Chapter 229
Lynette's POV
I didn't go home.
I turned left at the corner instead of right. Walked past the bus stop. Kept my pace steady and unhurried.
The footsteps behind me hesitated. Then continued.
Good.
I could smell her perfume even from twenty meters back. That expensive floral scent. The same one that used to fill the school hallways when she walked past.
Sophia was following me.
My wolf senses tracked her movements without me needing to turn around. She was trying to be quiet. Failing. Her heels clicked too loud on the pavement. Her breathing was slightly elevated.
Amateur.
I turned into the commercial district. More people here. Shops with bright windows. I used the reflections.
There.
Sophia's cream pantsuit stood out among the factory workers heading home. She was fifty meters back now. Ducking behind a newspaper stand when I slowed down.
She wasn't sure. If she was certain it was me, she would've confronted me already. Or called someone.
This was just suspicion.
I could use that.
I took another turn. Led her away from the main streets. The buildings got older here. Taller. The kind of industrial area that had been abandoned when the newer factories were built on the east side.
My boots crunched on broken glass. The sun was setting. Long shadows stretched across the cracked pavement.
I'd scouted this area two days ago. Knew every alley. Every exit.
The warehouse on the left had a broken side door. I slipped through it.
Inside smelled like rust and old cardboard. Dim light filtered through grimy windows high up on the walls. The ground floor was empty except for some rotting wooden pallets.
I climbed the metal stairs to the second floor. Moved quietly to a spot where I could see the entrance below.
Then I waited.
Thirty seconds passed.
The door creaked open.
Sophia stepped inside. She looked around. Her hand was on her phone.
"I know you're in here," she called out. Her voice echoed. "Come out."
I watched her from above. She was tense. Shoulders tight. But she wasn't in a fighting stance. Wasn't prepared for an actual confrontation.
She was fishing. Trying to provoke a reaction.
I stepped out of the shadows.
"Sophia Reign," I said. Kept my voice flat. Unfamiliar. "Why are you following me?"
She spun around. Looked up at me on the second floor.
"Who are you?" Her eyes narrowed. Scanning my face. The freckles. The glasses. The ponytail.
I walked to the railing. Looked down at her.
"A factory worker," I said. "You're mistaking me for someone else."
"No." She shook her head. Took a step closer to the stairs. "Your build. The way you walk. I've seen you before."
My heart rate didn't change. I kept my breathing even.
"You're imagining things," I said.
"I don't think so." She was staring at me hard now. Trying to see past the disguise. "Take off those glasses."
I didn't move.
"Or maybe," I said slowly, "you're worried I saw something at the factory. Something you don't want people to know about."
Her expression flickered. Just for a second.
Bingo.
"What are you talking about?" But her voice was too sharp. Too defensive.
I leaned against the railing. Crossed my arms.
"Your conversation with Blythe Harrison," I said. "About the overloaded production lines. About the Alpha's orders to double the supply output."
The color drained from her face.
"You were listening." It wasn't a question. Her hand tightened on her phone. "Who sent you? Who are you working for?"
I didn't answer. Just stared at her.
"Doesn't matter," I said after a pause. "What matters is this. If you don't want certain people finding out what's happening at Harrison's factory... you'll stop following me."
"You're threatening me?" Her voice went high. Shrill.
"I'm giving you advice." I pushed off the railing. Started walking toward the other staircase on the far side of the building. "Take it or leave it."
"Wait—"
I didn't wait.
I took the stairs three at a time. Hit the ground floor and went straight for the back exit. Heard Sophia's heels clattering down the metal stairs behind me.
"Stop!"
I shoved through the back door. Into an alley that led to three different streets.
I took the middle one. Ran for two blocks. Then slowed to a walk. Pulled off the work cap and glasses. Shoved them in my jacket pocket. Undid the ponytail and shook my hair loose.
By the time I reached the main road again, I looked nothing like the factory worker Sophia had been chasing.
I stopped at a corner. Listened.
No footsteps. No perfume.
Good.
I pulled out my phone. Sent Kael a message.
Need to meet. Now. Something happened.
His reply came back in ten seconds.
Back entrance. Twenty minutes.
---
I climbed over Kael's back wall exactly twenty minutes later.
He was already there. Standing in the shadows near the garden shed. Arms crossed.
"What happened?" He saw my face and his expression sharpened. "Are you hurt?"
"No." I walked over to him. Kept my voice low. "But Sophia followed me from the factory."
His whole body went still.
"Did she recognize you?"
"She suspects." I ran a hand through my hair. "Saw me in the break room during lunch. Something about me felt familiar to her. So she followed me after my shift."
"Fuck." Kael's jaw tightened. "Did you lose her?"
"Yes. But I had to use information to scare her off." I told him about the warehouse confrontation. About threatening her with what I'd overheard.
When I finished, Kael was quiet for a long moment.
"That'll buy us time," he said finally. "But not much. If she tells her father—"
"She won't." I was certain about that. "She has her own secrets to protect. And she's not sure enough about my identity to risk exposing what's happening at the factory."
"You're gambling on that."
"I'm calculating odds." I met his eyes. "There's a difference."
He stared at me. Then shook his head slightly. Almost like he wanted to smile but couldn't.
"Come inside," he said. "We need to look something up."
---
His study was on the second floor. Dark wood furniture. Bookshelves covering two walls. A large desk with three monitors.
Kael sat down and started typing. I stood behind him. Watched the screens light up.
"Sophia's father," I said. "Do you know who he is?"
"I know he does business with Blythe. But I need to check the territory records." His fingers moved fast across the keyboard. "My father keeps files on all the major suppliers and contractors."
A database opened. Lists of names and company profiles.
Kael typed in "Harrison Factory" and "Supply Chain."
The screen filled with entries. He scrolled down. Stopped.
"There." He pointed at a name. "David Reign. Primary supplier for military-grade materials to Pinehollow territory."
I leaned closer. Read the profile.
David Reign. Age fifty-two. CEO of Reign Industrial Solutions. Also listed as an advisor to the territory Alpha on human commercial partnerships.
"He's not just a supplier," Kael said quietly. "He's one of my father's inner circle. Helps coordinate between the pack and human business interests."
My stomach tightened.
"So Sophia isn't just some spoiled school bully," I said. "She's connected to your father's operation."
"Yes." Kael's voice was grim. "Which means if she figures out who you really are—"
"She'll report directly to the Alpha." I finished the sentence.
We both went quiet.
I could hear the clock ticking on the wall. Kael's breathing. My own heartbeat.
"How much time do we have?" Kael asked.
I thought about the conversation I'd overheard. Blythe's stressed voice. The mention of next week's deadline.
"Blythe said they need to complete double output by next week," I said. "The equipment is already overheating. At the rate they're pushing it... two days. Maybe three before something breaks down."
Kael turned in his chair. Looked up at me.
"Then we move the day after tomorrow," he said.
"You're sure?"
"No." His eyes were dark. Serious. "But if we wait longer, either the factory will blow before we're ready, or Sophia will figure out who you are. Either way, we lose."
He was right.
I nodded.