CHAPTER FOUR

A wolf in sheep's clothing

Star’s face was caked in dirt and blood as she dragged a dead wolf, leaving a trail of blood behind them, approaching the house she sucked in a deep breath, her brain involuntarily jumping to the previous time she was in this position. 

“This is for you Dad, Joseph, and Noah.” She whispered and trudged across the backyard, dropping the body right outside the door. 

“Star?!” Mike rushed out of the house with a look of concern on his face and if Star didn’t know better, she would have thought it to be genuine. 

“Uncle Mike!” She accepted the hug he gave her, ignoring the way her skin crawled when he touched her. “What are you doing here at this time of the day and where’s dad?” She looked behind him into the house and moved towards the door, but he grabbed her arm to stop her. 

“Star, you can’t go in there!” Star frowned, then smiled. 

“Are they planning a surprise party for me?” She grinned and glanced behind him again, trying to peek into the house.

“Star… I- I don’t know how to tell you this, but, your father and brothers were killed a few weeks ago.” Star’s went blank. 

“That’s not a nice joke, Uncle Mike.” She frowned and shook her head, before taking off into the house. 

“Dad, Joseph!” Star called out, throwing open her father’s study door only to come up empty, she turned back Mike who was hot on her heels. “Where are they?” 

“I’m sorry, Star, but a group of wolves attacked them while they were training one day, they didn’t make it.” Tears gathered in Star’s eyes. 

“No, NO!” She shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. “They can’t be dead, I can’t lose them.” She cried hysterically and Mike gathered her in his arms again, “they can’t be dead Uncle Mike.” She sobbed, allowing her true feelings to come forward for the first time since she found their bodies.  

“Star, calm down, I’m here, you’re not alone, I’ve got you.” He soothed, guiding her into the living room.

“Where were you? You were supposed to protect them too!” She cried angrily, pushing away from him. 

The living room was spotless and if she hadn’t seen them with her own eyes, she would have never guessed the events that transpired here earlier. 

“I was on an assignment, I’m sorry Star if I had known…” He trailed off regretfully. 

“Who did this?” She asked through gritted teeth. 

“It doesn’t matter.” He tried, but Star saw the calculating look in his eye. 

“Yes, it does, so you can either tell me or I will find out and make them pay myself!” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Star these aren’t any ordinary werewolves, they’re not the rogues you’re used to, the Lockwood pack is strong and calculating, how else do you think they were able to get the better of your father and brothers?” Star’s jaw clenched. 

“That can’t be the end of it, I refuse to believe it is.” Mike looked away for a moment before he locked eyes with her again. 

“There is one other way, but it’s not going to be easy.” Star stared at him with determination written across her features. 

“What do I have to do?” She steeled her back.

“There’s a man by the name of Stone who can help us, but we have to make it worth his while.” Star clenched her jaw and stood from her seat before making her way to her father’s study.

The desk was littered with haphazard papers as if whoever dug through them was doing so in a hurry, but she didn’t care for that, she pushed the desk away from its usual spot to reveal the loose tile beneath which the safe was hidden. 

She punched in the code she knew off by heart and pulled open the door when she heard the click. The book was dusty from being in the floor safe, reaching in, Star lifted the book and stood to drop it on his table. 

“Will this make it worth his while?” Star watched Mike’s face turn from shock to smug in a moment, but he schooled his features and stepped forward.

“What is this?” He opened the book and paged through it. “How did you know that was there?” he narrowed his eyes at Star. 

“I snuck into my dad’s study one night and I saw him take it out of the safe.” She shrugged, feeling satisfied when he bought it. 

“This is great, Star. We have to take it to him at once.” Star resisted the urge to roll her eyes, instead she glanced down at her attire. 

“Can I take a shower first?” Mike chuckled and nodded.

***

The drive to Stone’s house was filled with silence, Star stared out the window, her mind involuntarily conjuring images of road trips she used to take with her family. Before Noah and Joseph went to The Academy they were fun and outgoing, their dad often took them on camping trips in the woods and the drive between the trees reminded her of simpler times. 

“Star, I need to make sure that you know what you’re doing could prove to be dangerous,” Mike spoke in a tone she would otherwise have recognized as concern, had she not known of his involvement in the murder of her family. 

For all she knew, he could have been the one to drive the stake into her father’s chest under the guise of a friend. 

“What more do I have to lose?” She turned her head to look at him, he seemed taken aback by the frankness in her voice. 

“You’re willing to die for revenge?” His eyebrows shot up, not believing she was so careless. 

“I’m willing to do anything to get justice for my family and if that means dying, then yes.” Mike shook his head.

“That place really did change you, didn’t it?” Star’s jaw clenched, The Academy had opened her eyes to a lot, but what changed her was what she saw the day she was free of that place. 

“A lot changes when you witness death, but even more changes when you realize people aren’t what they seem.” Her cryptic answer was filled with more truth than he would ever know. 

What she was doing was dangerous, but only if the plan failed and she got caught.

“You’re right, which is why we have to end their existence once and for all.” Mike was talking about a whole other existence, but under her own context, his words ran true. 

“I couldn’t agree more.” Star was sure he’d heard the malice in her voice when he glanced at her, making her anger that much more believable. 

“We’re here,” Mike announced, pulling into the driveway of a huge mansion, the man looked to have more money than he needed, and the guards that surrounded the house and manned the gates were proof that he was someone many wanted dead, but unlike others, Star knew the only way to do that was from the inside out. 

Star smirked inwardly when the gates swung open. Phase one, complete.

“Well, I’ll be damned if it isn’t Mike Grady. You must be Star Cullen.” Star accepted the man’s handshake and held back a shudder when he kissed the back of it, staring at her with evil eyes. 

“Stone.” Mike greeted cooly. 

“I can’t say I wasn’t expecting this when I heard of Cullen’s death.” Star’s jaw clenched at his uncaring tone of voice and watched as he poured himself a glass of scotch. “Scotch?” He turned to Star and held out a glass as if daring her to take it. 

Without a second thought, Star gripped the glass and threw back the amber liquid, enjoying the warmth that spilled down her throat and into her chest. 

“Thank you.” Star locked eyes with him, handing him back the glass, enjoying the surprise she saw on his face. 

“You’re certainly a Cullen. My question is, what is the daughter of my biggest rival doing in my house?” Stone smirked, turning to pin her under his scrutinizing eyes. 

“My father may have been, but I am not your rival and the reason I am here is to offer an alliance.” Stone raised a curious eyebrow, playing the part perfectly. 

“Little girl, you may be a hunter, but I don’t see how you could ever offer me an alliance.” Now it was Star’s turn to smirk. 

“I may not have even half as much experience as any one of you, but I have something none of you have and I have a hunch you’d be interested in knowing what that is.” the man didn’t have to say it out loud, but Star knew that the reason her father was such fierce competition for a man with brute force on his side was that he was resourceful. 

“Bella, make our guests comfortable in my office, I will be there shortly.” His gaze never left Star’s as he spoke, swallowing the scotch in his hand, he turned and disappeared down the hallway, leaving Bella to usher them into his study. 

Star looked around the room, on the outside, it looked like a regular study with a large cherry wood desk in the center and the walls lined with books of all kinds. The table was littered with papers, giving the impression that Stone was simply another businessman and in many ways, he was. 

“I’m sure Mike here has told you, I don’t like interruptions, so if what you have isn’t worth my while, you should stand up and leave now.” Stone stated, but shut the door behind himself, easily contradicting his statement. 

She wouldn’t deny that he was an intimidating man and the recent change of clothes from his silk gown and boxer shorts into a pristine business suit made all the difference to enforce that aura. He had a sense of darkness and danger that surrounded him and while her father and brothers had been in the same business, they were more respected than feared leaders, as could always be seen when they were in the presence of colleagues. 

“I can assure you, Mr. Stone, I didn’t come all the way here to waste both our times.” Star didn’t look in his direction, choosing to remain in the position of power she was in. 

“You’re a brave young woman, I must say my detail could use someone like you, but before we get to that.” He took a seat behind his desk and pinned Star under his calculating gaze, “You want revenge, what’s in it for me?” Star reached into her large handbag and pulled out the heavy leather-bound book.

Dropping it on the table, she smirked in satisfaction when small particles of dust lifted from the surface, “This book contains every detail my father has collected on the Lockwood pack over the past ten years, it has everything from maps of the territory to patrol routines.” Stone’s greedy gaze fell on the book, but something in his gaze told her he wasn’t going to make it easy. 

“If your father had so much information on the pack, why did he never attack?” Stone’s eyes narrowed. 

Mike’s silence beside her was not lost on her, she couldn’t understand what his standpoint was in it all, but she was somewhat grateful he didn’t step in, she needed to be the one to sell this. 

“I may be a new kid on the block, Stone, but word travels fast and even I know that if you and my father hadn’t been such great rivals, you would have made one hell of a team,” Stone smirked at her words, both of them knew the truth.

“And I suppose you’re here to right your father’s wrongs?” Stone leaned back, arrogance written all over his face. 

“Do not be mistaken Stone, you may have what I want, but I have what I need. Think of this as a transaction, I scratch your back, you scratch mine.” If possible, Stone’s eyes darkened. Star could see the greedy glances he threw at her father’s book and if nothing else gave it away, the tick of his jaw would have told her that book was the reason her family was killed. 

“Business. I’ve been in business long enough to know that nothing is as black and white as it seems, so tell me little girl, what’s the catch?” Star regarded him with fire in her eyes. 

“I want to be the one who gets to drive a stake through the Alpha’s heart.” Stone’s smirk grew malicious at the mention of blood. 

He stood and strode around the desk, his back settling beside the book against his desk and directly in front of Star’s rigid body. “I’m sure that can be arranged.” 

Stone stuck out a hand for her to shake which she accepted without hesitance, “You’ve got yourself a deal, Cullen.”

Star smirked triumphantly and stood from her chair, “I take it Bella will be showing me to where I’ll be staying?” Stone rose an eyebrow at her forwardness but nodded with a smug smile. 

Before Star could leave the room, she picked the book up, “I’ll be keeping this.” She turned on her feet, locking eyes with Mike’s uncertain ones before she sashayed out the office, feeling Stone’s eyes on her ass all the way till she was out of view. 

Phase two is complete.