Page 196 of Knot So Lucky

The tracking spider goes live at 11:47 PM, its algorithms spreading through networks and databases with invisible efficiency.

Now we wait.

CHAPTER 38

Internal Combustion

~AURORA~

I'm halfway down the corridor toward the conference room when I hear the shouting.

Not just raised voices—actualshouting, the kind of aggressive volume that makes people stop and stare. The kind that suggests a situation escalating beyond professional disagreement into something more volatile.

My pack's scents are overwhelming even from this distance. Burnt cedar and coffee mixing with dark chocolate and gunpowder, the combination spiking with aggressive Alpha pheromones that make my Omega instincts want to either flee or submit.

I slow my approach, instinct warning me that walking into this argument might not be wise.

"—don't understand how the fuck this keeps happening!" Luca's voice carries through the partially open door, sharp with frustrated fury. "We have resources. Connections. Money. Everything we should need to identify and neutralize threats."

"You think I don't know that?" Cale's response is equally aggressive. "You think I'm not spending every waking moment trying to figure out who's behind this?"

"Then maybe you're not looking hard enough!"

I press myself against the wall beside the conference room door, out of sight but close enough to hear clearly. My heart hammers against my ribs—partly from the confrontation, partly from the spike of aggressive Alpha scents that are making my biology respond with uncomfortable intensity.

"I received another threat this morning," Adrian's voice cuts through, calmer than the others but carrying an undercurrent of cold fury. "Detailed descriptions of Aurora's routine. Her apartment layout. The routes she takes between the compound and home."

My blood runs cold.

"I got one too," Elias adds quietly. "More photos from the kidnapping."

"Why the fuck are we just hearing about this now?" Luca demands.

"Because we've all been hiding threats from her," Cale says, and I can hear the self-recrimination in his voice. "Trying to protect her from the psychological impact of knowing how targeted she is. But clearly that's not fucking working."

Silence falls, heavy and oppressive.

I'm about to step back, to give them privacy for this conversation that's clearly pack business I shouldn't be eavesdropping on, when a hand touches my shoulder.

I nearly jump out of my skin, spinning to find Roran standing behind me with his finger pressed to his lips in a gesture for silence.

He points to a small alcove further down the corridor—a place we can listen without being visible if anyone exits the conference room. We move together with the synchronizedprecision of people who've been in each other's space their entire lives.

"We're supposed to be apack," Luca is saying, his voice rough with emotion I rarely hear from him. "That means protecting our Omega. And we're failing. With all our resources, all our connections, all our supposed intelligence…we can't figure out who the fuck is threatening her?"

"It has to be someone with serious organization behind them," Adrian argues. "The level of surveillance, the technical sophistication of the sabotage, the way they're staying ahead of our countermeasures, this isn't amateur hour."

"Then we need to do better!" Luca's volume rises again. "I don't give a fuck about the stakes or the competition or any of it if it means Aurora's going to be in constant danger!"

There's a pause, and when Cale speaks, his voice is sharp with challenge.

"Are you just saying that for show? Because one minute you're acting like you don't give a damn about her, keeping your distance, treating her like she's some obligation you're stuck with. The next minute you want to protect her at press conferences and throw your body between her and any potential threat."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luca's tone drops into something dangerous.

"It means everyone is saying you're bipolar. Or probably gay for all they care." Cale's frustration bleeds through every word. "Thinking our pack is just a stunt for publicity, that you're not actually bonded to Aurora because you barely show her affection in public."

I can feel Roran tense beside me, his ozone-and-linen scent spiking with protective concern.