Looking around my apartment, it slammed into me that I felt nothing. Nothing was holding me back, and nothing was calling me to stay. That was when I knew this life was no longer for me.
I didn’t want my future to be built on pretending, on constantly being at war with myself, with my wolf. That was why I couldn’t wear the badge anymore.
Initially, I joined to help people, to stand between good and evil, but years on the job had shown me it wasn’t so cut and dry. The lines blurred until I couldn’t tell which side I stood on anymore.
Whether they were a monster or a human, good people could do evil things and bad people could do good ones.
Sure, supes were violent in nature, but that was because they could handle it. Some of them had airs on, like they were better than humans, but others, especially the turned ones, just wanted to live a good life.
Same world. Different teeth.
Then there was the Syndicate.
Once, I’d thought they were nothing but criminals with crowns, but after Nova… after watching the way she moved through the chaos, protecting what was hers, I understood. She wasn’t evil. She wassure.
Sure about her place in the world, sure about what she needed to accomplish. She was willing to give it her all, and I couldn’t hate her for that. In fact, I was jealous of it.
Shoving the uniform into the garment bag, it was heavy and lifeless, like it was taking the weight from my shoulders. The badge followed with a dull clink. The gun came last—cold metal, no pulse, empty. The shedding of the weight felt great, evenright.
Stepping into the station, I could feel all the stares, but I pushed past them to the captain’s office. Knocking on the door, I waited until he called out, “Come in.”
Burnt coffee and old resentment flooded my senses, and I almost covered my nose to keep from drowning in it. I needed to get out of here as quickly as possible. I dropped everything on his desk, the bag, the badge, the gun, the weight of the past years.
“I appreciate everything,” I said, my voice steady, “but I don’t think I’m a fit for the force anymore. I’m resigning.”
His eyes flicked from the badge to my face. Anger flashed in his eyes, settling into contempt. “Is all this about the jokes?” he asked, scoffing as he folded his hands over his chest. “Christ, take a few days off. Grow a thicker hide.” His head turned back to the computer, dismissing me like I was already gone.
That told me everything I needed to know.
I straightened, my jaw tight. “Thank you for the years, Captain.” Then I turned and walked out.
His voice followed me. “Hey! Come get your shit!”
I didn’t stop.
“Nick! Get your ass back over here!”
The echo of his chair scraping the floor chased me down the hall.
“I had plans for a cop like you!” he shouted from his door. “Don’t you ruin this for me!”
That was when it hit me, and the sharp truth almost made me laugh. Nova Rossey might’ve been a criminal, her family a nest of killers and crooks, but she’d never say something like that. She didn’t need anyone to make her plans work.
She stood on her own power, ruling with her blood, claws, and strength of will.
A leader who lived by the same code she demanded of her people…. There was something almostpurein that. Something worth following.
Pushing through the double doors, I walked out into the sun and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. The air burned my lungs like a purifying flame. Clean, raw,real.
For the first time in years, the world felt light and honest. I felt free.
Danger.
My wolf’s voice ripped through my mind, low and primal. I stopped mid-step, breath stalled, right before a blur shot out of the shadows.
White-hot pain tore across my cheek, slicing down my neck like fire under my skin. Instinct took over. My palms hit the ground before my face could, my body twisting into a crouch. Gravel bit into my hands, and my wolf surged forward, ready to fight.
“Fuck. His face is fucking solid.”
