Chapter 21 First Contact

Chapter 21 First Contact


Luceila's POV

The coffee shop Marcus chose is small and tucked away on a quiet street corner, the kind of place that doesn't show up on tourist maps. I arrive ten minutes early, clutching my purse like it's a lifeline.

Reis is somewhere nearby. I saw him park half a block away, watched him disappear into a bookstore across the street with a clear view of the café's windows. He promised to stay back unless I signal otherwise.

I don't know if that makes me feel safer or more paranoid.

The barista, a tired-looking woman with purple hair, takes my order without really seeing me. I choose a table near the back with a view of the entrance, my hands wrapped around a cup of tea I'm too nervous to actually drink.

My phone says 2:03 PM. Marcus said two o'clock.

At 2:07, the door opens.

A man walks in, late thirties, maybe early forties, with dark hair going gray at the temples and sharp green eyes that scan the room before landing on me. He's dressed casually but expensively, and he moves with the kind of confidence that comes from never questioning your right to be somewhere.

He's also a wolf. I can feel it now, this new sense I've developed since my emergence. Something in the air shifts when he enters, like recognizing calls to like.

"Luceila," he says, sliding into the seat across from me without asking. "Thank you for meeting me."

"You're Marcus." It's not a question.

"Marcus Chen." He signals the barista, ordering black coffee without looking at the menu. "No relation to Dr. Chen, before you ask. Common surname in our community."

"Our community," I repeat. "You mean wolves."

"I mean those of us who know what we are and how to navigate the world that comes with it." His coffee arrives quickly, the barista clearly recognizes him and he takes a sip before continuing. "You're probably wondering why I reached out."

"That, and how you knew about my emergence. It happened less than a week ago."

His smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Word travels fast in wolf circles. Especially when it involves something as rare as a dormant emergence in her twenties. People talk. People notice."

"People like Sera Blackwood?"

Something flickers across his face, surprise, maybe, or approval. "So you've already encountered her. That was faster than I expected."

"She was at my house. Planning how to destroy me before I've even figured out what I am." I set down my tea, meeting his gaze directly. "You said you knew my father. Is that true, or just a hook to get me here?"

"Direct. I like that." Marcus leans back in his chair, studying me. "Yes, I knew your father. We grew up together, actually. Same pack, same territory, same training grounds."

My heart hammers against my ribs. "What was his name?"

"Not yet." He holds up a hand when I start to protest. "I'll tell you everything you want to know, Luceila. But first, you need to understand why your father left. Why did he hide what he was? Why did your wolf stay dormant for so long?"

"Then tell me."

Marcus glances toward the window, toward where Reis is presumably watching from the bookstore. "Your stepbrother. He knows you're here?"

"He insisted on coming. For my protection, apparently."

“Your father was accused of a crime he didn't commit. Rather than face execution, he fled. Changed his name, hid his nature, tried to disappear completely.”

I process this slowly. "What crime?"

"Killing an alpha's mate."

The words hit like a physical blow. "He didn't do it?"

"No. But the evidence was planted perfectly, and in our world, accusations against an alpha's judgment are... unwise." Marcus drums his fingers on the table. "Your father ran. He met your mother during that time, fell in love, had you. But he knew they'd never stop looking. So he left before they could find him and hurt the family he'd built."

"Who was looking for him?"

Marcus's eyes flick to the window again before settling back on me. "The Blackwood pack."

Everything clicks into place with sickening clarity.

"Sera," I whisper.

"Sera's mother was the mate who died. Sera's father, Alpha Blackwood, blamed your father and has been hunting him for over twenty years." Marcus said. 

My hands are shaking. I press them flat against the table to steady them. "Does my father know about me? That I emerged?"

"I don't know. I haven't had contact with him in years. He went deep underground after leaving your mother, too deep for even old friends to find." Marcus's expression softens slightly. "But if he knew you'd emerged, if he knew you were in danger, he'd come back. Whatever his flaws, he loved you, Luceila. Leaving was the hardest thing he ever did."

"I don't know what to believe," I admit quietly.

"Then believe this: Sera Blackwood will do everything in her power to prove you're the daughter of her mother's killer. She'll use pack law, blood rights, whatever she can to have you executed or exiled. And the Valdez pack, for all their protection, might not be able to stop her once the Council gets involved." Marcus pulls out a business card, sliding it across the table. "I can help you disappear. New identity, new territory, somewhere the Blackwoods and the Council will never find you."

I stare at the card. It's simple, elegant, just a phone number embossed in silver.

"Why would you help me?" I ask. "What do you get out of this?"

"Your father was my friend. My brother, in all the ways that matter." Marcus stands, leaving money for his untouched coffee on the table. "I couldn't save him. Maybe I can save his daughter."

He walks toward the door, then pauses, looking back.

"You don't have to decide now. But Luceila? Don't wait too long. Once Sera makes her move, running won't be an option anymore."

Then he's gone, disappearing into the afternoon crowd like he was never there.

I sit alone with my cold tea and his card, my mind racing with everything he told me.

My father was accused of murder. The Blackwood pack wants revenge. The Valdez pack might betray me to the Council. And somewhere out there, Sera is building a case to destroy me.

My phone buzzes. A text from Reis: Is everything okay?

I type back: Yes. Coming out now.

But as I gather my things and head for the door, Marcus's card burning in my pocket, I can't shake the feeling that nothing is okay.

Nothing has been okay since the moment I shifted.

And it's only going to get worse.