I nod. "Very well. Then we return to Earth."
"And if the Enclave reaches her first?" Arik asks, concern sharpening his tone.
I feel the wolf rise within me—not with rage this time, but with cold, deadly purpose. For the first time in years, we are in perfect alignment. My fangs lengthen. My muscles coil. My blood sings with ancient instinct.
"Then they'll learn what it means to stand between a wolf and his mate."
I turn away, clasping the satchel of intelligence tightly. One night to prepare. One night to plan. One night before I return to claim what's mine.
Astrid Mathieson. GUIDE agent. Inquisitor. Hunter of my kind.
My soul. My salvation. My mate.
And gods help anyone who tries to take her from me.
CHAPTER 14
Tell Me What You Know
* * *
Astrid Mathieson
The stench of antiseptic and industrial cleaner hits me the moment I walk through GUIDE headquarters' main entrance—a sharp, clinical bite that burns the nostrils and coats the tongue. After all these years, I still haven't gotten used to it. That sterile mask desperately trying to cover what we really do here. Hunt. Kill. Contain. Three words that define everything about this place, and everything I've become.
My muscles still ache slightly from the fall into the sinkhole, phantom pain lingering where my femur punched through skin just two days ago. The fact that I'm walking normally now would raise serious questions if anyone knew, but they don't. Just another secret to add to my collection.
That strange electrical sensation that's been haunting me for days has faded to a gentle hum beneath my skin—still there, but muted by distance, like a radio station going out of range. It's strongest when I think about Missouri. About the wolf with golden eyes who knew my name.
"Blades!"
Ghost's voice cuts through my thoughts as he intercepts me in the hallway, his split lip from the chimera encounter still healing. Dark circles rim his eyes, but he smiles when he sees me. A real smile. The kind that reaches his eyes. The only person in this building I actually trust. Almost.
He’s moving very carefully. Deliberately. Injured more than he’s letting on.
"You look like shit," I tell him, not unkindly.
"And yet, you do not," he returns with a grin, falling into step beside me. "How's your mom?"
"Safe. Pissed at me for making her leave, but safe." I completely ignore the comment about how I don’t look like I was just in a life or death fight. "Any updates on the chimeras?"
His expression shifts, discomfort flickering across his features. "Nothing new. Hayes is waiting for your report on the wolf stuff that went down at your mom’s before deciding next steps."
Something in his tone makes me stop. "What aren't you telling me?"
Ghost hesitates, glancing around the corridor. "Hayes is... not happy. The chimeras were already designated as our team's permanent assignment, and then you went after that wolf by yourself?—"
"It showed up in my mother's backyard," I cut in, heat rising in my chest. If Hayes pulls me completely off the case, I lose my only chance to find the thing that killed my father. Years of searching, and now the only solid lead I've had might slip through my fingers because of bureaucratic bullshit.
"I know that." He taps his chest. "But Hayes sees it differently. Just... be prepared, okay?"
Over his shoulder, I spot Sherlock watching us from across the room, his expression unreadable. His gaze doesn't shift when I make eye contact—not even the courtesy to pretend he wasn't staring. The conversation I overheard between him and Hayes replays in my mind.
"She moves differently... No one is that lucky... Look at these inconsistencies..."
A text notification comes through.
Hayes: My office. Now.
