17. Mai

Chapter seventeen

Mai

I t was two a.m. when we pulled up near 589 Denison. The building was based in an industrial area and at this time of night, it was deserted. Derek had spent the last few hours digging into this place. It looked like it had been bought six months ago, but the new owners only started operating out of it in the last few weeks. Right before Brock and Hayley took over the Pack. Whether that meant Brock knew about it, or even sanctioned it, we didn't know. He was certainly involved in ripple somehow. Hayley had implied that Brock had been supplying her with the drug, but we didn't know where he had been getting it from.

I stared ahead at the building. Towering warehouses and factories loomed on either side, their windows dark and lifeless. The only sound was the occasional whisper of the wind, carrying with it the faint, lingering scents of diesel and metal. I couldn't help but imagine how different this place must be during the day, filled with the rumble of trucks and the chatter of workers going about their business.

But now, in the stillness of the early hours, it was as if the entire district had exhaled and fallen into a deep, restful slumber .

We got out and stalked toward the suspected ripple lab. I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease; the building looked just like its neighbors, its exterior pristine and unassuming, designed to blend seamlessly with its surroundings.

"It looks so ordinary," I whispered to Ryan, my voice barely audible in the stillness of the night. "Hard to believe they've set up a ripple lab inside."

Ryan nodded, his eyes narrowed as he surveyed the building. "That's what makes it the perfect cover," he muttered. "No one would suspect a thing."

I shivered, and not just from the cool night air. The thought of what they were doing in there filled me with dread. If what Talia said was true, it had the potential to destroy not just our Pack but all Shifter communities. We had to put an end to this. Not just here, but wherever they made this stuff.

Ryan's hand found mine in the darkness. I squeezed back, letting the familiar strength of his grip ground me. We were running short on people for an op like this. We needed to recruit more enforcers as a matter of urgency. Our enforcers were guarding what was left of Korrin's crew, monitoring the routes in and out of the Three Rivers against another attack—people were understandably jittery about an attack in the heart of our territory and we needed to show we were protecting the Pack—and helping Thomas with the injured from the attack.

With the enforcers occupied, that left the Shaw brothers, Jase and Talia to back up me and Ryan. Ryan had split us into teams before we left the compound—him and me, Derek with Mason and Sam, and Talia with Jase. The goal was to shut this lab down so they were never able to make ripple again. We had to send a message. We had to make sure the dealers knew we were coming for them, and that ripple wasn't welcome here.

Beside us, Talia moved with predatory grace, her amber eyes scanning the shadows.

"We take this place down. I want no trace of ripple here by the morning." Ryan's voice was a low growl.

Talia nodded, her expression all business. "I don't need to remind you how dangerous ripple is to Shifter communities. We need to make sure this facility is no longer an option for whoever is running ripple. We have information that all the labs in this area have been consolidated into this one. We take it out and we'll be able to set back their operations for months."

"Derek, Sam, and Mason, you're Team Two," Ryan said, his eyes scanning the building. "Go round the back. Talia and Jase, Team Three. Come in from the east. Mai and me are Team One. We'll hit the front."

Ryan had already told us this back at the house. The plan was simple. Mason, Sam, and Derek would set fire to the building, drawing out the guards. The rest of us would get in, make sure there wasn't anyone else inside, then destroy the building and the equipment.

The wind shifted and the smell of chemicals drifted over us, mixed with a strange metallic tang that set my wolf on edge.

"No problem," replied Mason, twirling a knife in his hand.

Sam grinned at us. I got the impression he was going to enjoy this.

Derek nodded at me and Ryan. Then the brothers melted into the night.

"Come on, Jase," Talia ordered. "Let's see what you can do. "

Talia and Jase headed toward the left of the building, while Ryan and I made for the main entrance. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins, a wild, exhilarating rush.

Ryan shattered the glass door with ease and we stepped through into a dimly lit corridor. The air was thick, heavy with a mix of chemicals and stale, recycled oxygen. Each breath felt like inhaling a synthetic cloud. My wolf whined, wanting to be back in the clean, fresh air of our forest. There was no going back, though. Not yet.

We moved in sync down the main corridor. A sudden movement at the end of the corridor caught my eye. I looked up just as a massive, snarling wolf emerged from round a corner.

Okay, so they had guards in wolf and human form. The wolf's fur bristled at the sight of us. He, and from the size of him, he was definitely a he, bared his teeth and snarled.

Oh shit!

The wolf charged towards us, his claws scraping against the concrete floor. Ryan shoved me back as he darted in front of me, his body tense and ready to fight. But the wolf was quick. With a powerful leap, he sailed over our heads, twisting mid-air to land behind us, blocking our exit.

It also meant that despite Ryan's attempts to protect me, I was now face-to-face with the snarling beast, his hot breath hitting my skin. Fear and adrenaline surged as the wolf came at me. I threw myself back as the wolf hit me, using his momentum to kick up and flip us so I landed on top of the wolf. Ryan was there in a second, clamping his arm around the wolf's neck while I twisted us so the wolf was on its side. I lay my body across him, stopping him from attacking us with his claws. He jerked and writhed, trying to throw me off, then started to thrash wildly as Ryan squeezed down on his windpipe. I held on, knowing if it got free, his claws would eviscerate me.

It felt like forever, but then with a final, desperate whine, the wolf went limp, his body sagging.

"You okay?" Ryan asked as we both stood up.

"You stepped in front of me!"

"Did I?" Ryan's face was one of complete innocence.

I wasn't buying it. "Yes, you did! You need to stop trying to protect me all the time."

"I must have tripped."

"Into a fighting stance, right in front of me?"

He grinned at me. "I'm always ready to fight."

He looked so cocky and I just wanted to wipe that grin off his face, but now was not the time.

"We need to keep moving," I said, my voice low and urgent. "We'll talk about this later."

Ryan winked. "Can't wait, baby. Will you be wearing that frown when we do? Only, fair warning, I have to heroically resist kissing you whenever you frown at me like that."

"Let's move," I grumbled, knowing now was not the time to kick him in his throat.

Ryan motioned me to a door on the left. I put my ear against it, then shook my head to tell him there was no one inside. Ryan swung the door open. It was empty, just a sterile room with benches on their sides and vials and beakers scattered across the desks.

We pressed on. The next room was larger, and I immediately knew that this was the heart of the operation. Rows of high-tech equipment buzzed and whirred, lights flickering on their displays. Tubes and wires snaked across the floor like mechanical vines, feeding the machines that churned out small, red pills, with the three wave emblem stamped on them.

I could hear Ryan's low growl, a primal sound barely contained. The sight of the lab ignited a fury in us both. This was where they made the ripple, the drug that had hooked Arabella and Norman, that was causing so much pain and destruction all across the Shifter communities.

Gunfire echoed down the corridor, abruptly cut off, and the smell of smoke was starting to waft along the corridors. If we wanted to destroy this place, we had to be quick.

We moved methodically, Ryan ripping cords from sockets, me shattering glassware and smashing equipment.

"What do we do with the ripple?" I asked, nodding toward the bags of red pills.

"Leave it. It'll burn with the rest of this place. We can't afford anyone else getting their hands on it."

I nodded, just as the lights flickered and plunged us into darkness. The lab, moments ago a hub of destruction, was now a cave of shadows, our only light the faint glow of emergency exit signs. The sudden plunge into darkness sharpened my senses, heightening every sound and movement.

The sounds of fighting were closer now.

Adrenaline surged, my wolf close to the surface.

The dim emergency lighting flickered as two figures burst into the room. Guards, both human, one tall and lanky with a shock of red hair, the other shorter but solidly built, with close-cropped dark hair, charged toward us .

Not even a hello first. Well, that was just rude.

The tall guard swung a heavy baton, aiming for Ryan's head. With swift precision, Ryan ducked and slammed his fist into the guard's gut. The guard doubled over, gasping for air, as Ryan brought his knee up into the man's face. I heard the crack of his nose breaking as the second guard came straight at me. I leaped over a table. My wolf was snarling inside. As I landed, I bounced up and back, using the table to pivot in the air, and delivered a quick, powerful kick to the guard's head as he chased after me. His body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.

A yell pierced the air.

Jase.

The sound was filled with pain and urgency. Ryan and I exchanged glances.

"Go. I'll finish up here. I'll be right behind you," Ryan ordered.