Selena's POV

The hospital had that cold, sterile smell that felt like no life could exist here. Walking toward the morgue was like dragging stones through my chest. Jane... was gone.

I still couldn't believe it. Even after getting the message, even after asking for directions, I kept thinking it had to be some type of prank. No way in hell was I going to accept it until I saw her with my very eyes.

A police officer waited in the hallway wearing a grim expression.

"Miss Ward?" he asked as I approached.

"Y-yes."

"I'm Officer Daniels. I called you about Miss Jane. Her body was found on the side of the road, probably on her way somewhere. We were able to reach you because her phone was in her purse, and your number was the first one we found."

Grief-stricken panic saw me barely get the words out. "Please, I-I need to see her."

With a small nod, he guided me down the hall to a private room. A doctor stood by the body, gloves on, keeping a calm, professional demeanor.

"Miss Ward... I'm very sorry," he said gently. "I need you to confirm the identity. We've preserved her carefully."

Inching closer to the table, my heart was racing like crazy. Hell... there my roommate was, lying motionless, eyes open but blank. Her once fair skin was now pale and bruised. I felt my throat close as I reached out before I even realized it.

"It's... her," I whispered in a broken voice.

Officer Daniels cleared his throat. "Witnesses claimed they saw nothing, but... the wounds look unusual."

The doctor carefully rolled up Jane's sleeves, revealing deep, crescent-shaped bruises along her arms. Leaning in, my stomach squeezed as my hands hovered over the huge-ass bite mark on her neck.

"Animal attack?" the doctor asked. "Possibly a stray dog or... something wild. It looks like she was trying to defend herself."

Nodding outwardly, I let them speak, but inside, I was damn near losing it. This wasn't a stray dog. Hell no. The bite was too clean, the claw marks way too exact. My wolf instincts flared up.

Wolf.

I stayed quiet though. Humans would never get it. They couldn't see what I saw, couldn't grasp what I knew. We weren't supposed to reveal ourselves anyway.

"Yes... it's consistent with an animal attack," I said carefully. But rage embraced me under the surface. Rogue wolves. There was no other explanation. No wolf in their right mind would dare go against the laws and attack a human.

Officer Daniels's voice dragged me back to reality. "We'll need you to answer a few questions, Miss Ward. Anything you remember, any contacts Jane had this morning or last night... anything could help."

I answered him as best I could, keeping my voice steady, but my mind refused to cooperate. Thoughts ran wild, crashing into each other.

How could Jane just... be gone? She had no enemies. None that I knew of, anyway. Sure, she could be loud and reckless, but she was endlessly kind. I'd met her three years ago, while looking for a roommate, and somehow, she'd become like a sister.

Rogue wolves in the human world? Hell, that's dangerous. Reckless. Totally unforgivable. If they were out there now–hunting, attacking–someone had to put a stop to them before anyone else got hurt.

And there was only one person who could.

Adrian.

Even after everything between us, after how damn frustrating, arrogant, and infuriating he was, he was Alpha now. The pack obeyed him. If rogue wolves were out there, breaking the rules, he was the only one who could rein them in, make them pay for daring to defy the laws.

I clenched my fists, my hands trembling anyway. So much for walking away from the supernatural world.

***

The whole talk at the hospital ended up taking much longer than I could bear. Between the questioning, the paperwork, and the pity-filled stares, I felt like I was losing air. By the time I was done, I locked myself in the women's restroom and finally broke.

I'd tried to stay composed, goddess knows I had, but grief didn't care about strength. So I let it crash over me until there was nothing left.

After shedding enough tears to fill a well, I finally splashed water on my face and stared at my reflection. My amber eyes were red, swollen, and tired. Jane was gone, and no amount of crying would change that.

If I couldn't save her, then I could at least make sure whoever, or whatever, did this paid. That much, I owed her.

That's what led me back to the training facility.

It made more sense to find Adrian there than at the pack house. After what happened yesterday, he'd never let me past the gate. He'd probably have the guards toss me out before I even spoke.

The place was quiet when I arrived. The bursts of laughter and clashing sticks were gone; training had wrapped up for the day. Players were heading out with their bags slung over their shoulders, their breath visible in the cold.

"Hey, Doc," one of them greeted, offering a small, tired smile.

I returned it weakly, scanning the area. "You seen Adrian?"

"Yeah," He adjusted his bag. "Still in the men's locker room. Stayed back to shower. Should be done any minute."

My throat went dry.

Out of everything he'd said, the word 'shower' kept running through my head along with impossible images of his naked body covered in soap.

My heart started beating fast, and the liquid that should've gone down my throat felt like it was running between my legs instead. Last night flashed in my mind–his hands on my boobs, his deep voice, that godlike body pressing down on mine.

"Damn it," I muttered under my breath. Heat. It had to be the damn heat. That, and the stupid mate mark on my neck that wouldn't stop pulsing every time I even thought about him.

Taking a steadying breath, I thanked the player and waited until the last of them left.

Now alone, I was at a crossroads.

I could remain waiting for him like a normal person. Or I could just... check. Just to see if he was done. That was all. Nothing else.

Right.

My heat-fogged brain apparently didn't get the memo because before I knew it, my legs were already carrying me toward the locker room.

The warm air inside reeked of soap, sweat, and musk. The locker room led straight into the shower area with rows of benches leading into a tiled corridor where the sound of running water echoed faintly.

"Adrian?" I called softly, cautious.

No response.

"Adrian," I tried again, a little louder this time.

Still nothing. Just the sound of water. Okay. He was still showering. I should go.

I spun to leave, but every muscle in my body froze when a low, rough grunt cut across the sound of the running water, followed by my name, breathless.

"Selena..."

That wasn't the voice of a man simply washing off a long day. That was the sound of a man lost in pleasure.

And he had just moaned my name.

Selena's POV

For a full second, I was sure I'd misheard. There was no damn way the same guy who looked at me like I was gum stuck to his shoe had just moaned my name.

My pulse went completely rogue. Every rational part of me yelled: Leave. Get the fuck out. Pretend you didn't hear a thing. But apparently, curiosity had other plans.

Before I even had a chance to stop myself, my legs were moving on their own accord. One slow, shaky step after another toward the showers. The sound of water hitting tile got louder, mingling with the frantic thumping of my heart.

Thick and hazy steam hugged my skin, making my breaths go all over the place. I reached the end of the benches, and against every bit of common sense I had left, I peeked around the corner.

Holy fricking hell.

Water streamed over the body of a tall, fit, tanned man. His thick shoulders, chest, and arms glistened, muscles moving under the water like they had a mind of their own. Eyes closed, head leaned back against the tile, my stepson was completely lost in his own world.

I went rigid, pulse going crazy, and for the life of me, I couldn't stop staring. Every detail of him was pulling me in. My eyes slid lower even though my brain kept screaming at me to stop.

But I couldn't.

I just... couldn't.

My eyes fell on his thick, long, shaft tightly wrapped in his soapy fist. I knew I was acting like a total pervert, but I stayed planted anyway, every nerve burning hot.

Unblinking, I watched as his veiny hand worked up and down his cock. Resting his back against the tile, his pace sped up. My cunt felt like waterfalls, twisting and tumbling.

Then, with a low groan, he came. White streaks of semen shot out from his swollen cock, mixing with the running water, and my whole body went on edge.

Everything else went quiet, too quiet, if you ask me.

Figuring it was about time I left, I finally tore my eyes away... only to lock onto his. And there was straight-up rage in them.

"Crap," I hissed, stumbling back into the corner. My heart was doing gymnastics in my chest, and I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep my breathing quiet. Maybe he hadn't actually seen me. Maybe...

The shower cut off.

"Selena," came a terrifyingly calm voice. "I already saw you."

My stomach went to greet my feet as it dropped. Great. Busted.

Drawing in a shaky, I squared my shoulders and stepped into view. No point hiding now.

Water droplets still traced down his chest, highlighting every curve of his naked form. His eyes were pure storm, his jaw tight enough to crack.

We just stared at each other for a beat, the room completely silent.

"Care to explain why the fuck you are watching me take a shower?!" he finally snapped.

"I-I just-I wasn't-"

"Are you this shameless, Selena? I give you the green light one time, and you turn into a full-blown creep... and later, you'd have the nerve to tell me you're not a slut?"

Whatever wetness I'd felt earlier dried up the second those words left his lips. And... he was kinda right. This really didn't look good.

Clearing my throat, I forced some kind of composure into my voice. "It's not what it looks like, okay? I came to talk to you about something important and-"

Dark brow lifted. " In the showers?"

I turned redder than strawberries. "No! Your teammate said you'd be done with the showers, so I came to check. I swear–I came here to talk, not to... watch!"

He snorted. "Uh-huh. Sure."

Okay, that's it.

I was so done with his arrogance. "Excuse me? You're the one moaning my name, genius!"

A muscle in his jaw twitched as he froze.

"Must've heard wrong," he said flatly. "Not everything's centered on you."

"Right. Because apparently, moaning my name is totally unrelated to me. Makes perfect sense."

He let out a mocking laugh. "You're really desperate to believe that, huh? You think I'd be jerking off to you? A granny? Please."

Heat shot from my chest straight to my ears. I was only seven years older than him, for crying out loud. "You arrogant fricking asshole-"

Cold grey eyes pinned me in place. "Still beats being the creep staring in the steam... while her stepson is stark naked."

Immediately he uttered those words, my cheeks heated up and my eyes betrayed me yet again, sliding down to the monster between his legs. Even soft, it was still long. How was that even possible?

The sound of him clearing his throat made me want to die. There was no way I could meet his eyes after being caught in the act. So I spun on my heel, stumbling past benches, through the locker room, down the hallway, until I burst out of the training facility.

The chilly night air made my skin tingle and goosebumps danced up my arms. Heart racing rapidly, I leaned against the brick wall of the building, trying to catch my breath.

Cheeks still red from embarrassment, I glared at the frost-covered pavement, city lights twinkling across the icy crystals, forcing myself to calm the hell down.

After what felt like an eternity, Adrian stormed out behind me, fully dressed, his bag slung over one shoulder. He didn't even glance my way.

He moved with long, confident strides, all alpha energy, heading straight for his red Corvette, parked a good distance from the entrance. I had to jog just to try to keep up.

"What the fuck are you still doing here?!" he barked without slowing.

"I told you before, I need to talk to you!" I shouted, trying to close the distance.

"Now? Really? About what?" His voice was harsh and dismissive like I was some annoying fly buzzing around his head.

"Listen, my roommate... she's dead. I have reasons to believe it was a wolf attack."

He froze mid-step and I nearly stumbled as he stopped so suddenly. He spun around, eyes narrowing. "A... wolf?"

"Yes." I said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I insisted. "The huge-ass bite mark on her neck and claw marks all over her body prove it. This wasn't a stray animal, it was a rogue wolf."

His eyes went wide as saucers. "A rogue wolf? We haven't had any of those in years. The last ones... were killed by my father, and your husband." He sneered on the last word, but I refused to flinch.

"I know what I'm saying," I tried to sound braver than I felt. "And as the new Alpha, it's your job to take care of this before it gets out of hand."

Anger flashed in those stormy grey eyes. "I didn't ask for any of it. If someone had actually saved the last Alpha's life, he'd still be here to 'take care of this'. But that incompetent doctor didn't. And now I'm expected to put my life and career on hold to chase some 'rogue wolf'?"

"Yes." I answered, ignoring the rest. I was tired of him dragging that up every damn time.

He threw up his hands in exasperation. "Yeah... no. I'm not chasing ghosts."

"Ghosts?" I bit back a curse, fists tight. "My roommate's body proves it! And if you don't hunt them down... rogue wolves don't just disappear."

"I've got a life. A career. And apparently, some crazy doctor following me around like a dog in heat."

"Dog in heat?!" I took a step closer , close enough that another step would have our breaths flirting with each other. Frustration and fear swirled inside me. "You think this is a joke? She's dead, Adrian! And you are just gonna shrug it off?"

He paused for a second, and I dared to hope he'd come to his senses. Nope. He strode to his Corvette, unlocked it, tossed his bag onto the passenger seat, slid in, and rolled the window down.

"If you'll excuse me, mother," he said coldly. "I've got a party to get to."

Did I hear that right?

A party? After everything?

By the time I realized what was happening, he'd already gunned the engine and vanished, leaving me frozen in place like a total fool.