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Chapter twenty-one

Annabella

M y hand trembled against my bedroom door as I activated the protection spells with a whispered word. The magic hummed beneath my palm, silver-blue light tracing the runes I’d etched into the frame months ago.

Only here, in these four walls, did I drop the mask.

“Witch’s fangs,” I hissed, collapsing on the bed.

We’d gotten back a couple of hours ago. Felix had headed straight to his room while I’d checked in on Zeke, who was playing pool with Lydia.

Then I’d tracked down Mira and told her about our new assignment.

I’d also told her to follow Vivienne’s orders and try to track down Sam Shaw.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Shaw was from Three Rivers.

He’d grown up with Sofia and Jase. There was a link there, though I couldn’t explain why it felt important.

I’d never met him, never met any of the Shaw brothers.

But Aunt Jo had once told me she’d thought Sofia would end up with Sam’s twin brother, Derek.

Through texts and messenger apps, I’d kept in contact with Sofia during my teenage years.

She’d had the childhood I’d always dreamed of.

She had friends, Packmates who accepted and loved her, who’d have her back, no matter what.

She’d known what it felt like to have people looking out for her, protecting her.

I wanted that for her. Wanted her to be happy. I just wanted it for me, too.

It was too late for me now. Not for Ellie, though.

I guess I just wanted to understand what drove someone who’d grown up with Sofia and Jase, who’d had that perfect Pack life, to join the Wolf Council.

The Council was ruthless. Not just in banning witches and enforcing their laws.

They protected their precious peace with humans with a single-minded zealotry that eliminated all shades of gray.

They’d obliterated entire Packs for endangering that peace, scattered families across territories without remorse.

The thought that maybe I wasn’t so different, that I’d do anything to create a world where Ellie would be loved and accepted, where she wouldn’t grow up scared, sat uncomfortably in my chest.

No. I shoved the thought away violently. I was nothing like the Council. They preserved a world designed to protect the privileged. I was fighting to tear down those barriers, to create something better for everyone.

The meeting with Simon replayed in my mind on a vicious loop—his subtle frown when I pushed for more aggressive action against the ripple dealers, the careful way he sidestepped my questions about why the Wolf Council couldn’t stop the flow of the drug despite their resources.

And that one fleeting moment of praise when I’d agreed to the Talia Johnson mission, making something inside me light up like a starving person offered a crumb.

Fucking pathetic. After all these years, I still craved his approval like I was that rejected girl again, desperate for someone—anyone—to see value in both halves of me.

A familiar burning sensation crawled beneath my skin, my wolf responding to my emotional distress.

The pain was immediate and intense—bones aching to rearrange themselves, muscles yearning to stretch and transform.

My canines throbbed, elongating against my will.

I tasted blood where they cut into my lower lip.

“Go the fuck away,” I growled, slamming my fist against the floor. “I don’t need you.”

My spine arched involuntarily, joints popping.

Sweat poured down my face as I fought. It was getting harder to control my wolf, the battle more brutal each time.

But I wouldn’t give in. Wolves had never accepted me, had beaten and humiliated me for years.

Called me half-breed. Witch-bitch. Abomination. I’d never be one of them. Never again.

I breathed in deeply. Then again. With each exhale, my wolf receded incrementally, sinking back into that cage I’d built for it years ago. Just when I was sure I’d won, a heavy knock rattled my door.

“Yes?” My voice came out hoarse.

“We need to talk,” Duke’s voice rumbled through the door, vibrating the air between us. Territorial. Possessive.

Flaming hell. This was the last thing I needed. I shoved my shaking hands under my thighs and straightened my shoulders, forcing deep breaths through my nose.

“Come in.”

Duke filled the doorway; his eyes scanned the room, pausing on the window before returning to me. “Why did Webster want to meet Felix?”

No preamble. No softening. Pure Duke.

“He wanted to meet the cute boy who’d turned my pretty little head and made me lose focus on our mission.”

Duke’s nostrils flared as he scented me. “Webster doesn’t know you nearly as well as he thinks if he reckons anything is gonna distract you from the mission.”

Duke and I may have our issues, but it was nice to hear that not everyone was doubting me.

“I don’t like him, though.”

“I’ve noticed.” No point pretending otherwise. “You got any reason to suspect he’s working against our aims?”

Duke’s jaw worked back and forth, the muscles in his neck corded with tension. “Not yet. But he’s no good for you.”

My eyebrows shot up. Felix was wild and exciting, and I couldn’t deny the way my body reacted whenever he was nearby—pulse quickening, skin flushing, that maddening heat spreading low in my belly.

Just last night, I’d caught myself staring at his mouth while he talked, wondering how it would taste, how those lips would feel trailing down my throat, my stomach, lower.

I’d been taking cold showers in the past few weeks, desperately trying to extinguish the fire he ignited with nothing more than a crooked smile or a casual touch.

But I had no intention of getting involved with anyone. Ever. Romantic relationships weren’t on the cards for me; I’d always known that.

“For me?”

“For us,” Duke clarified.

“You think he’s bad for the team?”

Duke nodded. “He’s fucking with the balance we had.”

He paced a tight circle, exactly five steps across my room. One, two, three, four, five. Turn. Repeat. His eyes sweeping methodically over my possessions. When he got this like, it was best to just let him vent.

“Three years we’ve worked together. Three years of knowing exactly where everyone stands.

No confusion about roles.” He crossed his arms, the glower of his face deepening.

“Now this guy walks in, and suddenly we’re breaking our own rules.

Getting involved in local Pack disputes.

Starting bar fights.” His voice tightened with each example.

“You know Mira stayed out until dawn on Friday? Before Felix, we were focused. Disciplined. We didn’t draw attention to ourselves between missions.

We didn’t take unnecessary risks for fun.

Felix doesn’t respect boundaries. The team was cohesive before.

Stable. Now everyone’s off balance, distracted. ”

“Sometimes we need to blow off steam,” I said, watching his reaction carefully.

“Not at the cost of focus. Not when we’re about to take on Talia Johnson.”

I sighed, feeling suddenly exhausted. The worst part was, beneath the jealousy and territorial posturing, he wasn’t wrong. Felix had changed our dynamic. Changed me. “You’re right. We need to concentrate on Johnson.”

Duke stared at me for a beat, something like surprise flickering across his features before he smoothed them back to neutral.

“Okay, then.” He turned to go. He knew me well enough to know that was all he was getting. At the door, he paused, looking over his shoulder. “You should watch your back around him. Don’t let your guard down.”

He wasn’t just talking about Felix and our team now; he was warning me not to fall for him.

I stood abruptly, not liking how it suddenly felt like Duke was looming over me, even from the doorway.

My wolf might be suppressed, but Pack dynamics were burned into my blood.

I wouldn’t show submission. Not to another wolf. Not again.

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m not a pup who needs protection.” I felt seriously pissed off and couldn’t work out why. “I brought Felix in. He’s my responsibility.”

“I’m not saying you can’t handle yourself. I’m saying you shouldn’t have to handle everything alone. I’m here for you, Annabella. I’ll always be here for you.”

And there it was—the real reason for his concern.

Duke had wanted more than a professional partnership for months.

I’d kept him at arm’s length, partly because I didn’t feel that way about him but mostly because romantic entanglements were not something I was interested in.

But he kept dropping hints, pushing for an opening.

I had no intention of giving him one.

“We’re done here,” I said firmly. “I hear your concerns about Felix. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Duke hesitated, a muscle jumping in his jaw. His eyes dropped to my lips for a beat before he nodded stiffly. “Just be careful, Annabella.”

After he left, I locked the door and leaned against it, exhaling slowly. My skin still crawled from suppressing my wolf, tiny needles of pain racing along my nerves.

I crossed to my desk and pulled open the bottom drawer, removing a false bottom to reveal a small carved wooden box. Inside was a burner phone.

I powered it on, dialed the only number saved in its contacts, and waited, my fingers tracing the silver streak in my plait over and over.

“Hello?” my aunt’s voice answered on the third ring.

“It’s me,” I said softly. “How is she today?”

Aunt Jo sighed, the sound weary and familiar. “No change.”

I closed my eyes, guilt coiling around my ribs and squeezing until breathing hurt.

I should be there with my mother, not hiding in the shadows while she wasted away from an illness no doctor—human or Shifter—could diagnose.

I’d begged Simon a few months back, and we’d even snuck in a couple of witch healers to examine Mom, but they’d come up blank, too.

“And Ellie?”

“She asked for you again today. She wanted to know when her big sister was coming home.”

My throat closed up. “Can I… can I talk to her?”

There was a shuffling sound, then a small, sleepy voice came on the line. “Bella?”

“Hey, monkey,” I whispered, a smile breaking across my face. “Are you being good for Aunt Jo?”

“Yup! I drawed you another picture,” she announced proudly. “It’s you and me, and we’re wolves!”

My breath caught. Heat prickled behind my eyes. “That sounds beautiful,” I managed.

“When you coming home? I miss you.”

The ache of missing her was a physical pain, worse than the wolf suppression. “Soon,” I promised, though I had no idea if it was true. “I’m working really hard so I can come see you.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, Ellie-belly.” My voice cracked. “Pack’s blood.”

“I love you by starlight and shadow,” she said, repeating our old bedtime ritual, the words slurring slightly with sleepiness.

“And by silver streaks and moonspell,” I finished, blinking rapidly. “Sweet dreams, monkey.”

I ended the call and powered down the phone, slipping it back into the box.

Everything I did—every Council member we targeted, every risk we took—it was all for her.

For the world Simon promised, a world where half-breeds like us could live without fear or shame.

A world where Ellie would never know the prejudice and hatred that had been flung my way.

No matter what it costs me. No matter who I had to destroy.

My comm unit beeped, pulling me from my thoughts. Mira’s voice came through, tense and excited.

“Annabella, I found something. You need to see this.”