Chapter 98

Alexander

I sat down in the metal chair across from the cage, the hard, cold surface digging into my back. The fluorescent light above flickered, casting long shadows on the concrete walls.

The basement smelled like damp stone, mildew, and something older, something darker. The same smell that had lingered in this house for years, a reminder of things buried deep and long forgotten. But nothing stayed hidden for long, not with the way things were spiraling.

It had been awhile since I’ve kept anyone down here, let alone some kid.

Be he wasn’t just some kid. He’d hur tmy daughter, lead my kids on some hunt for power, or worse.

Theo sat in the farthest corner of the cage, knees pulled to his chest. His hair was matted and damp, his eyes bloodshot like he hadn’t slept in days. But the look he gave me, the defiance that burned in his gaze, was familiar. Too familiar.

I folded my arms, leaning back slightly, watching him through the bars. The tension between us was thick, a silent challenge hanging in the air. He had his back against the cold stone wall, but his posture was relaxed—like he was waiting for something to happen, like this was just another game to him. Maybe it was. But it wasn’t for me. Not anymore.

“So, Theo,” I said, my voice calm, but with a sharp edge. “Who really sent you here?”

His eyes flickered, but he didn’t answer immediately. He shifted, pulling his knees closer, like the space he occupied in this room was small enough for him to shrink into. He was trying to make himself small, but he couldn’t hide the energy radiating from him. This was a kid who wasn’t scared of anything. Maybe that made him more dangerous than I’d first thought.

To think he had been alone with my kids.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, the words dripping with sarcasm. “You think I’m some kind of spy, don’t you?” He lifted his head, eyes meeting mine. “Get over yourself, old man. I don’t work for anyone.”

I could feel the tension tighten in my jaw. I didn’t have time for games. “Don’t lie to me,” I shot back. “We knew you, a rouge, were on our territory for weeks—”

“Yet not that I was hanging out with you’re pups?”

“Reguardless, this is not a coincidence and you’re not here to make friendship bracelets.”

He smirked, a bitter twist of his lips. “Maybe I’m just curious about the local wildlife. I hear you’ve got a nice little setup here, with your pack, your kids… your territory.”

I clenched my fists, trying to stay calm. “My kids are off limits, pup. What do you want with them? What’s your endgame? Who really sent you?”

Theo shifted again, this time letting out a small, almost bored sigh. “Endgame?” he repeated, like the idea was laughable. “Maybe I just want to see how far I can push you. Maybe I’m just sick of the same old wolves, doing the same old thing. Tradition is dead.”

I didn’t buy it. Not for a second. There was something more here. “I don’t like to play games with people who threaten my family, kid.”

Theo’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything. He just leaned back against the wall, raising an eyebrow. “Is that a threat? Are you really gonna hurt me?” His voice was like honey, smooth and calculated, but I saw the flicker of uncertainty in his gaze.

I stood up, the chair scraping loudly against the floor, and moved closer to the bars. “Don’t think for one second I’m not capable of breaking you, Theo,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “You can tranform, correct? You’re a mn then. But you’re small. You’re weak. You won’t last long in here if you don’t cooperate.”

Theo didn’t flinch. Instead, he scoffed. “Yeah? You really think you can break me? I’ve been through worse than you, old man.”

Without warning my hand snapped through the bars, grabbing him by the collar, lifting him off the ground with ease. His breath caught, but his eyes stayed locked on mine. There was a flash of fear in them, but it was buried under layers of stubbornness.

“You don’t need an arm to tell me the truth, kid,” I growled, my grip tightening, my face inches from his. “And with someone as small as you, it wouldn’t take much to snap.”

I wouldn’t, but the boy didn’t need to know that.

Theo’s breath hitched again, but his smirk never wavered. “You’re a real piece of work,” he spat. “What are you gonna do, huh? Beat it out of me?”

I leaned in closer, my face just inches from his. “Don’t test me, Theo. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

Before I could say anything more, I heard footsteps. Slow, light, deliberate, unmistakable. I turned just as Owen stepped out of the shadows, his gaze cutting through the room like a knife.

“Owen?” I asked, my voice tinged with irritation. “What are you doing here? Get out.”

He glanced at me, his face unreadable, and then turned his attention to Theo. “You’re making this harder than it has to be,” Owen said, his voice steady, but there was an underlying tension in it.

I didn’t let go of Theo immediately, holding his gaze.

Owen’s eyes shifted from me to Theo and back again. “I’m just as curious as you are, Dad. I need answers. And so does Abigail.” He took a step closer, his tone hardening. “But he don’t need to break him for it.”

Theo laughed, a short, humorless sound. “Oh, so we are still friends, huh?” He glared at Owen, but the defiance had softened, just a little.

I could feel the tension snapping, the cracks in his bravado showing. He was close, too close to breaking. I could almost taste the truth in the air.

Owen shrugged, “Maybe. Honestly, he should break your arm for what you did to my sister.”

“You don’t know what I did.”

“Exactly,” Owen growled. “So make this worth our time and effort to keep you breathing.”

I blinked, narrowing my eyes at my son. I hardly recognized him, but I did see myself in him when I was young. Whether that was a good or bad thing I had yet to decide.

“You really want answers?” Theo asked, voice quieter now, like the fight was leaving him. “Fine. No one sent me. I overheard an old wolf talking. Something about new blood, making it his own. Taking over, pushing out the alpha line. Your pack. Your territory.”

The room went silent. My heart stopped for a beat. The words hit me like a punch to the gut.

“What wolf?” I asked, barely above a whisper, my voice rough.

Theo smirked, his eyes gleaming with something darker. “GrimMaw.”

The name landed like a stone in my stomach. I couldn’t breathe. GrimMaw. Of course. I should have known. Should’ve seen it coming. I could feel the color draining from my face as I lowered the boy back to his feet.

Owen’s gaze flicked to mine, then back to Theo, confusion and something else flickering in his eyes. “GrimMaw?” he repeated.

Theo nodded, his smirk widening. “I’m surprised you didn’t see the resemblance.”

The world around me seemed to tilt. I couldn’t think straight. GrimMaw—it all made sense now. The whispers, the strange presence lurking at the edge of the territory. The smell of something old, something foul.

Before I could respond, the sharp blare of my phone ripped through the silence. The sound was so loud, so sudden, that it took a second for my brain to process it. My eyes shot to Owen, and I saw the same realization flicker in his gaze.

After a moment I answered.

“The territory’s been breached,” I said, my voice low, steady despite the rush of adrenaline coursing through me.

Owen turned to Theo. “Guess we’ll get more answers later.”

Theo didn’t say anything. He just sat there, his face pale, his gaze flicking between the two of us like he was watching a storm roll in. “I guess, but they won’t be from me.”