Third Person’s POV
<b>+5 </b><b>Free </b><b>Coins </b>
Adide arched an eyebrow, ying along. “High–stakes performances get a bigger bonus- ten grand. Standard stuff only gets you a thousand.”
“What counts as high–stakes?” Paisley asked, her voice raspy fromughing so hard. “You gonna do some circus acrobatics, Avery?”
Avery’s eyes lit up with a greedy green glow, like a wolf scenting a kill.
“Eating! I can take down a mixing–bowl–sized portion of pasta in under two minutes! Or drinking–I chug this whole bottle of vodka, do I get the ten grand?”
“In your dreams!” Adide and Paisley chimed in, cracking up.
“Five grand then!” Avery pushed, holding up five fingers and waving them around.
“Five thousand bucks! I do the food and the booze. Come on, I’m putting my stomach on the line here!”
Paisley grabbed a cashew off the table and flicked it perfectly at his forehead.
“You trying to choke or just get alcohol poisoning? Didn’t Caldwell give you a massive year–end bonus already? You really that thirsty for another five grand?”
Avery caught the cashew in his mouth with a sharp snap, chewed it, and mumbled, “Who says no to more cash? You’d be an idiot not to take a payout this easy.”
That was the ssic grunt–wolf mindset: if you can eat it, drink it, or get paid for it, you’re in paradise.
Once it was clear Adide wasn’t approving his “suicide by pasta” routine, Avery gave up. He counted his stack of bills with a smirk.
“I’m heading back to the Shadow Peaks in a few days to check on Instructor Irene. I’ll drop this cash off with her. I don’t like her being up there all by herself.”
“Sounds good. Go for it,” Adide nodded, a flicker of nostalgia in her eyes.
“You wanna tag along?” Avery turned to Paisley. “We’re heading the same way. Let’s make it a road trip.”
<b>10:50 </b><b>Fri</b><b>, </b><b>Jan </b><b>16 </b>
Paisley swirled her drink, thinking it over before shaking her head.
CD
s
“Nah. If I head back toward the Crimson me territory, I’ll have to deal with the Stephens. Those old geezers won’t stop nagging me once they see my face<i>.” </i>
“So hit the Shadow Peaks first, then do the family thingter. It’s the holidays–it’s not like you’ve got a tight schedule,” Avery pressured.
Paisley put on her “bossdy” face.
“What do you mean, no schedule? I’ve got three students to train now. They’ll being by to pay their respects for the New Year.”
Avery scowled, but then his eyes went wide as a new idea hit him.
“Wait, those three kidse from money. They’re definitely gonna bring you some high–end gifts. Since you won’t use half that crap anyway, why not give it to me? I’ll take it back <i>to </i>Irene.”
“You are a greedy little bastard!” Paisley rolled her eyes and gave him a yful kick.
Inside the study, cigar smoke swirled under the dimmps.
The three Alphas had been huddled around the oak map table for over an hou
If Alpha Howell really had bailed on the capital, there were only three ces he could be hiding.
First, the Bloodscar Border. But ckthorn’s intelwork had eyes everywhere there; it’d be hard to slip through.
Second, Fairfax County–the Silverlight Pack’s secret staging ground.
Third, one of the small military outposts outside the city. Given Howell’s years ofworking, he definitely had nts inside the military.
Wherever he was, it sent a loud, dangerous signal: they were making their move.
What bothered Lance was that Howell was famous for being a “wait–and–see” kind of guy. Why the sudden rush?
“Maybe he’s just going all–in,” Caldwell suggested, swirling his whiskey until the ice clinked.
“Madison’s still a loose end, and instead of waiting around to get purged, he might’ve decided to strike first.”
<b>10:50 </b><b>Fri</b><b>, </b><b>Jan </b><b>16 </b>
“I don’t buy it.”
Lance shook his head, his eyes glued to the map.
s
“They’ve nned this too long. They had a perfect window during the Southern Border campaign and they didn’t take it. The status quo is too stable now; they’d be crushed. They need an excuse. A legitimate reason to go to war.”
His finger traced a line across the map and stopped at the edge.
“I’m more worried about the Bloodscar Border. I’m afraid Alpha Zander is the target.”
“You mean… the Western Tribe?” Caldwell’s eyes went dark.
The biggest threat at that border was the neighboring Western Tribe.
Intel suggested the Lycan King there was on his deathbed.
If Howell had made a deal with them, the Crown Prince over there would definitely have high- level wolves waiting to receive him.
The Bloodscar Border, Snowdeer Town, and the Western Tribe… If those three points connected, they’d had a powder keg waiting to blow.
ckthorn was ready, but once the first shot is fired, all bets are off.
And the one fact that stayed constant? The suprememander at the border was Alpha Zander, Adide’s grandfather.
That was everyone’s biggest fear. Adide didn’t have much family left. Keeping Zander safe was non–negotiable.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let everyone have a decent New Year first,” Craig said, breaking the heavy silence.
“I’ll reach out to my field agents and tell them to keep their eyes peeled. If anything smells off, I’ll send an encrypted ping immediately.”
“Good. Thanks, Craig,” Lance nodded.
They needed to enjoy the holiday while they could. This kind of “calm before the storm” was a luxury they were running out of.
Back in the bedroom, Lance wasn’t ready to sleep.
10:50 FM, Jan 16
<b>21 </b>
*<b>5 </b>Free Coins
His leg was 100% healed, and he had way too much energy. He spent a good while “tiring out” Adide until she was begging for mercy, and finally, they crashed in each other’s arms.
Sara Lili
<strong>Sara Lili</strong> is a daring romance writer who turns icyndscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of d’s breathtaking cold.