Rune leaned against the desk, his jaw tight.“Caruso struck again.A pack of wolf shifters on the outskirts of Columbus, Illinois.Eight wolves dead.But it didn’t stop there—the toxin hit humans too.Three restaurant servers and a trucker who’d been eating at a diner.All gone.”
Klarissa’s stomach twisted.“Oh, God...”
Kamon’s voice was low, heavy with restrained fury.“The ESE got there after, and they found a message.But it doesn’t make sense.”
Her brows knit.“What did it say?”
Rune and Kamon exchanged a look before Rune recited it flatly.“The shadow you shelter cannot hide.Five days ...and the city burns.”
The words rang in Klarissa’s ears, heavier than they should have been.Shadow.It wasn’t just a threat—it was him pointing straight at her, the hidden piece in their house.Her pulse spiked as she realized the message wasn’t vague at all.It was personal.A taunt wrapped in code, meant to remind her that nowhere was safe.
The chill that ran down Klarissa’s spine was unmistakable.She forced her voice to remain steady.“He’s watching me.Somehow, some way, he knows I’m here.And the five days?That’s his timeline.He’ll come to Chicago then.”
“Why warn us?”Kamon asked, frustration edging his words.“Why give us time to prepare?”
“Because he thinks he’s already won.”Klarissa’s gaze hardened, her fingers curling into fists.“He wants me on edge.He wants us rattled.But all he’s really done is given us five days to defend everyone and everything.And five days to build the safety mechanisms we’ll need to survive him.”
She looked between them, her voice low and unyielding.“We will not lose.”
****
Rune stood at the edgeof the Pride House’s strategy room, watching the organized chaos unfold.Two days had passed since Caruso’s last strike, and every moment since had been devoted to fortifying Chicago.Maps were spread across tables, supply lists pinned to boards, and laptops streamed live updates from ESE channels.Kieran, Liam, and the rest of the Pride moved like a single living thing—determined, relentless, unwilling to lose another one of their own.
They’d buried two already—Vernon and Jason, young leopard brothers.Rune remembered the way Kieran had once spoken about them, his voice weighted with grief.Too young, too eager to prove themselves, and they’d been taken before they had the chance.That memory was carved into all of them as a warning and as fuel for vengeance.Two gone to Caruso’s poison, and Rune knew the names would never stop echoing inside him.For the Pride, vengeance wasn’t just about justice, it was about survival.Each plan they laid was a vow.Never again.
Kamon leaned against the wall beside him, arms folded, jaw hard.“We take him down, brother.No matter what it costs.”
Rune nodded once.“And when we do, it won’t just be for us.It’ll be for everyone he’s touched, everyone who has been hurt by him.”
Jacob and Mason stepped into the room, their usual humor absent.Jacob’s gaze sharpened as it landed on Rune and Kamon.“You two need to be careful with her.”His tone carried more weight than usual, the kind that came from lived experience.
Rune frowned.“Klarissa?”Her name left his lips edged with worry.His tiger stirred, already restless at the thought of their mate pushing herself too far.
Mason crossed his arms.“She’s got the same look in her eye that Violet gets.She will work until she collapses, then argue when anyone tries to stop her.We know how that ends.”
Rune’s gut clenched.He’d seen Violet drive herself to the brink before, and he knew exactly how close she’d come to breaking.
Jacob nodded grimly.“Watch for the signs.Forgetting meals.Snapping when someone interrupts her.The glassy look when she’s staring at a screen too long.Violet does the same, and it damn near killed her more than once.Don’t let Klarissa get that far.”
Rune and Kamon exchanged a look, silent understanding flashing between them.They’d already seen all three signs in Klarissa just yesterday, and Rune’s gut twisted tighter.Their mate wasn’t just working—she was drowning herself in it.The thought of losing her to exhaustion or worse clawed at him with a ferocity he couldn’t mask.
“We’ll handle it,” Rune said, his tone final.
Plans were set, schedules adjusted, patrols reinforced.And when the Pride moved out to their posts, Rune and Kamon slipped away, heading straight for the Bat Cave.Sure enough, Klarissa was hunched over a console, hair a fiery curtain around her face, her fingers flying like she could outrun the danger if she just typed fast enough.Dot’s voice chirped through the speakers from New Zealand, and Violet perched nearby, grinning like she already knew what was about to happen.
Klarissa didn’t even glance up when Rune and Kamon stepped in.“Busy,” she muttered.“Go do your part, I’ll do mine.”
Rune shook his head.“Not this time,suuway.”
Kamon swooped in, plucking her right out of the chair.Klarissa yelped, pounding a fist against his chest.“Put me down!I don’t have time for this!”
“Too bad,” Kamon said, grinning as he carried her toward the door.“We’re making time.”
Dot’s laugh carried through the speakers.“Oh, I like them.Don’t let her get away!She needs some loving and some rest.”
Violet smirked, folding her arms.“Kidnap her all you want, boys.Goddess knows she needs it.”
Klarissa squirmed all the way down the hall, hissing threats that made Rune chuckle.By the time they reached the apartment they’d been sharing for the last three days, she was flushed with frustration.They hadn’t slept there together since the night of their date—different shifts, different rotations—but tonight, that was going to change.
