Chapter 8 After the fire

Zara

I woke to the sound of rain tapping against the glass and Damian's arms around me like they'd never let go again.

His scent was everywhere.

My skin. My pillow. The sheets tangled around my legs.

It should've made me panic.

Instead, I just lay there and breathed him in.

Warm ash and cedar. Home and heartbreak.

God, what the hell was I doing?

I slipped out of bed carefully, trying not to wake him. My body ached in all the right ways - from the night before, from letting my walls fall, from letting him back in.

But my mind?

That was chaos.

This wasn't the plan.

The plan was control. Distance. Cold revenge served over spreadsheets and sabotage.

Not tangled limbs and whispered apologies at three in the morning.

I grabbed my robe and went to the bathroom, turning on the tap just to drown out my thoughts.

When I looked at myself in the mirror, I almost didn't recognize her.

Not the girl he left behind.

Not the woman who came back for blood.

Someone in between.

Someone dangerous.

---

Damian

When I woke up, she was gone.

Not far - I could smell her in the hallway, feel her energy lingering in the apartment.

But that old panic still slammed into my chest like it used to when she'd disappear for hours as a teenager, off chasing the wind and wild stories.

I sat up, ran a hand through my hair, and found her curled up on the window bench in the living room, staring out at the rain.

Silent. Still. Beautiful in that quiet, burning way she always was.

I walked up behind her, rested a hand on her shoulder.

She didn't flinch.

But she didn't lean in either.

"How long've you been up?" I asked.

"Long enough."

I hesitated.

"Do you regret it?" I asked quietly.

She looked at me, eyes unreadable.

"Which part?"

"Last night."

Her lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Not yet."

Not yet.

That was all I was gonna get.

For now.

---

Zara

He didn't ask me to stay longer.

He didn't have to.

I stayed anyway.

For a few hours.

We didn't talk much. Just existed in the same space, orbiting each other carefully.

I didn't tell him what I felt. I couldn't.

Because it was dangerous.

Because it was starting to feel like maybe, maybe, I didn't hate him anymore.

That scared me more than Black Ridge ever could.

---

Later that afternoon, I got a text.

Blocked ID: Come to The Iron Gate. Alone. Now.

No signature. But I knew who it was.

Elin.

The one wolf in this city who still knew exactly how to ruin me.

I didn't tell Damian.

He was in a meeting, anyway. Surrounded by corporate sharks and his security team.

This... this was my problem.

Always had been.

So I went.

Alone.

---

The Iron Gate was an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the Lower East Side. Old scent trails, rusted doors, broken windows. It smelled like ghosts.

She was waiting inside.

Wearing leather and blood-red lipstick, her arms folded, eyes cold.

"Well, well," she purred. "Zara D'Lune, risen from the grave."

I didn't flinch.

"Skip the theatrics."

She smirked. "You used to have more fun."

"I used to have a soul."

"Ouch."

She stepped forward.

"Does he know?"

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb. Damian. Does he know what you're really here for?"

I stayed quiet.

"That's what I thought."

She circled me like a predator. Like we weren't blood. Like she hadn't once braided my hair before ceremonies when we were pups.

"You always thought you were smarter than everyone else. But you're sloppy this time."

"I'm still standing, aren't I?"

"For now."

Her grin widened.

"You're in over your head, Z."

"You don't get to call me that anymore."

"You planning on telling him?" she asked. "Or should I?"

"What do you want, Elin?"

Her expression changed.

Colder. Harder.

"I want out."

That surprised me.

"Out of Black Ridge?"

She nodded. "It's not what it used to be. Jonas is dead. Kye's halfway to a breakdown. And the new Alpha? He's worse than the last."

"Then leave."

"Can't. Not without help."

"And you think I'll help you? After what you did?"

"I did what I had to back then."

"You lied. You let them exile me."

"You were getting too close to him. You would've thrown everything away."

"I loved him," I snapped.

"I know," she said. "And now look at you."

She stepped closer.

"You want to hurt him. I want out. We can help each other."

I narrowed my eyes. "How?"

"There's a ledger. Hidden in the Ridge's archive. It's got names, deals, blackmail - proof of everything the pack's done to stay in power."

"And you're just giving it to me?"

"I'm giving you a chance to bury them. For good."

I studied her. Every word, every twitch.

She wasn't lying.

But she wasn't telling the whole truth either.

"Think about it," she said, turning away. "Tick tock, cousin. You're not the only one with a knife at his throat."

---

Damian

When I got back to the penthouse, she was gone.

No note.

No scent trail.

Just gone.

My heart damn near stopped.

I called. No answer.

Texted. Nothing.

I checked the building's cameras.

She slipped out between guard shifts.

Smart.

Too smart.

But why?

I paced for ten minutes before calling Lena.

"Put extra eyes on Zara Kade. Don't let her know."

Lena hesitated. "Something wrong?"

"Maybe."

But I wasn't gonna wait to find out.

Because if Elin had gotten to her, if Black Ridge was tightening the noose...

I'd tear the city down to find her.