Free Web NovelChapter 25: Chapter 25
Three days after the trial, I was still riding the high of proving myself to the pack. The hostile glances had mostly disappeared, replaced by nods of respect and actual conversations in the break room. Even Rebecca Hayes had stopped sneering at me, though she wasn’t exactly friendly either.
But something was bothering me about the whole situation. Harold’s reaction to my fighting abilities had been too calculated, too interesting. Like he was filing away information for later use.
That’s why I found myself staying late at Knight Industries on Thursday night, alone in the office with nothing but the hum of computers and the security guard’s distant footsteps for company.
Harold’s office was on the executive floor, behind reinforced glass and electronic locks that should have been impossible to bypass. Should have been. But my enhanced senses had picked up something interesting during the trial—Harold carried his access card in his jacket pocket, and the RFID signal was just strong enough for me to memorize the frequency.
Twenty minutes of careful work with a paperclip and some creative thinking got me past the lock. Harold’s office was exactly what I’d expected—expensive furniture, awards covering the walls, and a massive computer setup that probably cost more than my car.
The computer was password protected, but Harold’s supernatural arrogance had made him sloppy. His password was literally "AlphaPack1974"—likely his birth year. Amateur.
The files I found made my blood run cold.
Offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands. Shell companies with names like "Lunar Holdings" and "Pack Investments." Financial transfers that didn’t match any legitimate business expenses. Harold had been embezzling from Knight Industries for years, but that wasn’t the worst part.
The worst part was the client list.
I recognized some names from gossip—rival packs, rogue wolves, and organizations that dealt in things no legitimate pack would touch. Harold was selling information about powerful lone wolves to the highest bidder.
Including information about me.
My file was right there on his desktop, complete with photos from my trial and detailed notes about my fighting abilities. The document was labeled "Asset Evaluation—Potential Acquisition."
I wasn’t a pack member. I was merchandise.
The sound of footsteps in the hallway made me freeze. Someone was coming toward Harold’s office, their pace confident and familiar. I quickly photographed the most damning documents with my phone, then shut down the computer and slipped out through Harold’s private bathroom window.
By the time I made it back to my desk, my hands were shaking with rage and adrenaline. Harold wasn’t just corrupt—he was actively selling wolves to the supernatural equivalent of human traffickers.
My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.
*Working late? That’s dangerous for a lone wolf.*
I deleted it immediately, but the message was clear. Someone was watching me. Someone knew I’d been digging where I shouldn’t.
The elevator dinged softly, and Christian stepped out onto the main floor. His sandalwood and cedar scent hit me immediately, along with something else—concern, worry, and the kind of protective energy that made my wolf purr despite everything.
"Sophie?" He approached my desk cautiously, like he was afraid I might bolt. "What are you doing here so late?"
"Research," I said, which wasn’t technically a lie.
His dark eyes studied my face, picking up on the tension I was trying to hide. "You look upset. What’s wrong?"
Part of me wanted to tell him everything. About Harold’s corruption, about the surveillance, about the feeling that I was being hunted by my pack. But Christian was Harold’s son. His loyalty was divided at best.
"Just work stuff," I said instead. "The Blackstone analysis is more complicated than I thought."
Christian didn’t believe me. I could see it in his expression and smell it in the way his scent shifted to something more protective.
"Sophie," he said quietly, "you know you can trust me, right?" Whatever’s going on, you don’t have to handle it alone."
The mate bond between us pulsed with sincerity. He meant it. But trusting him with Harold’s secrets could get us both killed.
My computer screen flickered, and I realized someone was remotely accessing my system. The cursor moved across the screen without my input, opening files and folders. Someone was searching through my work, seeking evidence of what I’d discovered.
"Shit," I whispered, immediately logging out and shutting down the computer.
"What?" Christian moved closer, his wolf senses picking up my spike of alarm.
"Someone’s been monitoring my computer," I said, my voice tight with anger. "They just tried to access it remotely."
Christian’s expression darkened. "Who?"
"I don’t know. But they’re looking for something specific."
That’s when the lights went out.
Emergency lighting kicked in a few seconds later, bathing the office in eerie red light. Christian immediately moved to shield me, his protective instincts taking over.
"Stay close," he said, his voice carrying Alpha authority.
The elevator was out of service, so we took the emergency stairs. Christian led the way, his enhanced senses alert for any threats. Our footsteps echoed in the stairwell, unnaturally loud in the silence.
"This isn’t a coincidence," I said as we reached the parking garage. "Someone cut the power deliberately."
"I know." Christian’s jaw was tight with tension. "The question is why." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
My Honda was parked in the far corner of the garage, away from the main entrance. As we walked toward it, Christian’s hand found mine, his touch sending electric shocks up my arm.
"Sophie," he said, stopping suddenly. "There’s something I need to tell you."
I turned to face him, noting how the emergency lighting cast shadows across his features. He looked dangerous and beautiful and completely focused on me.
"What?"
"I’ve been investigating some things. About the pack, about my father’s business practices. What I’ve found..." He shook his head. "It’s not good."
My heart started racing. "What kind of things?"
"Financial irregularities. Connections to organizations that shouldn’t exist. And wolves who’ve disappeared after joining our pack."
The same information I’d discovered, but from a different angle. Christian had been digging into his father’s corruption.
"How many wolves?" I asked, though I already knew the answer from Maria’s warning.
"Three in the past year. All lone females. All claimed by the pack, and then..." Christian’s voice trailed off. "Gone."
We stared at each other in the dim light, both understanding the implications. I was supposed to be number four.
"We need to get out of here," Christian said, his protective instincts kicking into overdrive. "If someone cut the power, they might—"
The sound of footsteps echoed through the garage. Multiple sets, moving with coordination that suggested military training. Whoever was coming wasn’t interested in talking.
Christian immediately pushed me behind a concrete pillar, his body shielding mine from view. His scent spiked with adrenaline and protective fury.
"How many?" I whispered.
"At least six," he replied, his enhanced hearing picking up details I couldn’t. "Armed. Professional."
My wolf snarled silently. These weren’t pack members coming to talk. These were the people Harold had sold me to. ƒreewebɳovel.com
:My car," I breathed, pointing toward the Honda.
Christian shook his head. "Too exposed. We need another way out."
That’s when I heard it—a low whistle that made my blood freeze. It wasn’t human. It wasn’t a wolf either. It was something else entirely, something that made every supernatural instinct I had scream warnings.
"What the hell was that?" I whispered.
Christian’s expression went white with fear. "Hunters," he said, his voice barely audible. "Supernatural hunters."
The footsteps were getting closer, their pace methodical and unhurried. They knew we were trapped. They knew we had nowhere to run.
My phone buzzed with another text.
*You should have minded your own business, Sophie. Now you get to meet some very interesting people.*
The message was from Harold’s number.
Christian saw the text over my shoulder, and his expression transformed from fear to cold rage. "My father sold you out," he said, his voice carrying the kind of fury that promised violence.
"We need to move," I said, my wolf instincts taking over. "Now."
But as we prepared to run, the elevator dinged softly. Someone else was coming down to the garage, and their scent hit me like a physical blow.
Vanessa Whitmore stepped out of the elevator, her ice-blue eyes glowing in the emergency lighting. She wasn’t alone—three other wolves flanked her, all of them wearing the kind of tactical gear that meant serious business.
"Sophie," Vanessa called out, her voice echoing through the garage. "We know you’re here. Why don’t you come out so we can talk?"
Christian’s hand tightened on mine, his wolf preparing for a fight we couldn’t win.
"What do you want?" I called back, stalling for time.
"Just some answers," Vanessa replied, her tone falsely sweet. "About your very interesting abilities. My friends here are experts in supernatural genetics. They’d love to run some tests."
The hunters’ footsteps had stopped, but I could smell them positioning themselves throughout the garage. We were surrounded.
"And if I refuse?" I asked.
Vanessa’s laugh was as sharp as broken glass. "Oh, Sophie. Refusing isn’t really an option anymore."
That’s when I heard the distinctive sound of tranquilizer guns being loaded.
