CHAPTER 21

*First Person's Perspective*

~Enise~

I called him and he asked that we met here, in the coffee shop, it smelled of roasted beans and freshly baked pastries, but one could barely register any of that as the tension at our booth was thick enough to choke me. It was the same spot where Lucian and I had met countless times to plot our schemes, but this time, there was an unwelcome addition to our little group—Anna.

Lucian sat ramrod across from me, his body stiffen, his arms folded across his chest and a dark, unfriendly expression on his face. He hadn’t said a word since we sat down, his lips pressed into a thin, to show how disapproving of this, he was.

Meanwhile, Anna, sat back casually in her chair, a smirk playing on her lips as though she found his discomfort amusing.

“Why is she here?” Lucian finally demanded, his tone sharp.

“I invited her,” I said simply, sipping my coffee.

Lucian’s glare shifted to Anna. “I don’t want her here. This is between you and me.”

Anna leaned forward, her smirk transforming into a glare of her own. “Too bad, Lucian. I’m not going anywhere.” I sighed. These two would never get along would they?

Their voices began to rise, drawing the attention of a few nearby customers. I sat back, watching the verbal exchange between them with mild amusement. Anna could hold her own against anyone, and seeing Lucian’s frustration bubble to the surface was a rare treat.

"You have a big mouth, don't you think? This is not just some game, Anna, this is...."

"I know what this is and I want to be a part of it too. He hurt me too you know? And I want him to pay dearly for it" She shot back, cutting him off his words

Lucian scoffed. "You think we're doing this because of something petty? Do you know what that bastard had done to us? Do you know the gravity of....."

"Oh shut up, Lucian. You think losing your best friend is something petty? You think seeing her go through something and not been able to help her isn't enough to grow resentment?" She cut him off yet again

"You were not the victim. It still doesn't measure up to what we faced and you had th chance to take revenge, why didn't you do it long before now? You're a weak link and I cannot afford to have you ruin all what we've worked so hard for" he fired and she rolled her eyes, ready to give a response but I slammed the table

“Stop it, both of you,” I said finally, setting my cup down with a loud clink. “Lucian, just speak. Say what ever it is you have to say. I’ll tell her everything anyway, so you might as well get it over with now.”

Lucian’s eyes flicked to me, surprise flashing across his face. “You’re serious?”

I nodded. “Dead serious. So talk.”

"Enise, do you know what you're doing? We were not supposed to trust anyone. I thought we had this conversation already?" He asked, his voice soft as if trying to coax me into pushing her away. But I said nothing. My eyes held a fire that showed how serious I was

He exhaled sharply, clearly not pleased but resigned nonetheless. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out an envelope and slid it across the table to me.

“This needs to go into Lucas’s mailbox,” he said. “Make sure you’re there when he picks it up. You need to convince him to sign the contract.”

I picked up the envelope, turning it over in my hands. “Isn’t this too soon? I just got him to buy shares in that new organization. He hasn’t seen any results yet. Pushing him to sign now might look suspicious.”

Lucian shook his head. “The company is doing well for now. That was just to build trust. This is the right time to strike.”

Anna opened her mouth to chime in, but Lucian cut her off with a sharp look. “I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

Anna muttered a curse under her breath, but I caught it, and I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped me. Lucian shot me a disapproving glare, but I only shrugged.

“Let’s just get this done,” I said, standing up and slipping the envelope into my bag.

We left the coffee shop together, the tension between Anna and Lucian still palpable. As we approached the street, I was about to suggest splitting up when I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye.

It happened so fast. One moment I was walking, the next, rough hands grabbed me from behind, lifting me off the ground. My heart slammed against my ribs as I kicked and thrashed, but the men were too strong. They carried me toward a waiting van, their faces shadowed and menacing.

“Let me go!” I screamed, my voice breaking with panic.

Anna shouted something, but I couldn’t make out her words over the pounding in my ears. Lucian’s voice rang out too, sharp and commanding, but the men didn’t stop. They hauled me closer to the van, and I felt despair sinking in.

Then, a sound cut through the chaos—a low, menacing growl that made my blood run cold.

Everything froze. The men holding me stopped in their tracks, their heads snapping toward the source of the sound. I followed their gaze, and my breath caught in my throat.

A massive wolf stood at the edge of the street, its silver-gray fur glinting in the sunlight. Its eyes burned with an otherworldly intensity, and its lips curled back to reveal razor-sharp teeth. It growled again, the sound vibrating through the air like a warning.

The men dropped me without hesitation, backing away slowly. One of them muttered something about not being paid enough for this, and then they bolted, disappearing down the street as fast as their legs could carry them.

I scrambled to my feet, my heart still racing. The wolf didn’t move, its piercing gaze locked on me. For a moment, I felt like it was trying to tell me something, but then it turned and disappeared into the shadows as quickly as it had appeared.

“Enise!” Lucian’s voice snapped me out of my daze. He and Anna rushed over, their faces pale.

“Are you okay?” Anna asked, grabbing my shoulders and looking all over me over for injuries.

“I’m fine,” I said, though my voice was shaky. My mind was still reeling from what had just happened.

“Who the hell was that?” Anna asked, glancing in the direction the wolf had gone.

Lucian didn’t answer. His face was grim, his eyes scanning the area as though expecting the men to return.

“We need to leave,” he said finally. “Now.”

I didn’t argue. This was just a reminder that this game was far from over. That wolf was not just some random savior. There was more to it than meets the eyes.