Chapter 232

Ava

As soon as I got home, I immediately checked my phone in the hoped that I would find a message or a call from Chris. We had been playing phone tag all day, our schedules seemingly in perfect misalignment. To my relief, there was one text from him, sent hours ago:

“Been busy all day. Probably best to just talk when I get home tomorrow. Miss you, beautiful.”

And then something vulgar beneath that made my cheeks flush.

I sighed, glancing at the clock. Midnight. He was probably asleep by now. At least he and Ophelia would be home first thing in the morning, and then we could talk then.

Despite the late hour and the fact that I hadn’t slept at all last night, sleep eluded me once again, my mind too full of the day’s events. I poured myself a glass of wine and curled up on the couch, staring into the fire. I tried not to think about Leonard, about how frail he had looked today, but my thoughts kept circling back to him no matter how hard I tried.

Suddenly, the soft click of the back door startled me from my reverie. I knew it was Patrick who had slipped in without even looking, judging from the way that his footsteps were nearly silent on the hardwood floor.

“Find anything?” I asked, not bothering to turn around.

Patrick moved into my line of sight, his expression grave. “I followed her. First to the forest, then to... the clinic.”

That got my attention, and I sat up straight. “The clinic? At this hour?”

He nodded. “I tried to get inside, but all the doors and windows were locked tight. Couldn’t pick any of them, either.”

“So what happened after that?”

“I waited, and she emerged a while later. I followed her back to her house, and that was that. Lights out; probably went to sleep.”

I frowned, swirling the wine in my glass. “The clinic... What business could she have there so late?” I mused, more to myself than to him.

“No idea,” Patrick shrugged. “But judging from your reaction, I’m assuming this isn’t normal behavior for her.”

“No, it’s not. Focus more of your efforts on her,” I said. “Something’s not right here.”

Patrick nodded. “Will do. Goodnight, Ava.”

And with that, he was gone. Exhaustion finally hit me once I heard the cellar door softly click shut.

…

Morning came after a fitful night of sleep. I made my way to the helicopter site with Leonard, who looked even worse than yesterday. He could hardly seem to keep his eyes open and his breathing was labored even from the short walk, but he wouldn’t let me help him.

“You should have stayed home,” I chided gently.

Leonard shook his head. “And miss welcoming our Alpha back? Not a chance,” he replied, although I could tell that he was really only here for Ophelia.

We waited, the minutes ticking by slowly. Chris was late.

“Maybe we should—” Leonard started, but was cut off by the distant whir of helicopter blades.

Relief washed over me as the helicopter came into view. As soon as it touched down, I was running, my heart pounding in my chest.

Chris jumped out, his arms opening just in time to catch me. I buried my face in his chest, inhaling his familiar scent.

“Woah,” he laughed, hugging me tight. “Miss me that much? It was only two days.”

I pulled back, my expression serious. “We need to talk privately. Now.”

Chris’s smile faltered. “What’s wrong?”

“Not here,” I said, glancing around. “Let’s go home.”

As we walked back, I saw Ophelia and Leonard locked in an embrace, their reunion just as emotional as ours. But there was no time to dwell on the way that Leonard’s arms trembled as he held Ophelia, and the way that her makeup was streaking down her face upon seeing his condition.

Back at the cottage, I led Chris to the cellar door. “I think it’s better if you see for yourself,” I said, pushing it open.

Chris gave me a confused look but started down the stairs. A few moments later, I heard his shocked exclamation.

“What the fuck?!”

I descended to find Chris staring at Patrick, who was surrounded by surveillance equipment and wearing a sheepish grin on his face, sitting cross-legged on his makeshift bed.

“Surprise?” Patrick offered weakly.

Chris whirled on me. “Ava, what the hell is going on?”

I took a deep breath and launched into an explanation. I told him about Patrick’s unexpected visit, the information he had shared, and mine and Leonard’s decision to keep him hidden. As I spoke, Chris’s expression cycled through shock, anger, and finally, grudging understanding.

“So you decided to harbor a known associate of Olivia... without telling me?” he said slowly.

“I tried to call you,” I reminded him. “But yes. Leonard and I made a judgment call.”

“We both decided that it was for the best,” Leonard added, his voice hoarse.

Chris ran a hand through his hair, pacing the small space. “I trust your judgment. It’s just… this is... a lot to take in.”

“There’s more,” I said, glancing over at Leonard. “Olivia didn’t know about Leonard’s condition. Not until now.”

I glanced at Patrick, who rose to his feet. “She is—or rather, was—under the impression that you had this nasty blight under control with your GMO,” he explained.

Chris cursed under his breath. “And now, thanks to my press conference, she knows everything.” He glanced at Leonard. “And she knows our precise weaknesses.”

“Exactly,” I said. “We’ve lost our one advantage.”

Chris turned to Patrick then. “What else do you know about her plans?"”

Over the next few minutes, Patrick launched into an explanation of everything he had told me so far; the mercenaries, Olivia’s false identity in the human world, her plans. Including…

“A lethal dose of moonbite powder,” Patrick finished, looking over at me with an apologetic expression on his face.

Chris’s arm shot out and wrapped around me protectively like a coiling snake. “Well that, for one, is not going to happen,” he growled. “I’ll kill her before—”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Patrick stopped him with his hand held up. “Olivia is extremely tricky.” He paused, looking over at me, Leonard, and Ophelia. “Although, I suppose you already knew that.”

Chris nodded begrudgingly, his jaw set. “Well, we need to bear down on our borders. Just in case she sends anyone.” His arm tightened around me, and he hissed, “I’m not letting anything happen to you, Ava.”

“I know,” I murmured. “But we need to be careful. We don’t know who we can trust.”

There was a long silence after that, and a begrudging realization seemed to settle over all of us without any of us even having to say it: this discussion couldn’t leave this cellar. Only the five of us could know about… any of this.

For the first time, I think we all felt truly, wholly alone. We had each other, but outside of that…

There was no one that we could trust with this. Not the Elders, not our neighbors, not our pack.

Just an Alpha and a Luna, a dying man, a human… and a traitor.