156

Sophia’s POV

Jenny and I walked out of the lecture hall, the cool afternoon breeze hitting our faces. It felt good to be back at school after all the chaos we’d been through lately. For a brief moment, everything felt normal. Ian was off at his own class, playing the role of Professor Grant, and Jacob and Mike were back at the condo with Lyanna, hopefully keeping everything secure.

Jenny stretched, her face looking lighter than it had in days. “I actually think I understood that lecture,” she said with a laugh, brushing her hair out of her face. “Maybe my brain isn’t completely fried after all.”

I smiled, but I couldn’t shake the nagging worry at the back of my mind. Everything had been too quiet lately, and after Aldric’s death, I had foolishly hoped that we’d be done with the attacks. That maybe the worst was over. But something didn’t sit right with me.

We walked to the car and got in, the silence between us growing. Jenny must have sensed my tension because she glanced over at me.

“You okay, Soph?”

I nodded, but I didn’t feel okay. “Yeah, I just… I don’t know. I thought everything would calm down once Aldric was out of the picture, but now I feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Jenny frowned, pulling her seatbelt across her chest. “Do you think he was the one behind all the attacks?”

“I did,” I admitted. “But now? I don’t know. Everything has felt off ever since his body was found. There’s still something happening, something we haven’t figured out.”

Jenny didn’t say anything for a while as we drove, the city passing by in a blur. I could feel her tension matching mine now, her fingers tapping anxiously on the armrest.

When we pulled into the driveway of Ian’s condo, I noticed something immediately. The front door was ajar. My heart dropped, my mind instantly going to the worst-case scenario.

“Jenny, stay here,” I said sharply, throwing the car into park.

“What? No way!” she protested, but I was already out of the car, moving toward the door. Ian and I had made it a point to keep the place secure, to make sure no one could get in without us knowing. And yet, the door stood wide open.

I could hear Jenny following me as I pushed the door open further, my stomach twisting as I saw the state of the condo. Everything was trashed. The furniture was overturned, glass shattered on the floor, papers and books scattered everywhere. It looked like a war zone.

“Ian!” I shouted, my voice echoing through the condo. “Jacob! Mike!”

But there was no answer. My pulse quickened as I moved further into the living room, surveying the damage. This wasn’t just a random break-in. Whoever had done this was sending a message.

Jenny stood behind me, her face pale as she looked around. “Oh my god… What the hell happened here?”

I swallowed hard, trying to keep the panic at bay. “It’s them. It has to be. The werewolves.”

Jenny’s eyes widened in shock. “You’re sure? Why would they—”

“Because it’s not over,” I said, cutting her off. “I thought Aldric was behind everything, but clearly, I was wrong. Someone else is pulling the strings, and it looks like they’re not done with us.”

At that moment, the door swung open behind us, and Ian rushed in, his eyes wild with worry. He took one look at the destruction around us, his face hardening.

“What the hell happened?” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

“I don’t know,” I said, my voice shaking. “We just got here, and everything was like this.”

Ian clenched his jaw, his eyes scanning the room. “Jacob and Mike were supposed to be here. Where the hell are they?”

Before I could answer, Jacob and Mike burst through the door, both of them out of breath, their clothes disheveled. Jacob’s face was grim as he took in the scene.

“We were with Lyanna,” Jacob said, his voice tight. “We didn’t hear anything.”

Mike cursed under his breath, running a hand through his hair. “We’re idiots. We should have known they’d come back.”

Ian paced the room, his fists clenched at his sides. “This isn’t just about sending a message. They were looking for something.”

I felt a cold chill run down my spine as I realized what he meant. They weren’t just trying to scare us—they were searching for me, for the baby. The attacks weren’t over, and they wouldn’t stop until they had what they wanted.

“I thought Aldric was the one behind all of this,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I thought when he was dead, it would stop.”

Ian turned to me, his eyes filled with frustration and worry. “I thought so too, but now I’m not sure. Whoever’s behind this, they’re more dangerous than we thought.”

Jenny stepped forward, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. “What do we do now? We can’t stay here, not like this.”

Ian nodded, his mind clearly racing as he tried to think of a plan. “We need to regroup. Find out who’s pulling the strings. Until then, we stay together. No one goes anywhere alone.”

Jacob crossed his arms, his face dark with anger. “We need to hunt them down. These werewolves are playing a dangerous game.”

“They’re targeting us for a reason,” Mike added. “But we still don’t know who’s leading them.”

I felt a sickening weight settle in my chest. Everything was spiraling out of control, and the more we tried to stop it, the worse it seemed to get. The condo was supposed to be our safe space, our retreat. But now, even that had been violated.

“I’m scared,” I admitted quietly, looking at Ian. “For the baby… for us. How are we supposed to protect it when we don’t even know who we’re fighting?”

Ian came over to me, pulling me into his arms. His warmth was comforting, but it didn’t take away the fear gnawing at me. “We’ll protect you. I’ll protect you. No matter what it takes.”

But even as he said the words, I could hear the uncertainty in his voice. He didn’t know who we were up against any more than I did. And that terrified me.

Jenny stood off to the side, her expression unreadable as she looked between Ian and me. I could see the same fear in her eyes. She had been through enough, and now we were dragging her into another war. It wasn’t fair.

“We need to figure out our next move,” Ian said, pulling away from me slightly, his voice steady again. “We’ll clean this place up, but we can’t stay here long. Not if they know where we are.”

Jacob and Mike exchanged a look before nodding in agreement. They started picking up the overturned furniture, clearing away the broken glass and debris. But I could see the tension in their movements, the frustration of not knowing who was behind all of this.

I walked over to the window, staring out at the darkening sky. I had thought Aldric’s death would be the end of the chaos, the end of the attacks. But it was clear now that this was far from over. The werewolves were still after us, and until we figured out why, there would be no peace.

Ian joined me by the window, his hand resting on my shoulder. “We’ll figure this out, Sophia. I promise.”