<b>Chapter </b><b>136 </b>
<b>Reba’s </b>POV
The small café was tucked away on a quiet side street, the kind of ce that attracted more locals than tourists. I’d chosen it deliberately for our meeting–somece quiet where Sofia and I could talk without being overheard. When I spotted her through the window, my heart sank. Her normally vibrant appearance was dulled, her shoulders hunched as if carrying an invisible weight.
“Sofia,” I called softly as she approached our corner table. “Are you okay?”
She slid into the seat across from me, her hands trembling slightly as she set her designer handbag on the chair beside her. Up close, I could see the shadows beneath her eyes, the tight set of her jaw.
“No,” she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m not okay, Ba.”
I reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Tell me what happened. On the phone, you said Dn threatened you, but-
“It’s worse than that.” Sofia’s voice broke, and she wiped hurriedly at a tear that escaped. “He told me I have to get back together with him or he’ll use his connections in the pack to make sure I never work in this city again.”
A chill ran down my spine. “How dare he do that?<b>” </b>
Sofia nodded, pulling out her phone with shaking hands. “He’s been texting me nonstop. Look.”
She handed me the phone, and I scrolled through a series of increasingly threatening messages. My stomach twisted
as I read them.
[You helped that human bitch interfere with my business.]
[I have friends in higher ces than you can imagine.]
[Get back with me or watch your career burn.]
“This is serious,” I said, handing the phone back to her. The memory of Dn in the hospital garden shed through my mind–his cold eyes, the menacing smile as he told me I would pay for what I’d done. “He threatened me too, at the hospital. I thought it was just<b>… </b>empty words.”
I gripped her hand tighter. “Sofia, this is beyond us now, We need help.” I took a deep breath. “We need Dominic.”
Sofia looked at me, her eyes widening with concern. “Are you sure? Will this affect your… arrangement with him?”
<b>I </b>swallowed hard, trying to ignore the pang I felt at the word “arrangement.” Last night had felt like so much more than an arrangement. The way Dominic had looked at me, touched me… But I couldn’t fool myself. No matter how tender he <b>was</b><b>, </b><b>our </b>rtionship was still defined by that contract.
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<b>93 </b>
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But he’s the only one with enough influence to stand against Dn’s connections in the pack.”
Sofia nodded reluctantly. “You’re right. Let’s go see him.”
We left the café and headed toward Sterling Tower, where Dominic’s main office was located. As we walked, I found myself ncing over my shoulder, an uneasy feeling prickling at the back of my neck.
We turned a corner onto a busier street, and I felt a momentary sense of relief at being surrounded by more people. That relief vanished instantly when I spotted a familiar figure leaning against a storefront about twenty yards
ahead.
Dn Hurst.
I grabbed Sofia’s arm, stopping her mid–stride. “Sofia,” I whispered, nodding toward him.
Her face drained of color. “How did he know we’d be here?”
Dn straightened, a cold smile spreading across his face as he spotted us. “Well, well,” he called, loud enough for
us to hear but not so loud as to attract attention from passersby. “Look who it is. The two betrayers<b>, </b>out for a morning stroll.”
He sauntered toward <b>us</b>, hands in the pockets of his expensive coat, looking for all the world like a sessful
businessman greeting old friends. Only the predatory gleam in his eyes betrayed his true intentions.
“I was just looking for you two,” he said when he reached us. “And here you are, saving me the trouble.”
I tried to keep my voice steady. “We have nothing to say to you, Dn.”
He clicked his tongue, his gaze shifting between Sofia and me. “That’s not very friendly, Reba. Especially when
I’ve been so patient with you both.”
Sofia stepped closer to me<b>, </b>her body tense. “Leave us alone, Dn. Whatever you’re nning-”
‘nning?” Heughed, the sound devoid of humor. “I’m not nning anything. I’m simply offering a solution to our little problem.” His gaze hardened as it fixed on Sofia. “Youe with me now, and your friend here gets to walk away. For today,”
He took a step toward <b>us</b>, and I instinctively backed up, pulling Sofia with me. We found ourselves moving away from the main street, into a narrower side alley.
This is bad, I thought. We’re being herded.
“Stop,” I said firmly, nting my feet. “We’re not going anywhere with you.”
Dn’s smile widened, taking on an unsettling edge. “No? I think you misunderstand the situation, Reba. This
<b>9:01 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>25 </b>
isn’t <b>a </b>negotiation.”
0:0
<b>93 </b>
With surprising speed, he closed the distance between us, forcing us deeper into the alley until we were surrounded by empty loading docks and <b>service </b>entrances. The sounds of the main street faded, leaving us isted.
“It’s simple,” Dn said, his voice dropping to a dangerous pitch. “Sofiaes with me, and you, Reba<b>, </b>can go on your way. For now.”
I positioned myself in front of Sofia, despite the fact that my ribs still ached from my recent injuries. “We’re not going anywhere, Dn. This time, you can’t intimidate us.”
Something changed in his expression then–a flicker across his features that sent a chill down my spine. His eyes, normally a dull hazel, glinted with an amber light that wasn’t entirely human.
<b>A </b>poor, pathetic human,” he sneered, “thinking she has any importance.”
Before I could react, he shoved me hard. I stumbled backward, the force of the push sending a sharp pain through my still–healing ribs. My back hit the brick wall behind me, and I slid to the ground with a pained gasp.
Sofia cried out, rushing toward me, but Dn blocked her path, turning to face her with that same amber glow in his
eyes.
“Now,” he said, his voice a low growl, “no one is going to save you.”
I tried to push myself up, fighting through the pain in my ribs, desperate to help Sofia. But before I could get to my feet, a deep, resonant growl echoed through the alley.
“You’re wrong,” a familiar voice said. “I can.”
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<b>9:01 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>25 </b>…