Chapter 97

Jack

The sun hung low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the quiet suburban street. Jack's fingers drummed nervously on the steering wheel of his car, the engine humming with anticipation. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was teetering on the edge of a precipice, about to plunge into the unknown.

The plan hadn't exactly worked, but it hadn't exactly failed either. When Celeste appeared at his doorstep with Matt in tow, instead of Alyx, Jack's heart had plummeted. He had expected Matt to make his move, to finally reveal his betrayal.

But the truth that spilled from Celeste's trembling lips had left Jack bewildered.Alyx assaulting Celeste? It was a twist he hadn't seen coming. He watched the way Celeste's eyes glistened with unshed tears, the raw pain etched on her face.

Jack had barely been able to control his rage. He had thought Alyx would be a safe date. From everything that Jack had seen and from everything that his spies had reported, Alyx had never shown any indication that he was a predator. But Jack should have known better.

He couldn’t trust anyone around his sister. What if Alyx was a Crescent wolf? What if the assault was their way of trying to unlock their ‘Holy Maiden?’ His plan wouldn’t have been worth it if that was the case.

Jack made up his mind. Whether or not Alyx was a wolf didn’t matter. He needed to die for what he had done to Celeste. He couldn’t just let the asshole get away with it. Nobody touched his little sister. Nobody.

He could tell Matt was thinking the same thing. It bothered Jack that Matt cared so much about Celeste. He really didn’t think it was just because Celeste was his sister. He was fairly confident it was much more than that.

Which was the whole reason for the plan in the first place. Jack thought it was way too much of a coincidence that Matt just happened to be in the area. Seeing as how being sneaky hadn’t worked out for him, Jack decided that he was going to have to be direct.

He would have to confront Matt. Ask him point blank if he had feelings for Celeste. Then it would be over and done with. No more scheming. Honestly, he should have done it in the first place.

The Schrieber family had plenty of inventions that would tell them if someone was lying. All he’d had to do was choose one. He had finally decided on the long range device. Matt would never know that he had it on him. Now all he had to do was find Matt.

Unfortunately, Matt wasn’t picking up his phone. That usually meant he was on the hunt for the rogue. They always turned off their phones when they were hunting. Only idiots died because of a ringtone.

So Jack staked out Matt's usual hunting areas. The air hung heavy with tension, the world cocooned in twilight's embrace. As the minutes ticked by, shadows lengthened, and the streetlights flickered to life, casting a dull glow on the pavement.

Finally, Matt emerged from the dusky depths of a nearby alley, his gait purposeful but wary. Jack's heart quickened. This was the moment. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the confrontation ahead.

"Matt!" Jack's voice cut through the stillness, echoing off the silent buildings. He flinched. He hadn’t meant it to be so loud. He could have just given away their position. He took out his gun, just in case.

Startled, Matt turned, his eyes narrowing in the dim light. "Jack? What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk," Jack said, his tone unyielding. There would be no arguing, no escaping. Jack was going to get the answers he wanted, whether he liked them or not.

Matt hesitated, glancing around as if searching for an escape route. The tension in the air was palpable, a coiling energy that seemed to draw them closer. Finally, with a resigned sigh, Matt nodded. "Alright. Let's talk."

They found themselves in a small, deserted park, the swings creaking softly in the breeze. The silence stretched between them, pregnant with unspoken words. Jack studied Matt's face, the play of shadows accentuating the lines of weariness etched there.

"Tell me the truth, Matt," Jack implored, his voice steady. "About what happened with Celeste and Alyx."

Matt's gaze flickered, a moment of vulnerability slipping through his defenses. "I've already told you. I was just in the right place at the right time."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "It's too convenient, Matt. Why were you there? How is it that you of all people just happen to be the one to rescue my sister?"

Matt's jaw tightened, a muscle jumping in his cheek. "I swear, Jack, it went down exactly like I said. I never expected any of it."

Jack's doubts warred within him, the need for truth warring with the fear of betrayal. He pressed on. "I need to hear you say the words, Matt. Tell me that you don’t have feelings for her. Tell me that you’re not in love with my sister."

A flicker of understanding crossed Matt's face. “I promise that I don’t have feelings for Celeste. I care about her, but just as a friend. I gave you my word, Jack. I don’t break my promises.”

“Now, if that’s all you wanted, I should really get back to patrolling. It would suck if someone got hurt due to your paranoia,” Matt said, his tone teasing. It wasn’t the first time that he’d made fun of Jack for his overprotectiveness.

“Stay safe,” Jack said and watched as Matt walked away, disappearing into the shadows once more. When Jack was sure he was far enough away, he took out the device, praying that it was green. That Matt had been telling the truth.

Matt’s voice had been firm with conviction. Jack wanted to believe him, but his instinct told him that everything out of Matt’s mouth had been false. Jack had always trusted his instinct and it had never been wrong. Well, except for Alyx.

When he finally found the courage to look down, Jack’s heart sank. The display was red. Matt had been lying. Matt did have feelings for Celeste.

He shifted his focus to the gun in his hand. As much as he didn’t want to kill Matt, he didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t take the risk that Matt would act on his feelings. And given the way that they had been messaging each other when Celeste was pretending to be Rose, it wouldn’t take much for Celeste to go to bed with him.

Jack sighed, the feeling of betrayal weighing down on him. He really had no one that he could rely on in this world. Not even his sister. How could he when she was still in the dark about everything?

He squared his shoulders. What was one more person to his body count? He was a Schrieber and they took care of business, no matter what. The only thing that mattered was keeping Celeste safe.

With a renewed sense of duty, Jack began jogging in the direction Matt had gone. He couldn’t have gotten far. Jack would put an end to this, once and for all.