Analyzing the Clue:"This doesn't make sense," Lila muttered, her fingers tracing over the cryptic note for the tenth time. "There has to be something we're missing."Jake leaned against the table, arms crossed. "We've gone over it again and again. It's just a string of binary numbers."Lucas exhaled sharply. "It’s not just binary. Whoever left this knew exactly how to get under your skin."Lila shot him a glare. "And what’s that supposed to mean?"Lucas met her gaze without flinching. "It means you’re thinking like a hacker, not a strategist. You’re focused on the numbers, but what about everything else? The timing, the placement, the implications."Lila scowled but forced herself to reconsider. She turned the paper over, holding it against the dim light filtering through the window. No hidden engravings. No watermarks. Nothing."There has to be more," she whispered, frustration tightening her chest. "This isn't just some random threat. Someone knew exactly where to leave this, exac
Urgency and the Mission:"We have to go now," Lila insisted, her voice sharp with urgency. "Every second we waste, we risk losing the servers for good."Lucas exhaled slowly, leaning back against the chair. "Lila, we understand the stakes, but rushing in without a plan is reckless.""And what’s your plan? Sit here and wait for them to disappear?" Lila shot back.Jake ran a hand through his hair, visibly torn. "We’re not saying we won’t go. Just that we need to think this through. If the servers were that easy to find, we would have already tracked them."Lila clenched her jaw, frustration burning through her. "We’re wasting time," she muttered under her breath, pushing up from her chair. "If neither of you wants to go, I’ll do it myself."Lucas’s gaze darkened. "No, you won’t.""Try and stop me."Jake sighed. "Bell Town isn’t just some abandoned warehouse district, Lila. It’s controlled territory. You don’t just walk in without someone noticing."Lila’s hands curled into fists. She kn
"You’re not going alone, Lila," Lucas stated firmly, his voice brooking no argument. "I never said I was," Lila shot back, crossing her arms. Jake scoffed. "You were thinking it, and that’s enough of a problem." Lila exhaled sharply, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "We don’t have time to waste! Every second we sit here arguing, we risk losing those servers for good. I can move faster on my own—" "No," Lucas cut in, his tone final. Jake leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. His teasing demeanor was gone, replaced by something sharper. "Let me make this real simple for you. You’re not setting foot in Bell Town without us. Period." Lila clenched her jaw, her cybernetic fingers twitching involuntarily. She had spent so much time fighting against them, against their control, and now, when she needed to act quickly, they were slowing her down. "I don’t need babysitters," she muttered. Jake smirked, but there was no humor in it. "And we don’t need you thr
LUCAS POV After spending hours on the phone with everyone I knew who could help me with this trial, I finally managed to push it back by one day. It wasn’t as much time as I would’ve liked, but I couldn’t afford to complain. Having just one extra day meant we needed to travel nonstop, which made me anxious, especially for Lila’s health. I kept a close eye on her, making sure she was doing well. She looked different, stronger, more confident. There was a glow to her, her cheeks fuller, her dimples showing again, and her hair looking shinier and healthier. Most noticeably, the clothes I had bought for her seemed to fit better. She had regained some weight, and it suited her. The way she carried herself now was different—more assured, more at ease. Seeing her like this made me feel relieved. She deserved to feel safe, to feel whole again. As we traveled, I handled important pack business over the phone, keeping everything in order while we were away. Even then, I couldn’t help but n
Lila let out a slow breath, eyes fluttering open to the dim glow of dawn seeping through the curtains. Her body ached—not from pain, but from the lingering sensations of the night before. She stretched slightly, her muscles sore yet satisfied, a warmth curling in her chest at the thought of Lucas. The way he had held her, the way he had whispered assurances against her skin. A rare moment of vulnerability between them. But as she turned, reaching out across the bed, her fingers met nothing but cool sheets.She sat up, a frown creasing her brow. Gone. Again.Swinging her legs over the edge, she rubbed at her temples, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. She should have known better than to believe Lucas would still be there when she woke up. It wasn’t in his nature to linger, not when there were things to be handled. Yet, disappointment sat heavy in her chest.Pulling on a loose shirt, she padded out of the room, her senses sharp despite the remnants of sleep clinging to her. Voic
The Road Trip & Jake’s Comfort :The plane touched down smoothly, and within minutes, they were off the runway and on the road. Lucas took the wheel, his focus unwavering, while Jake lounged in the passenger seat. Lila sat in the back, exhaustion creeping up on her.Jake turned, catching the way her eyelids drooped. "Get some rest, Lila." She huffed. "I can’t. My mind won’t stop." He reached over, fingers brushing hers. "You worry too much." Lila wanted to argue, but warmth spread from his touch, and her body betrayed her. She curled up slightly, her head resting against Jake’s shoulder."We’ll handle this," he murmured. "Close your eyes." Lila hesitated—then, for the first time in what felt like days, let herself rest.Arriving at the Server Location When Lila opened her eyes, the car had stopped."We’re here," Lucas said.She straightened up, her heart hammering. The old building loomed ahead, its worn brick exterior unchanged since the last time she was here.Jake whistled. "Charm
Lucas’s Ruthless Promise "There’s a chance they tampered with them," Lila admitted. "If they had time to plant a message, they could have planted something worse." Lucas’s hands tightened on the wheel. "If they did, we’ll handle it." His voice was cold. Too cold. Lila turned to him, something sharp curling in her stomach. "Lucas—" "No one does this without consequences," he said, his tone dangerously low. "They want to play games? Fine. But they’ll regret it." The raw promise in his voice sent a shiver down her spine. For the first time, Lila saw it—not just the controlled, strategic leader but something darker beneath it. Jake shifted in his seat, watching his brother with an unreadable expression. “Lucas, you’re scaring me,” Lila said, her voice barely a whisper. “This isn’t just about the servers anymore, is it?”“It hasn’t been for a long time,” Lucas replied, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. “They crossed a line. They’ll pay for it.”“But what if they’re just trying to scare us
"Tell me everything." Lila's voice cut through the morning stillness like a blade. She stood in the doorway, arms crossed, her eyes locked onto Lucas and Jake. Lucas hesitated, but she didn’t give him the chance to stall. "No sugarcoating, no half-truths. Just tell me what happened." Jake exhaled heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Your impersonator screwed up. Big time." Lila’s stomach twisted. "What did they do?" Lucas met her gaze, his expression unreadable. "They tried to hack into Rikkard’s systems." The words sent a chill down her spine. Rikkard wasn’t just a threat—he was the kind of monster who didn’t forgive. If someone had attempted to breach his security, there would be consequences. Deadly ones. "And?" she pressed, her voice tighter now. Jake grimaced. "They failed." Lila inhaled sharply. Of course, they had failed. Rikkard wasn’t someone who let his systems be easily accessed, let alone infiltrated. Lucas’s jaw clenched. "Now he’s hunting fo
The snow runners hummed low in the distance, but inside the main compound, the silence was different—denser. Like the air knew something was about to shift.Jake moved quietly down the hall, his boots barely making a sound against the smooth stone. The others were prepping for the mission, loading supplies and finalizing comm routes, but he wasn’t headed toward them.He turned the corner instead, slipping past the closed doors of the lower level, until he reached the double-arched threshold of the library.Inside, it was quiet. Still.Stacks of ancient books lined the walls, their spines weathered by time and frost. The fire pit crackled softly in the center, casting shadows across the stone floor. Between two long tables sat Lila, surrounded by open files and old maps. Her brows were drawn together, lips slightly parted as she leaned over the parchment.Jake stopped just at the entrance, watching her.She hadn't noticed him yet. She was mouthing something to herself, fingers brushing
Inside, anticipation grew like fire beneath ice.Lucas was already on the comms. “Yes, Councilor’s office, encrypted channel only. Authorization code: Delta-Five-Nine.”Jake stood nearby, already dialing out on his own line. His voice was lower, sharper. “We’ll need two snow runners, packed and fueled. Pilot clearance for border crossing by tonight.”Lila watched them both, silent. Purpose hummed in the air—raw and alive. Every movement was laced with urgency, a careful balance between calculated action and underlying tension.Lucas turned toward them. “Maerin’s office just confirmed receipt. She’s forwarding our inquiry to the Councilor with ‘urgent internal interest’ tagged on it. If Arika’s name flags anything, we’ll know soon.”Jake nodded, already pacing. “Good. Because the further north we go, the thinner the cover gets. Rikkard may not know yet, but once we cross into Venut, it’s only a matter of time.”Lila shifted toward Jake. “What else do we need?”Jake exhaled, ticking off
"We're walking straight into a trap." Jake’s voice cut through the heavy silence like a blade. His arms were crossed, jaw tight, eyes narrowed at the digital map projected above the table. “You know what lies near Venut. Rikkard’s territory isn’t just hostile—it’s unpredictable.”Lila didn’t respond immediately. She stood by the window, fingers clenched around the frame as if bracing herself. The early morning mist outside curled around the glass, gray and distant, as foreboding as Jake’s warning.“I know exactly where Venut lies,” she said at last, her voice steady but quiet. “And I know who lurks just beyond its border. But Arika’s trail doesn’t lie. That server ping came from Venut.”Jake paced. “She’s playing us. Luring us closer to Rikkard. You know what happens if he gets wind of your presence, Lila. He’s not just a threat to us—he’s a threat to you specifically. If he even suspects what Lawrence was hiding, it’s over.”“He won’t find out,” Lila said, turning to face him. Her ton
Lila stood in front of the map, the glowing pins marking their route to Venut flickering in the dim light. The cold wind outside howled like an unrelenting beast, but inside, there was only the quiet hum of machines and the tension that hung thick in the air.Jake and Lucas moved swiftly around the room, gathering equipment, checking weapons, and securing supplies for the journey ahead. Each movement was purposeful, and yet, there was an unspoken understanding between them all that nothing about this mission was guaranteed. No one knew what awaited them in Venut, not even Lila.As she scanned the map, her thoughts drifted back to the moments after the explosion—the cold, the smoke, the feeling of being utterly alone. But now, she wasn’t alone. She had them. She wasn’t going into this battle without a plan, without support.“Everything’s packed,” Jake said, glancing up from his gear. “We’re ready to move.”Lila’s lips pressed together as she met his gaze. “Hopefully, I’ll find Arika th
…“She’s not just another rogue,” Lila said, her voice low, her fingers gripping the edge of the cold metal table in the makeshift strategy room. “She’s human.”Jake paused mid-step, turning slowly. “What?”Lila looked up, eyes burning with a fire she hadn’t shown since before the explosion. “Arika. She’s not like us. She never shifted. Never showed signs of a wolf. That’s why she’s been able to slip through pack territory without triggering the usual alerts. She’s off the grid.”Jake let out a long breath, and Lucas swore under his breath. “That makes things… complicated,” he muttered.“More than complicated,” Jake said. “It means she could be anyone. Anywhere.”“But not anywhere,” Lila snapped. She straightened and stepped toward them. “She’s in Venut. That log was real. I know it. She accessed the system from a terminal in the city. I’ve verified the IP bounce pattern three times. It matches regional routing unique to that district. It can’t be faked.”“But what if it’s a trap?” Luc
“She’s in the system again,” Lila muttered, her voice tight with tension as her eyes flicked across the scrolling lines of code.“What?” Jake pushed off the wall where he had been leaning, stepping beside her screen. “I thought the firewall updates from yesterday sealed everything.”“She bypassed them,” Lila snapped, fingers flying across the keyboard. “She’s good, Jake. Better than before. This isn’t a brute force entry—it’s precision. She’s slipping in, taking what she needs, and vanishing before the trace completes.”Lucas leaned forward, studying the flicker of data. “Is that a decoy? Look—see that line repeating every seven seconds? She’s looping a command. It’s masking real-time action.”“Exactly,” Lila confirmed, zooming in on the blinking code. “But she slipped up. Just a millisecond too long in the core sequence. I caught it.”“Can you isolate it?” Jake asked, voice now sharper, posture rigid with focus.Lila’s lips tightened. “Already did. She cut the connection before I cou
The Code She Left Behind"“That’s not one of ours, is it?” Jake’s voice cut through the hum of monitors, low and urgent.“No,” Lila muttered, eyes darting across the screen. Her fingers flew across the keyboard. “It’s Arika. She’s in again.”“What’s she trying to do?” Lucas leaned over Lila’s shoulder, his expression tight but composed. The green light of the data streams reflected in his glasses, casting sharp lines across his cheekbones.“She’s poking around the restricted files. Again,” Lila replied, her tone clipped, tense. “But she didn’t get through. Not yet.”“And if she does?” Jake asked, stepping closer. His voice was quieter now, edged with concern. “What exactly is she after?”“The archives,” Lila said flatly. “Our core research logs. The stuff we’ve buried under fifteen layers of encryption.”Jake swore under his breath. Lucas straightened. “She knows where the keys are hidden?”“She doesn’t have them, but she’s close.” Lila exhaled, dragging a trembling hand through her h
LILA Several sunrises came and went, yet I still found myself empty-handed—no real lead, no breakthrough, and not a single clue that could steer me in the direction of my vile sister. She remained elusive but continued stirring trouble everywhere she went. The mess she was creating didn’t stop with random people anymore—now she had boldly turned her games toward the powerful Werewolf Council. That bold move only made my nerves rattle more fiercely. Although my mates tried tirelessly to bring me comfort, their efforts barely made a dent in my rising unease.Instead of resting or taking a break like they suggested, I locked myself away even more in the massive, dusty library, surrounded by flickering screens and endless codes. I poured my energy into trying to uncover anything that could point me toward her. The brothers often had to come in and literally pull me away from the setup to remind me to do basic things—like eat, sleep, and breathe like a normal person.Jake, ever the invent
Jake didn’t stop.Even after she collapsed beneath him, her body quaking from release, he kept her pinned with his weight. His breath was hot against the nape of her neck, teeth still clamped possessively into her scruff. His growl was low, vibrating through her ribcage like thunder ready to rumble again.And then—he moved.His hips shifted, slowly at first, deliberately drawing out the tension. Her wolf whimpered, sensitive and overstimulated, yet greedy for more. Jake's dominance wasn’t just primal—it was unrelenting. He didn’t wait for permission. Didn’t coax.He took.With a vicious thrust, he buried himself inside her again, harder than before. Her body stretched to accommodate him, torn between pleasure and pain, between resistance and surrender. Her claws scraped against the snow-packed ground as she writhed, barely able to brace herself against the feral storm that was Jake.His rhythm was punishing.Rough. Wild. Untamed.Where Lucas had claimed her with control and reverence,