The mill still reeked of wolfsbane and fear when Ava and Alexander returned at dawn. The pack was busy patching up wounds, but their eyes kept drifting to the crumpled note Lorenzo had left behind—a single word scrawled in blood: Syndicate.
"What the hell is the Syndicate?" Ava asked, wiping a smudge of dirt from her cheek.
Alexander's jaw tightened. "A rogue coalition. Feral wolves, exiled nobles, even some humans who hate our kind. They want to burn down the Council, take over the city." He crushed the note in his fist. "Lorenzo's been funding them. Using their chaos to weaken me."
Ava leaned against a splintered beam, crossing her arms. "So we take the fight to them. Hit their lair before they hit us."
Victoria, who'd arrived with Marcus at first light, shook her head. "Suicide. No one knows where their base is. Not even the Council."
"I do."
Everyone turned to stare at Elena, who stood in the doorway, her leather jacket covered in dust. Ava's best friend had shown up an hour ago, demanding to help, and somehow managed to charm the wolves into letting her stay.
"You?" Alexander raised an eyebrow.
Elena tossed a crumpled map onto the table. "I tracked Lorenzo's credit card. Bought a shitload of silver bullets last week. Delivered to an old warehouse on 5th Street. Tried to check it out last night, but the place is crawling with guards."
Ava grinned. "You're a badass, you know that?"
Elena winked. "Learned from the best."
Alexander studied the map, his finger tracing a circle around the warehouse. "It's a trap. He wants us to go there."
"Good," Ava said. "Then we'll spring it."
They spent the day planning—gathering weapons, mapping escape routes, assigning roles. Ava insisted on going in first, using her silver light to disarm the guards, but Alexander refused.
"You're not a soldier," he said, grabbing her wrist. "This isn't a training exercise. People die here."
Ava pulled away, her temper flaring. "And what? I sit here, twiddling my thumbs, while you and the pack get your asses kicked? No. I'm going. Deal with it."
He opened his mouth to argue, but something in her eyes—fierce, determined—made him stop. "Fine. But you stay behind me. Always."
"Deal."
That night, the warehouse loomed ahead, a skeletal shadow against the moon. Ava huddled behind a dumpster with Alexander, Elena, and three wolves, watching as guards patrolled the perimeter—humans with guns, werewolves with claws bared.
"Syndicate's got a mixed crew," Elena whispered. "Fascinating. Kinda like a bad guy potluck."
Ava stifled a laugh. "Focus."
Alexander squeezed her hand. "Ready?"
Ava nodded, silver light flickering to life around her.
They moved fast, silent as shadows. Ava targeted the nearest guard—a burly wolf with a scar across his nose—letting the light wash over him. He froze, whimpering, as Alexander knocked him out with a single punch.
"Nice," Ava murmured.
"Told you I had other methods," he whispered.
They cleared the perimeter in minutes, Ava's light neutralizing the wolves, the pack taking down the humans. By the time they reached the warehouse door, only one guard remained—a woman with a tattoo of a wolf's skull on her neck.
"Lorenzo's in there," she spat, reaching for her gun.
Elena tackled her, slamming her into the wall. "Not today, bitch."
The warehouse interior was a maze of crates and chains, the air thick with the stench of fear. In the center, a raised platform—Lorenzo stood there, flanked by a dozen wolves, a microphone in his hand.
"Welcome, welcome!" he called, spotting them. "I was starting to think you'd chickened out."
Ava stepped forward, silver light blazing. "Cut the shit, Lorenzo. What's the Syndicate's endgame?"
He laughed. "Endgame? Darling, we're just getting started. The Council's weak. The pack's divided. Soon, werewolves will rule this city, and humans… will be our pets."
The crowd cheered, wolves howling, humans pumping their fists.
Alexander growled. "You're delusional."
"Am I?" Lorenzo held up a vial, identical to the one he'd shown Ava at the mill. "This isn't just wolfsbane. It's a serum. Makes werewolves feral, but 听话. Imagine an army of rogues, doing my bidding. Imagine what I could do to your precious city."
Ava's blood ran cold. "You're sick."
"Maybe. But I'm winning." He nodded at the guards. "Get them."
The wolves charged, but Ava was ready. Silver light exploded from her, brighter than ever, washing over the room. The Syndicate wolves froze, whimpering, as the light hit them.
"Go!" she yelled.
Alexander and the pack sprang into action, taking down the humans, freeing the wolves under Lorenzo's control.
Lorenzo watched, his face turning red. "Stop her! Shoot her!"
A guard raised his gun, but Elena tackled him, the bullet grazing Ava's arm.
"Son of a bitch!" Ava yelled, her light flaring brighter.
Lorenzo lunged, grabbing her wrist, his claws digging into her skin. "Die, you little—"
Ava's light surged, burning him. He screamed, letting go, as she roundhouse kicked him in the chest. He fell off the platform, landing with a thud.
Alexander was there in seconds, pinning him to the ground.
"Yield," he snarled.
Lorenzo spat blood. "Never."
Ava stepped forward, silver light pulsing. "Then I'll make you."
She let the light wash over him, gentle but unrelenting. Lorenzo's eyes widened as the anger drained from his face, replaced by something like… sadness.
"I just wanted to belong," he whispered.
Alexander's grip loosened.
Ava knelt beside him, her voice soft. "You could've. If you'd stopped trying to take what wasn't yours."
Lorenzo closed his eyes. "Do what you want. I'm done."
The pack cheered as the guards were rounded up, the Syndicate wolves led away to be healed. Elena wrapped a bandage around Ava's arm, her hands shaking.
"Remind me to never let you drag me into your supernatural drama again," she said.
Ava laughed. "No promises."
Alexander pulled her close, kissing her forehead. "You okay?"
"Better than okay." She smiled, her light fading. "We did it."
He kissed her, hard, in front of everyone—the pack, the freed wolves, even the unconscious Syndicate members.
"Let's go home," he said.
Outside, the sun was rising, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. Ava watched as the pack followed Alexander, their heads held high, a newfound unity in their steps.
Elena nudged her shoulder. "So. You and the wolf guy, huh?"
Ava grinned. "Shut up."
But as she walked beside Alexander, his hand in hers, she knew this was just the beginning. There would be more battles, more secrets, more chaos.
But for now, they had this—this moment of peace, of victory, of belonging.
And that was more than enough.