But then he saw us. Five shifters, all carrying the kind of heat that could level this building without even shifting.
Beau with his casual bulk and predatory stillness. Callum with his alpha calm that didn’t hide the storm coiling underneath.
Rowan and Cyrus, watching like twin blades. And me, standing back but seething like a bomb waiting for a reason.
Avery’s expression faltered. It was brief, less than a blink, but I caught it. The moment his confidence cracked and fear edged in.
“Well,” he said, smoothing the corners of his mouth into a new version of smug. His voice was oil-slicked and cold. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“You know why we’re here,” Callum said, voice like steel dragging against pavement. He stepped forward, radiating authority. “We’re here to tell you this ends now.”
Avery’s eyes flicked to the others, measuring the odds. He lifted his chin.
“I’m just a businessman. People come to me when they’re out of options. I’m doing a public service,” Avery explained.
Beau snorted. “You’re extorting scared paranormals with interest rates that’d make a demon blush. That’s not business. That’s predation.”
Avery’s smile tightened. “Careful now. You two don’t officially run this town. We all know Sugarpaw Springs is neutral.”
“It was neutral,” Callum said coolly. “Until you started poisoning it.”
My fists curled tighter at my sides. I wasn’t here for talk. Every second I stood in this place, the image of James, pale, scared and exhausted, flashed behind my eyes.
The haunted look when he thought no one was watching. The silence he carried like armor. Every piece of that pain, Avery had put there.
And then Avery’s gaze landed on me. That sneer curled up just a bit more.
“Ah,” he said, eyes narrowing. “So this is about the pretty little wolf, isn’t it?”
A low growl ripped out of me. I took a step forward, heat flaring in my chest, claws of rage sinking into my ribs.
“Say his name. One more time,” I demanded.
“Rafael,” Callum said sharply behind me. A warning.
I froze mid-step, every muscle screaming. But I held. Barely.
Avery chuckled, but there was strain in it now. His shoulders were too tight, and the smugness didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Touchy. Look, if your boyfriend didn’t want the heat, he shouldn’t have signed up for it,” Avery said.
“He didn’t,” I growled. “It was his brother. And he’s been paying it off every damn month, hasn’t he?”
Avery hesitated. That pause was everything. I’d hit the truth.
“He kept his head down. He paid what you demanded. You used him,” I spat.
Avery didn’t respond. He didn’t have to. His silence confirmed it.
Callum took another step forward, his presence filling the room like a tide. “You and your crew pack up and leave town. Quietly. We’re not asking.”
Avery sneered. “You think you can just threaten me? I have protections. Connections. You lay a finger on me and you’ll be answering to people with more power than you.”
“Protections aren’t going to matter,” Beau said, stepping up beside Callum. “Not when we start spreading the word. You’ve got a long list of enemies, Avery. We both know it. You want every alpha in a hundred-mile radius knowing you’re skimming off their people? Preying on their strays and loners?”
Avery’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. “That’s harassment.”
“It’s a warning,” Callum said, voice cutting like ice. “And it’s the only one you’re getting. You have two days to vanish.”
