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    “What about the guards? Where are the guards?” Emery mumbled as she grabbed the gun from the drawer. Then she checked the magazine.

    The bullets glinted in the low light, their silver tips catching her attention. Logan had once told her silver could wound a werewolf, slow them down, but not always kill. That didn’t make them useless. At least she had something.

    She crouched against the wall, the gun firm in her grip. She wasn’t an expert, but she knew how to handle one. Shooting was a skill she had learned long ago, and uracy had always been her strength. Her breathing steadied as she listened, straining to catch anything beyond the ring rm. Sadly, there was nothing. No footsteps, no voices, only the shrill sound echoing through the house.

    Then suddenly, a knock rattled the door. She froze, tightening her hold on the gun. Then came a voice.

    “Emery, it’s me,” Sebastian called. “Logan asked me to take you back to the vi.”

    Her body stayed rigid, suspicion wing at her. Slowly, she tucked the gun behind her waistband, hidden beneath the hem of her blouse. The cold metal pressed against her back, the weight ufortable but reassuring.

    Only then did she exhale, force her muscles to loosen, and move toward the door. She opened it, relief mixing with wariness when she saw Sebastian standing there.

    “Where’s Logan?” she asked immediately.

    “Rogues broke through the resort’s defenses,i” /iSebastian said. “He’s dealing with them.”

    Emery nodded, her grip tightening on the doorframe. “Are there neighborhoods nearby?”

    He shook his head. “No. It’s too secluded for that. We’ll be clear once we reach the car.”

    He gestured down the hall. “Come. It’s waiting.”

    As they walked, Sebastian nced at her. “I’m sorry this ruined your small retreat.”

    “It’s fine,” Emery answered, her voice t. “I didn’t want to stay here anyway?”

    He studied her briefly, then asked, “Is this about Gene YL?”

    Her jaw clenched. She nodded. “I’m sure Logan already told you about my mother.”

    Sebastian gave a short nod. “We tried, but we couldn’t find anything about her. No records, no traces.”

    Emery sighed, the weight of it pressing down. “There’s nothing I can do. My father’s in aa, and my mother… I don’t even know who she really was.”

    “The supernatural world has many secrets. Some are buried for centuries. But remember this, the greatest threat has always been humans. You have to be more careful around them.”

    Emery nodded. She could understand why the supernatural would think humans are a threat despite their weak physique,

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    They reached the parking lot. The car sat waiting, its engine running. Sebastian opened the back door for her.

    Emery slid inside, sinking into the seat. She pulled out her phone, thumb hovering over the screen before she typed out a short message to Logan. Sebastian’s taking me back to the vi.

    She let out a long breath, her shoulders finally dropping as the car pulled away from the resort.

    Sebastian caught her gaze through the rearview mirror. “Don’t worry about it. In this world, everyone leaves traces. No one can exist without leaving something behind. Sooner orter, we’ll uncover something. You should trust Logan. He is doing his best.”

    Emery leaned back against the seat, her fingers gripping her phone tightly. “I hope so too.”

    The hum of the engine filled the silence, steady and almost calming, until it wasn’t.

    A deafening crash erupted from the front, the kind of impact that shook bone. Something massive mmed into their car head–on. Metal screamed against metal, ss cracked, and the entire vehicle jerked violently to the side. Emery’s body lurched forward, but the seatbelt yanked her back in time. Pain shot across her chest where the strap dug in, but her stomach was safe. Instinctively, both arms flew across it, shielding the baby even as her ears rang.

    The car skidded sideways, tires screeching against the pavement, before mming into a solid barrier. The jolt sent her head snapping forward, and the seatbelt cut into her shoulder. Stars burst across her vision. Dizziness swallowed her as

    the world tilted and spun.

    She gasped, her palm pressing against the small of her back. The gun’s sharp edge had dug into her, the cold steel leaving a sting. “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath.

    When her vision cleared enough to focus, she saw Sebastian slumped against the driver’s seat, head tilted unnaturally, blood trickling from his temple. He wasn’t moving.

    Her pulse roared in her ears. Then came the sound that made her stomach drop, a guttural growl, low and rumbling, rolling through the wreckage like a warning.

    Her grip tightened around the seatbelt buckle. There wasn’t time to think. No room for panic. She forced herself to breathe, to steady her hands despite the dizziness, Slowly, she reached behind her, fingers brushing the gun. The metal bit into her bruised skin as she pulled it free.

    Instead of raising it, Emery pressed it t against her thigh, keeping it hidden from view. She let her body go ck, her head lolling to the side as though the crash had knocked her out cold.

    Her heart hammered against her ribs. She forced her breathing to shallow, uneven, mimicking unconsciousness. Every nerve in her body screamed to move, but she held still, waiting, the growl growing closer with every step that crunched against broken ss.

    Through her half–closed eyes, Emery finally caught sight of it. At first, it looked like a massive dog, but the wrongness struck immediately. It was upright, walking on two legs, its shoulders hunched forward. Strings of saliva dripped from its mouth, glistening against jagged fangs. Its fur was patchy, thick along the arms and chest but thinner at the joints. The ws looked long enough to shred metal.

    It circled the car slowly, each step heavy enough to rattle the frame. Emery’s pulse thudded in her ears. She fought the

    15:32 Thu, 18 Sept

    urge to tremble. Was it heading to her side?

    The thing was huge, easily twice the size of a grown man, its head nearly brushing the top of the car as it leaned in close. Emery knew instantly she wouldn’t outrun it. Even if she bolted, the distance it could cover in a single stride would end her before she made it ten feet.

    The growl deepened as the werewolf stopped by her door. Its wed hand curled around the handle. Emery’s stomach clenched. Her heartbeat sped so fast she thought it might give her away.

    Just as thetch clicked, a sharp crack split the air. It was the distinct sound of a gunshot. The first shot echoed off the wrecked car and the trees beyond. Then another followed, louder, closer, the force rattling through the metal frame. Within seconds, a rapid burst of gunfire filled the air, each round hitting with precision, forcing the werewolf to recoil.

    The werewolf howled in pain. Emery ducked, pressing herself low, her arms over her head as ss splinters rained inside. The stench of burnt powder filled the air.

    Whimpers broke through the growls, each one sharper than thest. The beast stumbled, its weight hitting the ground with heavy thuds that shook the wrecked car. For a few seconds, the struggle was clear, the sound of its ws scraping against the pavement, dragging across the metal. Then, all at once, it shifted, retreating fast. The only noise left was the fading scuffle of ws tearing through dirt and stone as it bolted into the trees.

    Relief surged through her chest when she heard a familiar voice cutting through the chaos.

    “Don’t let it get away!” Logan barked.

    Shouts of men answered back, boots pounding against gravel as they gave chase. Emery’s breath rushed out in a shaky exhale, her grip ion /ithe gun loosening just slightly. She wasn’t safe yet, but Logan was here.

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