Chapter 52 White Fur
Simone Pov
I waited in the thick pines behind the old observatory. The night air was cold and my breath came out in little clouds of fog. I wrapped my arms around myself and listened to the sounds of the forest. Owls hooting. Branches creaking. Small animals moving through the underbrush.
Then I heard footsteps. Someone was walking toward me through the trees. I tensed and got ready to run if it wasn't who I expected. But then Jace stepped out of the shadows with his hands in his pockets.
"You're late," I said quietly.
"I got lost," Jace said with a shrug. "This campus is confusing as hell."
I looked at him carefully in the moonlight. He was tall and athletic with dark hair and darker eyes. He looked dangerous in a way that most people probably found attractive. But I didn't care about any of that. I only cared about what he could do for me.
"Did you find out what I asked?" I said.
Jace nodded slowly. "She's not wolfless like everyone thinks."
"I knew it," I said. My heart started beating faster with excitement. "What is she then?"
"Maddie is white fur," Jace said flatly. "The rarest kind that exists. She's daughter of the murdered Alpha King and Queen of Silverthorn's old bloodline."
I stared at him in shock. White fur. The Moon Goddess's own bloodline. The most powerful and rare wolf type in existence. Maddie wasn't just some random girl. She was royalty. She was special in ways I hadn't even imagined.
"Are you sure?" I asked. "How do you know this?"
"Because I dated her for two years," Jace said. "I know what she is. I know what she's hiding. And I know why she ran away from Silverthorn."
"Tell me everything," I demanded. I stepped closer to him. "I need to know exactly what we're dealing with."
Jace looked at me for a moment like he was deciding how much to share. Then he sighed and started talking.
"Maddie's parents were the Alpha King and Queen of Silverthorn's royal line. They were murdered when she was young. The new Alpha took over and Maddie went into hiding. She suppressed her wolf and pretended to be human for years."
"Why would she hide something so powerful?" I asked.
"Because white wolves are hunted," Jace explained. "Because people want to use them for their power. Because being a white wolf makes you a target. So she hid. She pretended to be nothing. And most people believed it."
"But you didn't believe it," I said.
"No," Jace said with a cold smile. "I always knew there was something different about her. Something special. That's why I stayed with her even though she was supposed to be wolfless."
"And then she caught you cheating," I said. "And she ran away here."
"Yeah," Jace said bitterly. "She walked in on me with Lila and ended everything. She transferred here and disappeared. I thought I would never see her again."
"Until I contacted you," I said.
"Until you contacted me," Jace agreed. "And told me exactly where to find her."
I started pacing back and forth in the small clearing. My mind was racing with possibilities. This changed everything. A white wolf. Royal bloodline. The Moon Goddess's favor. If people here found out what Maddie really was then chaos would follow.
"If we expose her here the pack will go crazy," I said slowly. "Everyone will want her. Everyone will try to claim her. Calix will be forced to choose between duty and whatever he feels for her."
"And you'll be right there to catch him," Jace finished. "When he realizes she's too dangerous. Too complicated. Too much of a political nightmare."
"Exactly," I said. I stopped pacing and looked at Jace. "But we need to be smart about this. We can't just tell everyone. We need to make it look natural. Like the truth came out on its own."
"So what's the plan?" Jace asked.
"First we need proof," I said. "We need evidence that she's a white wolf. Something undeniable that everyone will see."
"How do we get that?" Jace asked.
"We force her to shift," I said simply. "We create a situation where she has no choice but to reveal what she really is."
Jace smiled slowly. "I like the way you think Simone. When do we start?"
"Soon," I said. "Very soon. But we need to be careful. Calix is already suspicious. He's been watching her. Protecting her. If he finds out what we're planning he'll stop us."
"Then we make sure he doesn't find out," Jace said. "We move fast and we move smart. Before he can interfere."
"Agreed," I said. I held out my hand toward him. "Partners?"
Jace took my hand and shook it firmly. "Partners. Until Maddie Vale gets exactly what she deserves."
We stood there in the dark forest shaking hands like we were making a business deal instead of planning to destroy someone's life. But that's exactly what this was. Business. Strategy. Survival of the fittest.
"I should go," Jace said after a moment. "I'm staying at a hotel near campus. Text me when you're ready for the next step."
"I will," I promised. "And Jace? Make sure nobody sees you around campus yet. We can't tip her off that you're here."
"Don't worry," Jace said. "I know how to stay invisible when I need to."
He turned and walked back into the trees. Within seconds he had disappeared completely into the shadows. I stood alone in the clearing and listened to the sound of his footsteps fading away.
Then I smiled. A real genuine smile that showed all my teeth. Because everything was finally coming together. Because my plan was working perfectly. Because soon Maddie would be exposed for what she really was and Calix would be mine again.
I pulled out my phone and looked at the time. It was almost midnight. I needed to get back to my dorm before anyone noticed I was gone. I needed to act normal. I needed to be sweet innocent Simone who would never hurt anyone.