The explosion ripped through the air like thunder.
Flames roared skyward, black smoke billowing in thick clouds as metal twisted and screamed. The car was an inferno; a tomb of fire and death on the side of the road.
Then, through the smoke, a figure emerged...
Cassandra stood tall beside the burning wreckage, appearing untouched. Her green suit was dusty, her hair slightly disheveled, but otherwise she looked like she had simply stepped out for a stroll. Her chest rose and fell with controlled breaths, her cold eyes fixed on the flames devouring what was left of the vehicle.
Behind her, Lawrence materialized from the smoke like a ghost. His shirt was torn, his tie gone, but he was alive, also completely unharmed.
Their werewolf abilities had saved them: supernatural speed launching them from the car in the heartbeat before the fire consumed everything.
But inside the burning wreckage, the humans, driver and Billy weren't so lucky. They were both trapped and burning alive.
"Who was the foolish person behind this?" Cassandra gritted out, her voice low and deadly.
Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms hard enough to draw blood. Her jaw tightened, teeth grinding together with barely restrained fury.
Lawrence moved to stand beside her, his own anger simmering beneath the surface. His eyes glowed faintly yellow, his wolf was close to the surface too.
"Whoever did this knew you and they wanted to make a point." Lawrence paused for a split second then continued with a bitter certainty;
"Or they didn't know your nature and thought this would put you down for good."
Cassandra's growl rumbled deep in her chest, animalistic and terrifying. Her nostrils flaring as her wolf clawed at her insides, demanding to be let out. Demanding blood and revenge.
Her eyes flashed red.
"Whatever the motive for this incident, the person shouldn't think they have won." She snarled in an inhuman tone.
She turned to face Lawrence, and he instinctively took a step back. The fury radiating off her was palpable, suffocating.
"I will retaliate and lots of heads will roll on the ground." She continued deadly.
Lawrence nodded sharply. He had seen this side of her before- as her would-be Beta when she ascended the Alpha's position and someone who had been around her since childhood, he was already used to this side of her. So he knew better than to say anything that might redirect that rage toward him.
After a moment of tense silence, with Cassandra's burning gaze fixed on the burning car, he cleared his throat;
"Are we still going to check the remains of the burnt public property?"
Cassandra didn't reply.
Instead, she let out a growl and stretched her arms; bones cracked and reformed. Her expensive green suit tore apart as her body expanded, fur sprouting across her skin. Within seconds, she stood on four powerful legs- a giant brown and white wolf, easily twice the size of a normal wolf.
Her eyes, still glowing red with fury, fixed on the horizon.
Then she ran.
Fast and powerful, a blur of rage disappearing into the distance.
Lawrence watched her go, exhaling slowly. He pulled out his phone, already preparing to handle the cleanup of this mess.
It was going to be a long day.
~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, at the exclusive country club, Lilian sat across from Victor Hale at a private table overlooking the golf course.
The area was quiet, secluded, perfect for conversations that shouldn't be overheard.
Victor leaned back in his chair, his hands on the table as he studied her. His expression was calm, with a calculating gaze.
Lilian held her breath, her eyes blinking slightly as she studied the man's expression, looking for anything at all to give her a hint on what he was thinking.
"So, are you ready now to work with me?" Victor said finally, breaking the silence.
Lilian's eyes twitched, confusion flickering across her face.
"Ready? Hasn't Rose already started working for him?" She wondered inwardly, reminding how he had called her his personal assistant that morning, and now even sent a car for her. So what was he talking about?
"Is there another work you would want me to do, other than being your personal assistant?" She asked, trying to keep her voice steady, choosing her words carefully so the man wouldn't suspect something was amiss.
Victor's eyes narrowed slightly, watching her reaction closely.
What Lilian didn't know was that the original Rose Bennett had interpreted Victor's offer as illegal and dangerous.
When he had first proposed his plan after Rose had applied for the position of his personal assistant, Rose had told him she would "think about it," even though Victor had promised her substantial benefits if she would work as a double agent for him.
She had never given him a clear answer.
Until now, apparently.
Victor observed Lilian's hesitant expression and quickly spoke up, his tone smooth and persuasive;
"Yes. You won't just be my personal assistant but something or let me say, someone else... But you should know the benefits in it for you would be substantial."
"More money than you've ever seen. Security. Protection. Everything you need." He added.
Lilian swallowed hard, her mind racing as she thought of what that would mean.
Determined not to reveal that she had no idea what he was talking about, she decided to play smarter.
"Could you... explain in detail what I would be doing for you? I didn't fully understand the last time." Lilian asked, keeping her voice measured.
Victor's expression shifted slightly- something between suspicion and curiosity.
He could observe that the woman before him was acting differently from the Rose Bennett he knew. The Rose he had employed a week ago had been cautious and fearful. This Rose now seemed more direct and colder.
However, he didn't have time to start figuring out what had happened to her to cause such a change because he was desperate.
The plan was already in motion...
The car crash had been executed. He needed someone to replace the dead public relations specialist.
So he began to explain all over again;
"It's simple..." Victor began, leaning forward.
"You will be planted in Cassandra Drayke's real estate company, as an employee. Someone she trusts."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"Your job will be to feed me information. Insider knowledge. Business deals. Weaknesses. Anything I need to know to bring her empire down from the inside."
Lilian's lips parted slightly, her heart skipping a beat in excitement.
"I will be close to my enemy... Close enough to destroy her?" She thought inwardly.
To her, this was perfect, better than she could have imagined.
"I will do it! Gladly." Lilian said immediately, her voice sharp.
Victor blinked, clearly surprised by how quickly she had agreed.
But then a satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Good. I'm pleased to hear that."
Lilian hesitated for only a moment before adding;
"There might be a problem though."
"What problem?" He asked.
"I don't have any experience in the real estate business." She blurted out, already praying in her mind that he wouldn't fire her because of that.
Victor's smile turned cocky, almost predatory. He waved a hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about that, I wll ensure you get all the training you need. Everything will be arranged." He said smoothly.
He leaned back again, his eyes gleaming with something dark.
"And you should know, someone, somewhere, is burning just for you to get to where I need you to be." He said, his smile turning into a smug smirk.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Lilian's breath caught but before she could ask, Victor continued.
"All you need to do is follow my instructions, sign the contract, and let us begin our work together."
He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a thick document, placing it on the table between them.
Lilian stared at it.
She knew she should read it, to know what she was signing but all she could think about was Cassandra.
Cassandra's cold, cruel expression from ten years ago, whenever she was inflicting pain on her. This expression had been engraved in her vision, haunting her dreams, mocking her, as if to remind her how weak she had been.
"I'm no longer weak... I'm strong enough now to make her pay." Lilian told herself inwardly.
And without hesitation, she picked up the pen Victor offered and signed her name at the bottom.
She didn't read a single word.
Victor noticed that and his smirk grew bigger.
"Welcome aboard, Rose Bennett. This is going to be very interesting." He said, his voice dripping with satisfaction.
Lilian nodded, her lips curving into a satisfied small. her hand still gripping the pen.
She had no idea what kind of contract she had just signed...
She had no idea she had just made a deal with a devil, all to destroy Cassandra Drayke.