Alpha Kane left quickly that night, and we never spoke again.

Sophia arrived shortly after Alpha Kane left. The three of us walked into my bedroom and closed the door behind us. Denial and shock hung in the air, sticky and tangible.

The first thing I did when I walked into my room was lock the damn window. I pulled the curtains halfway closed and tied them. I wasn’t going to look out that window for a long time.

Dad didn’t argue when I told him Jackson was staying the night with Sophia. He just nodded absently at me.

Jackson and Sophia weren’t much of a comfort, but I was still grateful for their company. I’d always heard that it was best not to be alone in situations like this.

The three of us sat in my room, the silence filling the emptiness.

"Alpha Kane never found out why the mysterious wolf dropped the threat paper right outside your window?" Sophia’s voice dropped a few octaves.

It suddenly dawned on me in the middle of my confusion. If I couldn’t trust my friends, who could I trust? The more people who knew, the better. Besides, the next morning, the entire pack would know our pack received a threat..

So I spilled the beans to my friends. I told them how Marcus had come to me, sharing cryptic details of his insane plan to become Alpha again. Not only that, he was planning to rid the world of Alpha Kane. I even mentioned the cryptic texts to them, including the one I’d received earlier that evening.

Sophia was speechless, and Jackson looked furious. His blond brows were furrowed in anger.

"Damn it, Marcus," Jackson spat, shaking his head. "Why would he include you in his suicidal plans?"

"And what did he mean by his friends?" Sophia frowned. "Why are they so interested in you?"

"Maybe it’s because of my charm?" I snorted and shook my head. "I know as much as you two do." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Alpha Kane will figure it out," Sophia nodded.

"Hopefully, before they get to Zara," Jackson frowned, worry in his eyes.

"Maybe we shouldn’t go to the bar this Friday." Sophia frowned, disappointment in her eyes at losing her mate.

"No," I shook my head. "I’m not going to let some cryptic texts and Marcus’s threats scare me into hiding. We’re going to the bar and we’re going to find your mate."

"It could be dangerous," Sophia frowned. "Anyone could get hurt. The bar isn’t in pack territory."

"It’s only a ten-minute walk," I shrugged. "Besides, we’re all good at defending ourselves. We’ll stick together and find your mate, then we can escape."

It was only a few hours before the news of the threat reached everyone in town. The lights were bright in the windows of the apartments, and I wondered if anyone would be able to sleep tonight.

Even though neither of us had slept a wink last night, the fatigue couldn’t get the better of us. I frantically went through the details. Trying to find anything, Thoughts and comments about the day Marcus visited me. He mentioned a friend, but didn’t go into detail.

Time dragged on until it came to me that I had to get up from the couch to get dressed for fighting lessons. After the threat, Alpha Kane suggested that everyone to know how we can fight. I figured there was no way Alpha Kane was going to cancel it; we needed fighting lessons now more than ever.

Sophia and Jackson had spent the night with me. The three of us were sleep-deprived, but we weren’t feeling the effects yet.

I let Sophia borrow a pair of shorts, and I tossed Jackson a tank top and shorts from Ryan’s closet. The three of us headed out the door to the pack house with ten minutes to spare.

Of course, by the time we got to the pack house, the rumors had already spread.

"Did you hear that he was found outside her window?"

"Doubtful, huh?" I bet she had something to do with it.’

"But why pick on her of all people?"

"Cassie said she left the bar early. Plenty of time to kill someone, if you ask me."

"I’ll rip her charred hair out," Sophia muttered under her breath, hearing yet another rumor that painted me as a cold-blooded killer.

I sighed, "We knew this would happen. No wonder Cassie makes things worse."

"Guess that’s the only thing Cassie’s good at," Jackson rolled his eyes.

"That and trying to suck up to Alpha," Sophia muttered, and I followed her gaze to Alpha Kane.

Alpha Kane was standing by the side doors, talking to his Beta Hunter and a few other men. I cringed inwardly as Cassie darted toward the group of men and interrupted their conversation.

I couldn’t help the smug smile that spread across my face as Alpha Kane turned to face her, eyes blazing with anger.

It seemed we weren’t the only ones who hadn’t gotten enough sleep.

Cassie flinched at the hostility emanating from Alpha Kane and turned away.

Jackson, Sophia, and I took our places on the mats, planning to visit a small cafe in the Sterling Empire that evening.

Beta Hunter stepped forward, taking his usual position as Alpha Kane. His gruff voice carried throughout the building.

"Everyone!" Beta called, and the conversation died down. "Alpha Kane has business to attend to. He left me in charge. Pair up and begin."

Cassie, Jackson, Sophia, and I stepped aside. Beta noticed the three of us and came over.

"Zara, pair up with Jackson." Beta nodded toward me and called to Cassie. "Cassie, pair up with Sophia."

"I’ve been dying to kick her ass for years." Sophia was practically shaking with excitement.

Beta walked to the front of the room, looking at each group as they trained.

"I hope Jackson survives lessons with you," Cassie hissed. "I wouldn’t want to be paired with a killer."

"Fuck off," Jackson growled.

"Honey, when I’m done with you, you’re going to wish you were paired with Zara." Sophia grinned in anticipation and followed Cassie to one of the mats.