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“I will,” Dante promises. “Once I know any details, I will get back to you.”

“Thank you. Be careful.”

I hang up, frowning deeply. A homicide and a dead kid? In such a short time? Normally, when a kid goes missing, the surrounding packs get informed and help with the search. We would have heard about it as fast as possible… People would have gone looking for him. Our pups are the most important to us wolves.

How come no one looked for this kid? It’s like someone deliberately dumped him. I felt sick at that thought. Who would do something so cruel and atrocious?

The rest of the day I spent going through pack issues and trying to gather information on the Red Claw and the poor murdered kid. Eventually, though, Finn manages to lure me out for some dinner. I am not a very talkative person or social in general; but with my siblings, it’s different. Conversation flows naturally.

I am almost sad when Finn and Anders finally take their leave, and Anders drives him back to the dorm.

*ANNALISE*

Once the weekend approaches, I decide I can’t go another day without washing my clothes. I grab one of the hampers Harmony brought along and carry some of my clothes down to the laundry room in the basement. Most students use the ones on the upper floors, so there is hardly ever anyone down here.

This time though, I am surprised by someone else’s presence. I feel it instantly. My eyes scan the dark room, and I can feel my wolf Leah stirring inside me. She is getting nervous, it seems. “Is someone here?” I ask and switch on the light. When I scan the room properly, I finally catch his frame hidden in the shadows. “Finn?” I pause. “Lord Finn,” I correct myself.

He steps forward with a deep sigh. “What?” he grunts. “And goddess, drop the Lord.” He scans me from head to toe. “Who are you?”

Wow, someone is in a bad mood. “My name is Annalise,” I tell him evenly.

“Hm.”

Charming, really. But somehow… after allowing the whole situation to sink in, why would he even be here? I can’t help but feel amused. “Running from your horde of fans?” I ask before I can stop myself from doing so.

He frowns. “Funny,” he grumbles.

I can’t help but smile, the tension suddenly leaving my body. Harmony told me that Lord Elden raised his children well. There was no way his son would kill a helpless little Omega she-wolf in the basement of his college. “Don’t worry. It’s pretty safe here.” I throw my clothes into one of the washing machines, add a bit of detergent and switch it on.

“Yeah, I have been hiding for a while now, and no one comes down here.” To my surprise, he seems to warm up, his features softening a bit. He loses his hostile tone. He was probably scared I would throw myself at him the moment I stepped into the room and try to ravish him. “That’s not the problem now.”

“What is it then?” I ask.

He shrugs. “How am I going to reach my room without anyone noticing?”

I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

“I saw you watching the drama unfold,” he points out. “Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

“It was hard not to notice,” I point out. “There is a freaking parade everywhere you go.”

His frown grows. “For an Omega, you are pretty feisty.”

“I thought you needed my help?” I ask him, weighing my words carefully. While I am not scared of him, I don’t need to upset him either. I also don’t want him to complain to his father about me and then pass the complaint to Alpha Cedric. Sure, my Alpha will protect me if I don’t break the law, but he can definitely do without the additional drama. I try to push Finn in the right direction. “I always believed that at Silverlake, Omegas were treated with respect.”

My words apparently hit right home because he flushes slightly. “We do,” he says. A pause follows, then: “My words weren’t meant to belittle you. I just am not used to…” Another pause.

“Not everyone kissing up to you?” I ask with a careful grin.

He frowns again, checking me from head to toe. His aura changes momentarily. I can feel it darken, getting stronger. It tries to engulf me. I can feel my wolf whimper slightly, but she is not as fearful as she was when Alpha Cedric scolded us last time… two years ago when a bunch of us snuck out. When Finn takes a step closer, I do look down, though, to not upset him further. The last thing I want is to rile up a strong Alpha, in a dark basement all alone. “Weird,” he mutters.

“What’s weird?”

“You are hardly reacting to my rank,” he muses thoughtfully. “First time that’s ever happened. It seems you are immune to an Alpha’s aura.” he states.

I frown. So that’s what he tried to do.

“I saw you around a human too,” he continues, his dark eyes scanning me again.