Jason jogged up, adjusting the headset clipped to his collar. “Rooftops are clean. Roadblocks set. If North tries to come in, he’ll trip wires before he takes three steps.”
“Unless he’s already here,” I said, scanning the alleys, the shadows, the unfamiliar delivery vans parked too neatly along Main.
Forest’s hand brushed mine—a brief anchor, rough and grounding. “Then we flush him out.”
Unknown POV
In the darkbelly of the school gym, a man shifted his crate of supplies against the wall. No one noticed him. No one questioned the uniform or the badge sewn crooked on his vest.
Children laughed nervously. Parents whispered. Deputies barked orders by the door.
He sat down, adjusting the false patch on his shoulder. His radio hissed once, soft, a signal only he understood.
Then he smiled.
Because while the wolves circled outside, North’s pack was already inside.
33
Forest
The square was locked down tight—too tight. Every corner had eyes, every rooftop a rifle, and still my gut twisted like barbed wire.
Zoe moved beside me, scanning the shopfronts with sharp precision, but her brow was creased, her body tense in a way I knew too well. She felt it too.
“Something’s wrong,” she said finally, her voice low, clipped.
Jason glanced up from his radio. “Everything’s secure. Roadblocks holding. Rooftops clear.”
“Secure doesn’t feel like this,” Zoe snapped. “North doesn’t play clean. If it looks neat, it’s because he’s hiding the mess.”
I swept the street again—windows, alleys, rooftops. Too quiet. Too calm.
Then my eyes caught on the gym across the square. Dozens of civilians pressed against the glass doors, pale faces watching us. Deputies stood guard, rigid, their rifles at rest.
But one of them—tall, broad shoulders, patch sitting crooked on his vest—didn’t move like the others.
He didn’t scan the street. He didn’t shift his weight. He just watched the crowd.
Zoe followed my gaze. Her breath hitched. “You see it?”
“Yeah.” My hand tightened on my rifle. “He doesn’t belong.”
Jason frowned, following our line of sight. “What are you—”
The gym lights flickered. Once. Twice. Then settled back on.
Zoe’s eyes met mine, fierce and certain. “Forest. He’s already inside.”
And in that heartbeat, my gut went cold.
Because we weren’t hunting North’s wolves anymore.
They were hunting us.
34
Zoe
