ChapterFour
1188 Words
(Jacob Curry – POV)
Luca joins me in the interrogation room. The room is small, windowless, lined with dark metal that hides more than it reflects.
Liam sits in the chair with blood soaked in his cheap shirt. His shoes are muddy, and his smirk, infuriating.
He has a scent that makes me wonder if he's just human.
I step closer to him.
“Do you know who I am?” I ask.
He leans back in the chair, sweat dripping down his face. “You’re Jacob Curry. Mr. Money. Billionaire with a god complex.”
Luca’s jaw tightens, his gaze tense. “Show some respect.”
Liam snorts.“I will if he releases her.”
My heart races, and my fists ball.
I glance at Luca, who’s already reading my face. He knows better than to speak.
“Why have you been following her?” I ask.
“She’s my girlfriend,” he replies.
“Point of correction,” Luca cuts through. “Ex-girlfriend.”
“I know she's in trouble, you're using her,” he says with defiance written all over his face.
I fold my arms and face him. “Do you mean the trouble she was in already before she crashed my car? The debt you helped put her in?”
He freezes. I can see the panic in the twitch of his jaw.
“I have intel that you left her to pay your loans. You disappeared without a trace. Why are you back now?”
He stares at the pulsating mark on my wrist as I roll up my sleeve.
“What in God’s name is that?” he asks.
My lips curve into a smile, “It's strange because we both have secrets yet to be revealed—the scent you carry is not human.”
He looks away, his heart is beating faster, and sweat covers his face.
My hands find his chin, and I press so hard, I can hear his teeth clacking together. His breath reeks of alcohol and smoke, but deep beneath it, I sense something feral that should not belong here.
“Who sent you?” I hiss.
He refuses to answer.
Luca steps forward, cracking his knuckles. “I’ll make him talk, don’t worry.”
Liam flinches. “You dogs can't scare me?”
My gaze widens, and the tension in the room becomes more intense.
Dogs.
He knows.
“Repeat what you just said,” Luca demands.
Liam lifts his head, spits blood, and smiles. “You're fools to believe your world is completely shielded from humans.”
“Enough,” I growl.
Luca stiffens immediately. Even Liam goes pale, as if something in my voice vibrates inside his bones.
My shadow swallows his as I step closer. “I’ll give you a chance to leave the city tonight, on condition that you never come near her again, and forget every memory you have of her. Fail, and I'll show you what happens when wolves stop pretending to be men.”
His mouth is wide open, but he can't utter a word. The mark on my wrist glows bright, and I know somehow she can feel it too.
I return upstairs, and Rose is waiting outside the conference room.
“She hasn't moved since. I think she's shaken but she'll be fine,” she says.
I nod once and push open the door.
Jane stands near the window, arms crossed, trying to look composed, but her eyes betray her.
“What did you do to him?” she asks.
“Nothing much, I just scared him off,” I reply.
“He’s not a threat, he’s—”
“He’s a betrayer who set you up, and vanished,” I cut in. “You deserve better.”
The words surprise both of us.
Her lips part slightly. “You don’t even know me.”
“Yes, I don't,” I admit. “But I can easily detect desperation and betrayal. Those smells are the same for everyone.”
She steps closer. “Smells?”
We lock eyes, and for a heartbeat, the room is filled with silence. The mark on my wrist glows.
“You won't believe me if I even told you,” I cut the silence.
“Try me.”
Her words make my wolf claw at the edges of its cage, readying itself to claim or maybe to know.
I take a few steps back. “We will attend the gala soon. Rose will prep you, and forget he ever existed. Don't forget to smile at the gala.”
She blinks. “You can't control who I remember, Mr.”
“But I can control who walks through my doors or gets close to you,” I reply.
Her hands tremble, but she lifts her chin. “I’m not afraid of you, Jacob.”
“You're trying to appear strong, but I promise, you should be scared of me,” I say.
The silence after that is thick enough to drown in.
That night, I stroll along the balcony with memories of the day flooding me—the scent of her soap, the rain, my suspicion about something she might be hiding.
Luca joins me, leaning against the railing. “He’s gone,” he says. “Took the train north. But… there’s something else.”
I turn to him.
“The rogue that attacked the other night has the same mark on his chest as hers.”
The words send a shiver down my spine.
“Impossible,” I say.
“The possibility is that she might not just be human,” Luca replies with careful intent in his expression.
The word hangs between us, heavy and dangerous.
Hybrid.
I stare at the bond mark on my wrist as it pulsates in synchrony with her heartbeat somewhere above me.
“She’s the key,” Luca says. “To the Northern pack’s return.”
I close my eyes. “If that’s true, she’s also the key to a war.”
Lightning strikes the clouds as my words end.
I can feel her moving inside the tower—her pulse, her breath, her confusion. The bond is awake now, and I can't undo it.
I press a hand against the mark. It burns hot enough to sear.
I have to control it before it controls me.
I return to my suite. Rose is already waiting with an envelope in hand. “This is for you, Sir.”
I rip it open. Inside is a single photo—taken from across the street.
Jane and I. Last night.
The caption beneath it reads: Billionaire Jacob Curry’s Secret Fiancée – or New Pawn in the Curry Legacy War?
My pulse spikes.
“Who’s behind this?” I ask.
“We’re trying to put the pieces together, Sir, but it's already trending on social media.”
I turn, and pace towards the window, watching the city lights twist below.
“They’ll come for her now,” I say quietly.
“Who will?” Rose asks.
“The ones who know what she really is.”
- Writer
