Chapter 27

I didn’t bother hiding the flat irritation that pulled at my face the second I saw her.

She scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous, Renee. How could I not come see your new place?” She held up a tiny gift bag. “I even brought a housewarming gift!”

I had half a mind to ask if it was poison, to tell her to go away, but I was headed out, and I didn't want to have to worry about her being here when I got back. It was better to get rid of her before I left. Though telling her to go away had never quite been effective enough to make her stay away. With a deep sigh ,I braced myself and opened the door.

The side of her was more irritating than I had expected. Dressed in a floaty cream blouse and high-waisted jeans like she’d just stepped off some influencer’s story, she flashed a bright smile, all teeth and false charm. Her lipstick was too perfect, her posture too casual, and her smile too wide. It didn’t match the glint in her eyes. And just like that, all the tension I thought I’d shaken off came roaring back.

What was she doing here?

“Renee! Honestly, you just left without saying goodbye?” Her voice was high and airy, like this was some kind of cheerful reunion and not the ambush it was clearly meant to be. She pouted. “ Add that we'd be able to. Have sleepovers like old times now that we're sisters and all.”

My fingers curled around the edge of the door, nails biting into the wood. “Don’t call me that.”

“Oh, come on,” she laughed, making a move to come in like she owned the place. “You’re under Brightclaw guardianship now. That practically makes us sisters, doesn’t it?”

I didn’t move, shutting the door firmly behind me and engaging the lock. Before I could speak, I spotted movement behind her.

Tyler.

Of course.

He was in full security mode—neutral expression, black tactical jacket, comm in his ear. But I knew that stance. He wasn’t just part of the pack detail today. He was here for me, with her.

And just like that, it all clicked. The faux-cheer. The unannounced visit. Tyler looming in the background like a bodyguard-slash-ex-boyfriend-shaped guilt trip.

They were trying to corner me. They both knew I knew and were probably trying to head off any chance for me to out them.

As if I would be that foolish twice. If they were going to try to take me, force me, kill me, they were going to have to do it wherever the whole world could see this time.

Vivian made a show of trying to nudge me.

“Aren’t you going to let us in? Can’t have a housewarming without us going inside…” She huffed. “Though I really don’t understand why you had to rush. You really shouldn’t be alone right now. The Brightclaw Estate is so much more comfortable. Come stay with us for a few days. Clear your head. We could talk, reconnect... Tyler’s even here to make sure the place is secure. Right, Ty?”

Tyler looked at me then, his eyes unreadable. “We were just hoping to talk, that’s all.”

I laughed. Short. Dry. Cold.

“No housewarming,” I narrowed my eyes at her. “I haven’t bought enough salt, sage, and moonstone to entertain either of you entering my place.”

Vivian stepped closer, tilting her head with faux concern. “Renee, you’re making some really big decisions right now. Maybe you’re acting out of hurt. No one wants to see you regret anything long-term. Especially not with everything you’ve been through. Maybe if you and Tyler just had a chance to—”

“Don’t,” I said sharply, glaring at her. “Even think about finishing that sentence.”

The warmth that was still lingering from my little fantasy with Dominic evaporated in an instant, replaced by the tight coil of fury winding in my gut.

Vivian blinked at me, startled.

“I know what this is,” I said. “And I’m not interested in it.”

I stepped past her, pushing her out of the way since she refused to just move.

Vivian huffed behind me. “Honestly, so dramatic…”

Tyler stepped in front of me “Going somewhere?”

“Tyler, get out of my way.”

I tried to make my voice steady, but it was really hard with the way my heart was hammering. A sense of dread, a sense of fear, a sense of knowing that something was about to happen. was taking over all sense of calm. It was pretty clear what their plan was. They were cornering me, pushing me to soften. Tyler might even be trying to take me to one of his alpha brothers to compel me. Maybe his father. The marriage was probably on the list of things they wanted to talk about. Maybe Tyler had some new story about what those underwear were about, maybe Vivian hadn’t even told him that I knew it was her.

A deliciously vicious thought crossed my mind… what if Tyler had more than one secret girlfriend? I made a note to do everything in my power to find out and reveal it in the most painful way possible.

“You’re being unreasonable. What are you going to do? Walk?” He cocked an eyebrow. “You can’t drive, and you don’t have a driver.”

He smirked. Of course, he’d checked.

“Surprise, Tyler,” I said, slinging my bag over my shoulder. “I’m incredibly capable of catching the bus, and I have somewhere to be.”

“You can ride with —”

“No.”

I stepped around him, turning away from where he was parked, even if that meant catching the wrong bus. I didn’t care. I noted there was no one else in the car they’d driven. No way in hell was I going to be alone with either of them. Tyler moved to block me again, but I was faster. I brushed past him without looking back.

“Do not be here when I get back, or I’m calling the police.” I paused and turned back. “Better yet, I’ll call Alpha Brightclaw and see how he feels about his gamma harassing a ward he’s been told to leave alone.”

Tyler flushed. Then, Vivian was coming towards me. She reached out for me, and I pulled away from her before she could touch me.

“Don’t touch me!” I hissed at her. “You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve.”

“Renee, don’t be like this,” she said, still with that too-sweet tone, like we were just sisters bickering over borrowed clothes and not betrayal that would only end in my grave. “You’re being unreasonable. Just get in the car. We’ll talk there. It’s safer than walking around alone, don’t you think?”

I scoffed and turned. Then, Tyler was suddenly much closer, flanking me from the other side. My breath caught. My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag as my heart kicked up, hard.

I could smell the ocean wind, the hopelessness of flailing through air, then water.

This was not going down like it had on the cruise ship. The realization felt like ice water in my veins. The memory slammed into me like a tidal wave—how fast it had all gone wrong so quickly.

“Don’t make a scene. Just come with us.”

I couldn’t breathe. Something shifted behind me. I felt it more than saw it—the unmistakable anticipation in the air when someone’s about to grab you.

No way in hell!

I stepped back fast, hand going for the phone in my pocket—but before I could even unlock it, I heard the rumble of a car engine. Tyler backed off just barely enough to be considered a decent distance, freezing in place, no doubt recognizing the car as well.

I turned, taking the chance, and making plans to move elsewhere as soon as possible and not use Brightclaw to do so. I was about to break into a full-on run when the sight of the car stopped me.

Relief and an undercurrent of something far more vicious and angry filled me.

The black sedan with a familiar, elegant crest on the flag mounted on the hood pulled into the driveway next door and rolled to a stop. The driver’s door opened, and out stepped the tall, suited, impeccable, polished figure I expected. He was as handsome as ever and looking in our direction as he adjusted the lapels of his jacket.

His whole expression lit up when he saw me. Once I had thought it was sweet, I had never paid much attention to it, though. I have been in love with Tyler after all. But now, seeing him striding across the lawn towards me, smiling in a way that he didn't typically smile at anyone, I had the maddening urge to practically leap into his arms with glee. Looking back, I really should have had a more open heart towards Neil.

Well, no time like the present, right? Especially when Dominic wasn’t an option.

“Renee?”

“Neil, what are you doing here?” I asked, meeting him halfway.