"Z," Leo said, his voice low but sharp. "Those gadgets we pulled from the cabin two years ago, when Zeynep, uh, I mean Aylin, got attacked? My team finally figured them out. The formula? It matches William Arthur’s stuff exactly. Either he’s still pulling strings from the grave, or someone’s swiped his tech. Honestly? I don’t buy the dead genius story. It’s too neat."

Aylin looked up from where she was standing next to Zayden, confusion crossing her face. "Wait...are you talking about the devices from the forest? The ones those attackers dropped?"

Zayden nodded, his blue eyes serious now, but there was still a spark in them that made her heart race. "Yeah. The ones that messed up my cameras and almost got you killed. Explain this to me, hacker girl. You’ve got secrets, spill. It still baffles me how you dealt with those two ex-military guys."

He paused for a moment and said again, "They were Alpha’s best, trained killers. You had a knife, a little head injury, and passed out. Yet they were shot up pretty badly, bleeding out, and they ran off without their gear. They were definitely shot, and the knife didn’t have any blood on it. So how? Give me the real deal."

Aylin blinked, her golden-brown eyes wide. "Me? I didn’t shoot them."

Leo crossed his arms, looking skeptical. "Come on, little girl. We found the blood trails—forest, cabin. They were in bad shape. Are you saying it wasn’t you?"

"No!" Aylin shot back, her voice rising like a cornered lioness, fierce and determined. "I saw them come into the cabin. I grabbed the knife from the counter. One of them hit me on the forehead, dazed me good. Then bam, shots went off. Both went down, bleeding. I thought it was you, Zayden, coming back early or something. But I blacked out right after."

Zayden’s jaw tightened, anger flashing in his eyes, not at her, but at the memory. "Me? I was with Leo. If it wasn’t you, then who?"

Leo paced, rubbing his chin. "You mean a third player? Someone else in the woods, taking out Alpha’s guys and disappearing? That’s hard to believe. We searched the area, only found your fingerprints, theirs, and Z’s from earlier."

Aylin’s cheeks flushed, not from shyness, but frustration. "I’m not lying! There was someone. They saved me. I thought it was Zayden. I didn’t see a face, just shadows and shots, them dropping. Do you really think I’d hide that?"

Zayden studied her, her posture straight, eyes defiant, no flicker of deceit. He believed her. He always had, deep down. "If you’re hiding something," he said softly, his voice tense, "just tell me now. We’re in this together."

She shook her head, meeting his gaze directly. "I’m not. I swear it."

Leo scoffed. "You’ve lied before, fake name, disappearing act. Don’t pull that now. This is life-or-death."

Aylin’s temper flared, she stepped toward Leo, her lioness roar returning. "Oh please, I know it’s serious! And sure, I lied to survive. But this? I’d tell you if I knew. Trust me or don’t, I don’t care."

Zayden’s lips twitched into a half-smile, cutting through his serious look. "Easy, tigeress." He pulled her back gently, his hand lingering on her waist. "Leo’s just being paranoid. I believe you. That means we’ve got a ghost savior out there, someone who wants you alive. They care enough to risk Alpha’s wrath."

Aylin’s anger simmered down a bit, but she shot Leo a look. "Fine. Just don’t accuse me again, okay?"

Leo raised his hands and laughed. "Alright, alright. Feisty. Z, you sure you can handle her?"

Zayden’s face got serious as he pulled Aylin closer, flirting like it was a game. "Oh, I can handle her just fine." He whispered low, just for her, "Especially when she’s fired up like this."

Aylin flushed and playfully nudged his arm, suddenly feeling shy again. "Zayden—not right now!"

Leo rolled his eyes, teasing them. "Great. Office romance. Can we focus before I throw up?"

Zayden chuckled, a short, genuine laugh, then got serious. "Alright. So, here’s the deal: Those jerks were keeping an eye on the cabin with a drone. They waited until I left for Leo’s meeting, jammed the cameras with William’s gadgets, and then broke in. You grabbed a knife, got hit, and were dazed. The mystery shooter took them both out. You thought it was me, why’s that? Same clothes? Build?"

Aylin’s eyes went wide, shock washing over her. "I... I don’t remember the details. I just figured, gunshots, them down, you protecting me like before."

Leo pulled out an old, worn photo from his pocket that he’d held onto for two years, the edges were frayed. "Speaking of mysteries... this was found on one of the attackers. Who is she?"

He held it up: a woman with short black hair, dark eyes, and a mole on her cheek, sitting in front of a laptop.

Aylin took the photo, her eyebrows shooting up. She looked from Leo to Zayden. "You guys don’t know?"

They both shook their heads. "Nope. Spill."

Aylin smirked, slow and sly. "Are you serious?"

Zayden leaned in, keeping a straight face but with a flirty vibe. "Dead serious, babe. Tell me."

Her smile widened. "This is me."

Leo’s jaw dropped. "No way. Black hair, short cut, dark eyes, and a mole—"

"Wig. Contacts. Fake mole." Aylin shrugged, but her tone turned fierce—like a lioness ready to pounce. "I disguise myself. I cover my tracks. I vanish. Reyes taught me to change it up and stay one step ahead."

Zayden clapped slowly, clearly admiring her. "Wow. You’re amazing. Super perfectionist. What’s up with that? Dangerous, brilliant, beautiful." He brought her in and kissed her temple. "My hacker girl."

Aylin blushed, a shy smile breaking through. "Stop it..."

Leo whistled. "Wow, it’s Reyes again? That dude’s like your shadow."

Zayden clenched his jaw, jealousy flashing in his eyes. "So, what do you think of Reyes, anyway?"

Aylin laughed softly. "He’s awesome. My best bud."

Zayden’s eyes narrowed. "Best bud? I saw something in his eyes yesterday that looked like he wanted more."

She shook her head, still smiling. "Nah, he thinks of me like a sister,"

Zayden smirked, not buying it. "Are you kidding yourself? Or trying to fool me?"