Chapter 1 - Astrid

I popped my knuckles and shifted from foot to foot, then marched into the office. Ansel looked up, brown eyes scrutinizing me even as his expression remained neutral.

"We need to talk," I said.

He looked around, indicating we were the only two people in the office, and nodded.

"By all means," he said, gesturing to the seat. "What's on your mind?"

My jaw clenched as I closed the door and then turned back to face him, remaining standing.

"I'm done," I said.

He had returned to the papers cluttering his desk. When I spoke, he paused, then raised his head slowly to regard me. He raised an eyebrow. I stayed where I was, arms folded as I stared back.

Finally, he sighed. "All right. I'll bite," he said. "What happened?"

"Aspen," I said.

He blinked, as if trying to figure out what I was talking about. Then I saw comprehension spread across his face. "Ah," he said. "I see."

I bristled. He was talking about it as if it had been a normal, everyday occurrence. As if a kid hadn't died.

"I'll admit I'm a little surprised," he said. "It isn't as though this is the first time there have been complications on a job."

"When I joined, I knew there were some sketchy things going on," I admitted. "But I'd just gone along with it. You paid well, and I needed the money, and I thought it was mostly harmless. But Aspen was on a different level."

It wasn't just that. By the time I had figured out how seedy Ansel and his crew were, I was in too deep. Backing out would have raised too many questions, and I'd felt like I was stuck. He'd successfully sucked me into a life I had never wanted but had been forced into because of life circumstances.

Except Aspen had been different.

I had known something was shady when Ansel told us he wanted us to get some sensitive information from some council-related building. Except I had managed to not think too hard about it. I was just supposed to be a distraction while everyone else grabbed whatever information it was they were supposed to get. I hadn't even asked what it was, preferring ignorance.

As I was distracting one of the guards with a trivial complaint, things had gone wrong. Alarms began to blare and scream. I kept my cover and managed to sneak off by blending in with the rest of the crowd. Except as I was ushered away, gunshots echoed out. When I finally managed to make my way back to base, I found out that one of ours—a guy who hadn't been older than nineteen—had been shot. Hearing that had been the final straw, but it had still taken me a couple of days for me to get up the courage to break ties. But it was clear I had gotten in too deep, and I had more than myself to think about.

"I'll admit that Aspen brought more heat on us than I would have liked," Ansel said. "But that doesn't mean we're ruined or that our goals have changed. I doubt they know enough to come after us."

My mouth dropped open. "This doesn't have anything to do with worrying about getting caught. A guy died, Ansel. He was practically a kid. He was maybe a year younger than Thea. And once he died, it was effectively swept under the rug. I can't be a part of a group that does something like that. I'm sorry."

"And there's no changing your mind?" he asked.

The way his eyes studied me made my skin crawl. I had never felt unsafe around Ansel, but that didn't change the fact that sometimes the intensity lurking in his eyes made me uncomfortable, as though I was being studied under a microscope. I exhaled, reminding myself what I was doing and why. I couldn't back out now.

"I'm positive," I said. "I won't tell anyone what I've done or anything about the group. I just want a clean break. We'll move away, and you'll never see or hear from me again."

He nodded, resting his chin on laced fingers as he surveyed me. I waited, a lump beginning to grow in my throat.

"I won't stop you if you want to leave," he said. "You know I'm not that type of person."

The comment made me pause for a moment, certain I had misheard him. I tilted my head, blinking. "Seems a bit risky," I said. "Considering the fact that I can implicate everyone here."

He gave a sly grin. "That's because I don't think you'll leave."

My skin prickled. Was he threatening me? My eyes darted from side to side, wondering if maybe we weren't as alone as I'd thought. "And why's that?"

He straightened, shuffling some papers around. "Because I have a job that I think you're really going to be able to sink your teeth into."

"I'm not interested," I said.

He raised an eyebrow, that smirk still on his face. Then, as if I hadn't said anything, he asked, "What do you know of the Silver Wolves?"

"A bit," I said, still wondering where this was going.

"So tell me what you know about them."

"They're a spec-ops group," I said. "Ostensibly retired, but they still do the odd job every now and again. I think I've heard rumors they're based in Colorado."

"Brixton. An hour or two north of Denver up in the mountains. They're part of the Obsidian Pack now."

"Okay, great. You've done your research on them. I don't know what this has to do with me."

"One of their members is a Rand Oakvald," he said, eyes locked on me.

I stilled, my muscles tensing as my jaw set. He grinned, showing his teeth as he saw his trap closing.

"A rather prominent monster hunter for several years before joining the military and eventually the Silver Wolves. If I'm not mistaken, you're familiar with him." Ansel spoke conversationally, even as his eyes glinted.

"You know I am," I said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be bringing it up."

He nodded in concession. "What happened exactly?" he asked.

"What happened is that he dumped my ass in a really shitty way," I said. "That's all you need to know."

For the last several years, I had tried to get over him. Tried to tell myself that it was over and done with and I needed to move past it. The only problem was I had never been great at not holding grudges. I had moved on with my life. He had clearly moved on with his. But that didn't mean the thought of him, when it snuck up on me or was shoved in my face like right now, didn't make me bristle with anger. The acrid taste of betrayal was still fresh in my mouth.

I still remembered his obnoxiously perfect face, the perpetual 5 o'clock shadow that seemed to reemerge seconds after shaving, the broad shoulders, and the way he seemed to fill a room, physically and with his personality. I remember the easy, cocksure grin he sometimes got, especially when he knew he had gotten under my skin.

I also remembered him walking out on me.

Ansel watched me, studying my features to gauge my reaction.

"I believe we could help one another out," he said. "Since Aspen, we have a bit too much heat on us. Unfortunately, I've started getting noticed."

I nodded. "I've heard talk of the Gray Wolf as a new criminal mastermind." Another reason I wanted out of the whole thing. Petty crime to support me and my sister was one thing. Being part of an intricate criminal organization was another thing altogether. The instant I'd started hearing whispers about the Gray Wolf, I knew I needed to get out. I had been trying to go about it slowly. But Aspen had been the final straw, and I'd pulled the trigger.

Ansel grimaced, rolling his eyes. "I don't know about ‘mastermind,'" he said. "And Gray Wolf sounds overly dramatic to me, don't you think? But that's beside the point. Some of my sources close to the Wolf's Council have told me that they plan on reaching out to the Silver Wolves to get their help."

I frowned, jaw tensing. The fact that the Wolf's Council was concerned enough about the Gray Wolf to enlist an elite black-ops team sent off all sorts of alarm bells. Just more reason for me to get out as soon as possible.

"I think this sounds like the perfect time for me to back out, then," I said. "Good lu—"

Ansel held up a hand, and I fell silent. He had that effect.

"Let me make you my offer," he said. "I will give you a substantial amount of money to infiltrate the Silver Wolves. Use your ex as leverage. Get as much information as you can without being caught, including what they know about us and any information about their plans you can find out. Maybe go in acting as a damsel in distress who can provide them with ‘useful' information about us. Once that's over with—let's say it'll take a few weeks—we can part ways. You'll never have to see us again."

I didn't say anything for a long moment, my mind wrapping around the situation. Thea and I could use the money, especially if we were moving.

"How much?" I finally said.

He gave me a number. My mouth dropped open.

"That's a lot of zeros," I finally said.

He grinned. "Consider it a bonus, plus severance pay, plus a token of my appreciation."

I tried to keep my face a mask, but already my mind was spinning, calculating what that amount of money would mean. I'd be able to support Thea and myself for the rest of our lives and never have to worry about working again. I could make sure Thea stayed safe no matter what, even if something happened to me.

He opened a locked drawer in his desk and plopped down a thick file.

"This is everything we have on the Silver Wolves," he explained. "It's not much, which is where you'd come in."

I reached out my hand, then paused, fingers hovering over the file. I glanced up at Ansel, whose grin widened as if he already knew what I was going to say.

"It's the perfect revenge," he pointed out. "You'll make a lot of money, get back at your ex, and you'll be helping us out. To me, it seems like everyone will be happy with that."

"Except the Silver Wolves," I pointed out.

He shrugged. "This isn't going to do them any harm. We just need the information to make sure we stay out of their way to avoid any more casualties."

I stared at the envelope, mind reeling as I debated with myself. But in the end, it was a no-brainer. I'd get to help Thea and get back at Rand. It seemed like the perfect fit.

So why did I get that uncomfortable crawling sensation creeping up my back?

I pushed the anxiety out of my head. I was being paranoid for no reason. This would be a simple in and out, after which I wouldn't have to worry about any of this ever again.

"All right," I said. "I'll do it."

***

I came back to the small but tidy house I called my home and opened the door to the smell of sizzling meat and rock music blaring from the kitchen. My stomach growled.

"I'm home," I called, closing the door.

The music stopped. Thea poked her head out from around the corner, her long blond hair swishing behind her.

"Hey!" She beamed, giving me a smile I knew was identical to my own. "How was it?"

"It existed." I followed her into the kitchen and slumped into one of the uncomfortable chairs.

"Did you quit?" Her face, almost identical to mine, was anxious, eyes round with worry. I could tell by the way she studied me and the way she carefully masked her features that she already knew the answer without my saying anything.

"Not exactly," I finally admitted. "I was going to quit—I still am—but I agreed to help out with something first."

"Help out with what?" Thea asked, her shoulders tense.

I hesitated, trying to figure out what to tell her. She felt as though something was off with Ansel and the group I'd fallen into, but she didn't realize how bad things had gotten or how deep I'd inadvertently gone. I'd protected her from the worst of it.

"Nothing too serious, but I've got to go away for a bit," I said.

She frowned. "Why?"

"It's hard to explain. But it's just the one last thing I've got to do for them," I explained. "After that, it's over."

She let out a huff, folding her arms. "This doesn't seem like a great idea, Astrid," she said. "I can see a thousand different ways this could go horribly, horribly wrong." She hesitated. "I don't trust those guys."

I winced, trying to hide the guilt. "I'll be fine," I promised. "They're not bad people. But I'm more worried about you. Are you going to be okay?"

She raised her eyebrows. "You need to stop worrying about me so much. I'm not going to fall apart just because you leave for a bit."

"Of course I'm going to worry about you," I countered. "You know that."

Thea couldn't shift. She still had a wolf inside her that she could sense and communicate with, but any ability to shift had never developed. The official medical term was "lupus absentia," but most people called them "absents." It was a rare phenomenon in shifters, one that usually resulted in them being ostracized at best, cast out at worst.

The people around here knew what she was and treated Thea well, which was one of the reasons I'd stayed with the group for so long. But the condition wasn't easy on Thea. She tended to be antsy, almost as though she were cooped up. I think it was her wolf trying to get out. She always seemed to bounce from foot to foot, like she was right now.

Still, despite being an absent, she was always optimistic and cheerful. Honestly, I was a little envious of that. I had never shared that same level of optimism. But I wanted her to keep it. It was one of the reasons I watched out for her. Ever since our parents died when we were fairly young, I had looked after her, making sure she was taken care of and safe.

Being an absent in a shifter world wasn't always safe. We kept it to ourselves more often than not, but that didn't change the fact that I always worried. It was the only reason I didn't like the thought of her being alone. I knew she could look after herself, but that didn't change the fact that I didn't get concerned.

Thea put her hand on my shoulder. "If you need to do this, then go ahead. I'll be all right for a few days."

"You sure?"

She nudged me. "Come on, you can't look after me all the time. I'll survive for a bit. Then, when you get back, we can throw a two-person party to celebrate you getting out of there."

I gave a grin and wrapped her in a hug. "Don't worry," I said. "I'll be home before you know it."