012.

Cassie.

I hadn’t expected Cy’s voice not now or ever. I was convinced I’d never hear her voice, and I made peace with it, telling myself I was okay knowing she was with me regardless.

“You can speak?” I asked, eyes wide.

“Yes. I can,” came her simple response.

I was speechless, my fingers brushing against the small bag that held my things.

“Since when?” I managed, my voice trembling a little in fear and more in shock.

“Since forever,” she replied with a strange calm, “But the stress from the pack put a strain on you and made it difficult for us to communicate,” she paused for a moment before adding;

“But now that you’re free, communication will be easy, or at least I hope so. We’re still too weak you know.”

For a moment, a shaky, uncertain joy flickered in my chest. I wanted to know more, why things had always felt so muted and stifled. 

“I have so much I want to ask you, Cy. So much—”

“Not now,” Her tone became sharper, urgent. “I don’t know what’s happening but I sense scout wolves coming after us.”

My blood ran cold. It had only taken a second for the fragile feeling of freedom I felt to crumble. Axel made it clear he didn’t want me in his pack, so why did he send wolves after me?

A chill ran through me as realization dawned. It was the money. The money I had stolen from him. 

“Oh, no… I’m in trouble,” I whispered, the words slipping out in a shaky breath. My grip tightened on the bag, the worn leather warm under my touch. My pulse thundered in my ears, each beat loud as a drum. 

The night was quiet, the crescent moon hanging like a silver hook in the sky. I looked around, eyes darting from shadow to shadow, catching only glimpses of dark, empty streets. 

My heart raced not just with the fear of the wolves coming after me but also with the fear of the world beyond the estate’s gates—somewhere I’d never been on my own. Every sound, every movement, felt like a threat.

I had no idea where to go, or where to hide.

“You need to keep moving or they’ll get us!” Cy’s voice cut through the panic. I nodded and kept moving, and soon, I arrived at the closest bus stop to the estate. 

I let out a deep breath and leaned on the big blue pole to catch my breath, but Cy wasn’t having any of it.

“It’s not safe here. They’ll find you if you stay here,” she said firmly and I swallowed hard, nodding. Turning away from the bus stop, I made my way toward a small, dimly lit stall down the road, hoping it would offer some semblance of shelter.

Inside the stall, a woman came in, cradling a small baby in her arms, and the moment I saw her my breath hitched. I felt an ache deep inside—a pang I couldn’t ignore. 

Memories flooded my mind, filling me with an unbearable longing. I could still feel Cam’s tiny hand wrapped around my finger, his warm breath against my neck as I held him close, his scent a reminder of all the love I’d poured into him in those precious eleven months.

But the image of him cold and still in my arms pushed its way in, and I had to squeeze my eyes shut, forcing back the tears that threatened to spill.

“Cassie,” Cy’s voice was gentle but firm, “I know you’re grieving but you can’t think about him now. I need you to stay alert or they’ll find you and drag you back to Red Hollow.”

I took a deep breath, pushing down the ache and forcing myself to focus. The pull to Cam, the memories of him—it was a wound that would never close, but I couldn’t let it break me, not here, not now. 

Shaking my head, I snapped myself back to the present, my senses sharpening as I scanned the street from the window, peeling my eyes away from the mother and her child. 

My stomach twisted as I noticed them—seven wolves patrolling the area, prowling through the darkness, their eyes sharp and searching.

They were checking every face, every shadow.

I tensed as the bus rolled up, stopping just where I had been standing. Some of the wolves boarded the bus, their heads swiveling as they scanned the passengers. Cy was right—they would’ve caught me instantly if I’d waited there or tried to get on the bus. 

My legs felt heavy, frozen, as fear gripped me. But I forced myself to keep calm.

A voice floated over into my ears. It was one of the wolves speaking, “Check the shops around. If she didn’t get on the bus, she’s close. She couldn’t have gotten far.”

My heart skipped a beat as all seven wolves spread out, two of them moving toward the small shop where I was hiding. I heard them speaking in low tones, one of them muttering, “Be alert. Her wolf is weak, so she might be harder to sense.”

I swallowed a shaky breath, knowing that if I stayed out in the open, I’d be exposed the moment they stepped through the door. My gaze darted around the shop, and I spotted a door toward the back. 

Without a second thought, I slipped through the narrow aisle to the door. I realized it was a small restroom when I opened it. I went in, closing the door as quietly as I could behind me.

The silence felt suffocating, the tiny space pressing in on me from all sides. My hand gripped my bags tighter, my knuckles white as I pressed myself back against the wall, straining to hear any sound that might tell me the wolves were gone. 

Each second stretched, a slow and endless ticking that made my skin prickle.

Ten minutes. Ten minutes that felt like an eternity.

Finally, the silence outside felt different, less tense. I took a deep breath and steadied myself, telling myself that they must have left, that the danger had passed. 

I eased open the door, peering out. The shop was void of the wolves, save for the humans I’d met there.

I took a cautious step out of the restroom, inching my way toward the exit. But the moment I stepped outside, my stomach dropped. There they were—wolves stationed around the area, watching the bus stop and every dark corner nearby.

A wave of panic hit me, almost paralyzing in its intensity. I scanned the street, desperate, my mind racing for some way out.

Then, suddenly, headlights cut through the night, illuminating the street ahead. A sleek, black car pulled up in front of me, and the window rolled down.

“Get in. Quickly.”