket. The belt around my waist. The hairpins in my hair.
Drake's voice echoed in my head. Don't use them unless you absolutely have to.
My turn came faster than I wanted.
Two female security guards gestured for me to step forward and spread my arms.
I did.
The metal detector swept over me. My shoulders—nothing. My chest—nothing.
I'd been holding my breath without realizing it.
Drake's tools were good. Really good. Whatever alloy he'd used for the pen and hairpins, it wasn't triggering the scanner.
The detector moved lower. Passed my hips.
Then it beeped.
Sharp. Loud.
My stomach dropped.
The belt buckle. Drake had warned me—the mechanism inside needed a heavier metal core to work properly. Titanium wouldn't hold the spring tension. So he'd used steel.
A calculated risk.
One guard frowned. "Miss, please remove your belt for inspection."
My heart kicked hard against my ribs.
The buckle. Drake said the inner edge was sharpened. Would they notice?
I kept my face blank. Confused, even.
"Is something wrong?"
"Standard procedure." Her tone was professional. Cold.
I unbuckled the belt slowly. Handed it over.
She turned it in her hands. Ran her fingers along the buckle's outer surface.
Then her thumb moved toward the inner edge.
My heart stopped.
Drake had said the sharp edge was recessed. Hidden. You'd only feel it if you pressed hard or turned the buckle at a specific angle.
Her thumb hovered near it. Then moved away.
"This is custom made," I said quickly. Let irritation creep into my voice. "Cost me a lot. Be careful with it."
She glanced up. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Then Kael stepped closer. Not aggressive. Just... present.
"Is there a problem?" His voice was calm. But there was weight behind it. Authority.
The guard looked at him. Really looked.
Something changed in her expression. Recognition, maybe. Or just awareness of who he was.
She handed the belt back to me. "No problem. You're cleared."
I took it. My fingers were steady even though my pulse was racing.
"Thank you."
I buckled it back on. Kael's hand touched my lower back briefly as we moved past the checkpoint.
The guard's eyes followed us. Not Kael's face—she was staring at his left hand.
The ring on his fourth finger. Heavy. Engraved with something I couldn't see from this angle.
Pack symbol, probably. One that meant something here.
Neither of us spoke until we were through.
---
The interior of the ship was insane.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Real crystal, not glass. The light refracted into tiny rainbows across the walls.
Leather couches lined the corridor. Deep brown, butter-soft. The kind that cost more than a car.
Animal pelts decorated the walls. Bear. Wolf. Things I didn't recognize.
A server appeared with a tray. Two key cards on it.
"Your rooms are on the seventh floor."
I picked up one card. The number was embossed in silver: 708.
Kael took the other. 707.
Across from each other.
I met his eyes. He didn't react, but I saw the slight tension in his jaw.
"Thank you," he said to the server.
We found the elevator. The doors were polished brass. Our reflections stared back at us, distorted and strange.
Inside, Kael pressed seven. The elevator rose smoothly. No sound except the faint hum of machinery.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Fine."
"Your heart rate says different."
I shot him a look. "Stop listening to my heartbeat."
His mouth twitched. Almost a smile. "Can't help it."
The doors opened.
The seventh floor hallway was quieter than downstairs. Thick carpet absorbed every footstep. The walls were dark wood paneling, lit by soft yellow lights.
707 was on the left. 708 on the right.
Kael stopped at his door. Swiped the card. The lock clicked open.
"Get some rest," he said. "If you need anything—"
"I'll be fine."
He studied me for a second. Then nodded.
I watched him disappear into his room before I opened mine.
---
The room was bigger than I expected.
A separate bedroom through an archway. Living area with a couch and coffee table. Floor-to-ceiling windows showing nothing but gray ocean.
I dropped my bag on the couch and did a sweep.
Checked under the bed. Behind the curtains. Inside the closets.
Ran my hands along the walls, looking for anything that felt wrong. Cameras. Listening devices.
Nothing.
Either they were too well hidden, or this room was clean.
I sat on the edge of the bed. Let myself exhale.
My hands were shaking.
I pressed them flat against my thighs until they stopped.
You made it on board. That's step one.
Step two was figuring out where Rezar would be during the auction.
Step three was not dying.
I stood up. Splashed cold water on my face in the bathroom. The mirror showed me looking pale. Tired.
The girl in the mirror looked like a stranger.
Good.
A knock on the door made me freeze.
I pulled the mask off and shoved it in my pocket. Moved to the door silently.
"Who is it?"
"Me."
Kael's voice.
I opened the door.
He'd changed into a dark suit. No tie. The top button of his shirt was undone.
He looked... different. More dangerous, somehow.
"Thought you were resting," I said.
"Couldn't." He glanced past me into the room. "Can I come in?"
I hesitated. Then stepped aside.
He walked to the window. Stood there with his hands in his pockets, staring out at the water.
"This is a bad idea," he said quietly.
"I know."
"If Rezar recognizes you—"
"He won't."
Kael turned. His amber eyes were intense. "You don't know that."
"I know I'm not leaving without answers."
He exhaled through his nose. Frustrated.
"You're stubborn."
"You're just figuring that out?"
That almost-smile again. Gone in a second.
He moved closer. Close enough that I had to tilt my head back to look at him.
"If something goes wrong," he said, "we leave. Together. No arguments."
"Fine."
"I mean it, Lynette."
The way he said my name made something twist in my chest.
"I know."