Wraith slices his finger across his own throat, his blue eyes hard as steel, then makes a twisting motion with his hands.
"Fuck yeah," says Whiskey, holding up a hand to high five Wraith. Wraith just stares at his hand in confusion and Whiskey drops it. "Or not. That's cool, too, bro."
I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. "Okay," I say finally. "Let's go."
Wraith nods, his blue eyes meeting mine. His presence at my side is solid and steadying as we move toward the newly repaired window that leads to the fire escape.
"Ivy," Thane calls after us, making me pause and look back. For a moment, the team captain seems to struggle with what he wantsto say. "Thank you. For trusting us even this much. I know it can't be easy."
The simple acknowledgment catches me off guard. "It's not," I admit. "But I'm trying."
He nods, understanding in his dark eyes. "That's all we can ask."
As Wraith slides the window open and helps me onto the fire escape, I feel the weight of the other alphas' gazes following us until we're out of sight. I climb up in front of him and go to the window, which now has a privacy film that makes it impossible to see in from the inside. A nice touch. I slip through into the now-familiar space of Wraith's loft. He follows, pulling the window shut with a heavy thud. He locks it behind us.
We're sealed in. Safe, but trapped.
The reality of my situation hits me anew. I'm back in hiding, back to holding my breath and making myself small. Even if this hiding place is infinitely more comfortable than my last, it's still a cage.
Wraith seems to sense my sudden distress. When I turn to face him, his blue eyes are filled with concern. His hands move in the air between us, the signs slow and deliberate.
S-A-F-E… H-E-R-E.
"I know," I say, trying to convince myself as much as him. "I just..." I trail off, unsure how to articulate the tangle of emotions churning inside me.
He takes a step closer, his massive frame somehow managing to seem unthreatening despite towering over me. His hand lifts, hovering near my cheek without touching, asking permission even after everything we shared last night.
I lean into his touch, letting his rough palm cradle my face. His thumb brushes my cheekbone in a gentle caress that sends warmth spreading through my chest.
"I'm okay," I tell him, though my voice sounds shakier than I'd like. "Really. Just adjusting to... all of this."
His free hand signs again.U-N-D-E-R-S-T-A-N-D.
And I believe he does. If anyone knows what it's like to hide, to build walls around yourself for protection, it's Wraith.
The sound of the front door opening downstairs reaches us, followed by muffled voices. I tense instinctively, and Wraith's arm wraps around my shoulders, pulling me against his chest in a protective embrace. His heart beats steadily beneath my ear, the rhythm strong and reassuring.
"I don't like just sitting here, not knowing what's happening," I whisper.
Wraith considers this for a moment, then leads me to his laptop on the desk in the corner. He opens it and types something, pulling up what appears to be a security feed of the front entrance and living room. I don't see Valek, just a bald guy I recognize as the coach appearing to give Thane a hard time as the alpha stands in the doorway with his muscular arms folded over his broad chest.
"You have security cameras?" I ask hopefully.
He nods, writing something barely legible on the notepad beside the laptop. He taps the notepad with a finger, signing,MY P-A-S-S-W-O-R-D.
I glance over his shoulder at it as he averts his gaze, suddenly seeming awkward. His password is just a string of numbers. "What is it?" I ask.
D-A-T-E… T-H-A-N-E… B-E-C-A-M-E… B-R-O-T-H-E-R,he signs awkwardly.
"Oh," is all I manage to say. That's kind of adorable, but I'm not about to tell him that and embarrass him. Green flags all around, this particular alpha. I'm not so sure about the others. Thane, greenish. Whiskey, yellow. Plague, gray—I can't get a read on him at all. He's so reserved. Maybe even more reserved than Wraith. Wraith just has walls up, but he doesn't actually seem quite as aloof as Plague is.
Valek, though?
Bloodred flag.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, making me flinch instinctively. No one ever texts or calls this number. But all I see is a notification for a group chat titled "Ghost Town" with ghost and hockey stick emojis, and emojis for the members, too. Including me.
The emojis aredefinitelyWhiskey's doing.
