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In the darknessbeneath the balcony just ahead, I could see the small rectangular vent panel that was our in. All we had to do was cross out of the shadows for a brief moment before slipping under the overhanging balcony terrace. Quick and easy, especially with no one here. I motioned to Jennifer with my head—let’sgo.

Imoved forward,out of theshadows…

And feltteeth clamp onto my tail. I was suddenly tuggedbackwards.

Ow,fuck!

It was Jennifer.She’d used her jaws to stop me. I looked back, questioning her angrily with my eyes, and she replied with a silent glance up at the balcony. I followed her look, andwinced.

He was standingrightthere.

Somehow,I’d managed get so distracted thinking about him that I hadn’t even noticed him come up to the railing. He hadn’t seen us. He still had that far off look on his face, and was absently swirling a glass of what looked likewhiskey.

We stood as stillas statues.Damn, he was hot.But this was the closest I wanted to get to him. If he looked down and spotted us, it was game over. We’d have to book it, and everything would be fucked. Last job, busted. No money for Mom’s medical treatments. No money to get us through the next fewmonths.

My heart was pounding so hardin my chest, I was worried he’d be able to hearit.

The guy tooka sip of his whiskey, and set it down onto the stonerailing.

Shit…If he stuck around up there, it’d only be a matter of time before he would spot us. We were well hidden, but not invisible. All it’d take would be a long glance down at the ground below, and there we’d be. I wanted to look back at Jennifer to see how she was taking this, but I was too afraid to make any movements.The soonest chance we got, we needed tomove.

Then,I heard the balcony door open and the sounds of the party filled the night air. Someone else was comingoutside.

“Oh,shit. Christophe! I didn’t realize you were outhere.”

The alpha—Christophe,apparently—turned around, taken by surprise. I watched in horror as his elbow caught the glass on the railing. It spun in the air, spiraling whiskey everywhere, and plummeted down to the ground, where it shattered right at mypaws.

One glance,and we’d bespotted.