The moment I saw her walk into the hall, a chill crept down my spine like frost biting into flesh. Katrina Powell. A name I once associated with harentes. empty chatter and overly sweet perfume. A girl who used to share coffee in the university lounge, who once lent me her umbrella and laughed at her ow terrible jokes.
But now…
Now I see her for what she is–or at least, what she’s trying so hard not to reveal.
She hadn’t seen me at first. Her posture was casual, her smile charming, rehearsed. But the second her eyes met mine across the grand auditorium, I saw
it–the flicker. Fear.
Real fear.
Her smile wavered, just for a heartbeat, before she looked away and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear like it would somehow hide her panic. I didn’t look away. I couldn’t. I kept my gaze locked on her like a predator waiting to strike, silent and still.
She looked… nervous. Not just stage–fright nervous. This was something else. Something deeper. Guilt? Shock? Maybe both.
She had tried to kill me. I was sure of it now.
The plan had failed. I had survived–stronger, sharper, more aware than ever. And here she was, alive and breathing like she hadn’t done anything wrong.
I clenched my jaw, feeling Mika stir beneath my skin. My wolf was restless, growling lowly inside me. Not in rage. In warning. This wasn’t just a betrayal. This was a threat.
But what I couldn’t understand–what gnawed at me more than anything–was how.
How could a human like Katrina know who I was? What I was? Our kind was hidden from most of humanity. Shielded by ancient treaties and enforced silence. Only select humans–those in government, or bound by sacred oaths–knew of our existence. And even then, their knowledge was limited. They were never given full access to our world.
But Katrina… she had known enough to orchestrate an attempt on my life.
Why?
Audrey’s voice echoed in my mind from our earlier discussion. “Maybe she mated with someone in the rogues?”
At the time, it had seemed like a far stretch. Katrina, sweet, harmless Katrina? A rogue’s mate?
But as I watched her now, standing stiffly near the stage, something clicked.
She wasn’t harmless. She was dangerous.
And worse–she wasn’t alone.
When they called her name, “Katrina Powell,” her movements turned robotic, rehearsed like she had practiced for this moment a hundred times. She walked to the podium, trying to mask the tremor in her steps. But then… she did something she shouldn’t have.
She waved.
At first, it seemed innocent. A simple wave toward the crowd. But I followed the direction of her hand.
And that’s when I saw him.
In the back row, partially hidden by shadows and the gleam of the chandeliers, stood a man I recognized.
Chapter 92
My blood ran cold.
Scar on his left temple. Faded tattoo near his collarbone. The same eyes that I had seen several time in Florence.
So, he was a rogue..
A killer.
I didn’t hesitate. ‘That man in the back,‘ I mind–linked Francesco, my thoughts sharp and urgent. ‘He’s one of them.
There was a pause. Then his voice, calm and commanding: ‘Rogues. A lot of them blend in with humans now. Hold on!’
I swallowed hard and sat back into my chair, fists clenched tightly in my lap to keep from shaking. The hall felt smaller now, the walls pressing in. The scent of polished wood and perfume couldn’t mask the danger I sensed all around me.
They were here. Not just that man–but others too. Blending in. Watching.
Waiting.
A bold move. A public message. They wanted us to know they weren’t afraid anymore.
They wanted a war.
I forced a smile onto my lips. It felt brittle. But I kept it there. I would not give them the satisfaction of seeing me rattle.
My eyes never left the rogue in the back.
Tik… tok…
Tik… tok…
Time slowed. Every word spoken on stage blurred in my ears. Every clap, every cheer, every polite chuckle from the audience sounded distant. I could hear my own heartbeat, steady and hard.
I scanned the room again, focusing on the scents and energy around me. My senses, though dulled in human form, still picked up traces. Faint hints of blood, metal, sweat. Wolves disguised in human skin.
My gaze returned to Katrina.
She was speaking now, giving some speech about “unity” and “the beginning of future“. Her voice was steady, confident even. But her eyes… they kept darting in my direction. Like she couldn’t believe I was still breathing.
She wanted me dead.
Why?
Suddenly, an image came to my mind–her hand brushing against my arm months ago. The slight hesitation, the flicker in her eyes. She had known even then, hadn’t she?
Did she hate me for being different? For hiding something from her? Or was this deeper? Personal?
A memory flashed–Katrina arguing on the phone in the dorm hallway. I had thought it was just a fight with her boyfriend. But now…
What if she wasn’t just involved with a rogue?
What if she was bred for this?
A human spy? A handler? The rogues had been evolving–adapting, recruiting, twisting the rules of engagement.
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Chapter 92
I felt cold.
‘They must’ve been called by Luca,‘ I whispered through the bond with Francesco. “He’s connected to this somehow. I can feel it?
‘He’s not here today. But I’ve already sent warriors to quietly surround the building. We’re ready?
Good.
Because something was going to happen today.
I could feel it in my bones.
My gaze wandered to the exits. Too few. Too narrow. Not enough space for a clean escape if things went south. There were too many humans here. Innocents. If the rogues decided to attack now…
No. They wouldn’t. Not yet. Not with so many witnesses.
They were waiting.
For what, I didn’t know.
But I would be ready.
I slowly stood from my seat as the speech ended. Polite applause echoed around the room. Katrina bowed slightly, eyes flicking toward me again.
This time, I smiled. A real one. Cold and knowing.
Her face paled.
She knew.
The game was over.
The reception afterward was a haze of handshakes and forced pleasantries. The mayor gave a short speech about interspecies cooperation. The dean o the university spoke about academic excellence and diversity. All around me, people smiled and laughed, completely unaware of the predators in their midst.
I stuck close to Audrey and Beta Alfonso, both dressed formally but alert. Their eyes scanned every movement, every breath.
“Three more in the west wing,” Audrey murmured under her breath. “We confirmed. All rogue.”
“Another two near the catering table,” Alfonso added. “One of them smells like silver.”
Francesco hadn’t arrived yet. He wanted me here first. A test. A trap. We wanted to see how far the rogues would go.
I sipped my wine slowly, pretending to listen to the professor beside me drone on about art history and symbolism. My mind, however, was focused on
Katrina.
She hadn’t left. She stood near the back, talking quietly to the same man I’d identified earlier.
Their body language told me everything I needed to know.
This was coordinated.
Planned.
War was coming.
And I would be the spark that lit the flare.
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Chapter 92
Two hours later, the hall began to empty. The human guests started saying their goodbyes, laughing, unaware of the tension rippling beneath the
surface.
The rogues hadn’t moved yet. But their eyes had followed
me all night.
I walked past Katrina one final time, close enough to see
the sweat forming on her temple.
“I know,” I whispered to her without stopping. “And they will too.”
She froze.
That was all I needed.
–
By the time Francesco arrived, dressed in dark tailored formalwear, People stepped aside instinctively.
Me room had thinned. His power filled the space like a thunderstorm rolling ma
at
me from the shadows all night.
He looked at me once–just once–and that was all I needed.
It was time.
I turned to the remaining rogues and locked eyes with the one who’d stared
“Let’s not do this here,” I said softly, my voice carrying. “There are innocents.”
He didn’t speak. Just smiled.
Francesco stepped forward, voice low and final. “You’ve been warned.”
The rogue chuckled. “And you’ve been found.”
That was the signal.
Chaos erupted.
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