Shadow Moon

by Gaja J. Kos

  “That’s precisely what I’m going to do, Ms. Freundenberger,” she snapped. “I can’t arrest them until they take action.”

  “Against a human?” Alec rose from the couch. “He doesn’t stand a chance, not against supernaturals.”

  “There will be undercover agents stationed nearby.”

  “I can’t believe this.” I spun around, my feet taking me to the other end of the room just to get away from her. Away from the impulse to do something that would land my ass in jail and destroy any chance I had of warning Nathaniel.

  “Lotte.”

  Just the sound of her voice saying my name brought a red haze to the edges of my mind.

  “It’s Ms. Freundenberger to you,” I snapped.

  “Fine. Ms. Freundenberger. You are not to inform Nathaniel Vidmar about this. That is an order, backed by the full power of ICRA.”

  I looked at her, letting her see all the disgust, all the hate boiling up inside me. Something that oddly reminded me of regret slithered across her features, but it was gone before I could puzzle it out. Not that I even wanted to.

  Because in that moment, I knew that whatever we might have shared, whatever could have happened if we had stayed on the same side… It was gone.

  Even the memory of our kiss tasted bitter on my lips.

  For fuck’s sake…

  Greta had been right. Isa was the Ice Queen of Fang. There was no trace of humanity in her now, only the bloody determination to get the job done. Even if it meant sacrificing a life.

  I shook my head.

  “Get the fuck out of my apartment, Agent Vogt.”

  Her unnerving gaze sized me up. “If I hear you as much as thinking in Vidmar’s direction, I will take you down myself.”

  Oh, she meant it, too. I could see the murderous glint in her eyes, the way she didn’t conceal her fangs any longer. Isa might play by the book, but I was fairly certain she skipped the part where you weren’t supposed to kill innocents who wanted to protect their own.

  “Fine, I won’t do anything,” I hissed. “Now get. The fuck. Out.”

  She cast me one final look that managed to chill me right down to my very bones, but I didn’t let it show. Actually, I didn’t even breathe until the door closed shut behind her and Alec’s fingers wrapped around my elbow.

  He drew me in a quick embrace. “I’m sorry.”

  “What are you apologizing for now?” I peered up at him. “You did all you could, Alec. Unless we overpowered her and tied her up, she was always going to do her thing.”

  He rested his forehead against mine and said softly, “I know you liked her, Lotte.”

  “Yeah, well… It’s my damn fault.” Pulling back, I shrugged. “Greta warned me and I should have listened.”

  Something passed across his face, his body going still.

  “Alec?”

  “Isa did say you weren’t allowed to warn Nathaniel. She didn’t explicitly include me in her rule.” His gaze locked on mine. “Do you want me to reach out to him?”

  My heart suddenly seemed too large for my chest. He was willing to put his ass on the line for me, face Isa’s wrath… I hugged him, fiercely, but when I retreated, I found myself shaking my head.

  Alec’s brows knitted together.

  “No. I won’t let you put yourself in danger, Alec. But you can loan me your phone since mine’s probably tapped.” I flashed him a grim, tight-lipped smile. “I think I need to make a few calls.”

  20

  The shift swept over me with silent excitement, the wolf I had kept cooped up inside me for far too long eager to taste the world. Brown fur rippled in waves as my form changed, my base instincts, as well as my senses becoming keener, sharper. All those layers that blurred together before were now isolated tomes of information—but even without a detailed analysis, I could tell Alec was worried.

  I brushed my muzzle against his side, a low, pleasant rumble vibrating in my chest as I bathed in his warmth.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know you’ve got this.” He trailed his fingers between my eyes and over the top of my head, then rested his hand on the nape of my neck. “But it doesn’t make sitting on the sidelines any easier, Lotte.”

  My laugh translated into a husky bark. I understood his frustration all too well, but someone needed to stay behind in the apartment in case Ms. Ice Queen of Fang decided to drop by. My reluctance to come speak with her wouldn’t exactly be a surprise, and I was fairly certain Alec’s enthusiastic growling would keep her from hearing there was only a single heart beating inside these walls.

  Besides, a lone wolf had a far better chance of staying inconspicuous than a pack of two. Stealth was a prerequisite for this to even have a chance at succeeding.

  I rose on my hind legs, braced my paws on Alec’s shoulders, and gave him a sloppy kiss. Mock disgust exploded on his features as he shooed me away, but beneath it all was a chuckle that warmed me right down to my core.

  “I’ll be in contact with the others,” he said when I lowered myself back on all fours, then proceeded to secure a nearly invisible, thin collar around my neck. “And I’ll track your movements. If anything happens—”

  I growled.

  “—they’ll get you out.” He shot me a pointed stare. “That’s nonnegotiable.”

  I shrugged—or, at least, made a wolfish approximation of the gesture. That was the one part of the plan I didn’t particularly like, but if I acted up now, Alec would probably tackle me to the ground and keep me from leaving. My stubbornness needed to take a deep breath.

  Sometimes, it really didn’t pay to have friends who could pop in at any time and produce bloody trackers. But given what we were facing… I huffed. Fine.

  “That’s my girl.” Alec smiled. “Now go get them.”

  My tail wagged without my consent, the thrill of the hunt seeping into my veins with such fervor, it took every ounce of that human conscience I still carried inside me not to explode out the window and let myself loose on the prey. My brothers and Greta called it a blessing, how my type of wolf could give itself over to instincts without all the clutter of a rational mind getting in the way. But they all seemed to forget that we weren’t living out in the wild somewhere, away from civilization. Trying to survive this world demanded more.

  If not anything else, there was enough roadkill out there to prove my point.

  But I had a whole lot more on my plate today than crossing a godsdamned road.

  I seriously hoped I could hold on to just the right balance of impulses and thoughts to keep myself from screwing up.

  Giving my body a thorough shake, I met Alec’s gaze one last time, then padded into the most overlooked, crammed place in my apartment that could only graciously be called storage. It was a useless, narrow room marked with architectural failure—save for the way the solitary window overlooked the garages stretching beyond at precisely the right distance a werewolf could still safely jump. I climbed up onto the first of the two larger rectangular boxes Alec and I had placed level with the ledge, then took a running start.

  My speed was pathetic on such a short stretch, but it was better than nothing. I leaped out the window, turning my face into the caresses of fresh air that traveled down my body and ruffled my fur, feeling better than I had in a long, long while.

  Seconds later, my paws hit the flat garage roof, and then I was running, taking cover in the shadows that danced at the break of dawn.

  Getting into the compound unseen was infinitely harder than giving ICRA the slip. But while I might have severed ties with my former pack and that way of life before it had even truly began, I was still werewolf enough to make sure I was never left without an additional exit—or entry—point into something as important as my workplace. My former trainers would have been proud.

  They would probably also clip me over the ears for my choice of a career. But that was an entirely different matter.

  I padded through the brush, then dropped lower to study the sight before me. Grass trickled my
belly as I crawled forward for a better view.

  While the cameras monitoring the Zentrum weren’t a problem since I had detailed knowledge of their blind spots, the sheer mass of people in and around the building definitely was. The early hour played in my favor, although with it being the day of the doubles’ finals, it didn’t really make that much of a dent. There were still coaches here, press, a colorful bunch of physio—and regular—therapists, as well as all the VIP guests who had chosen to lodge at the compound. Not to mention a whole lot of players who lingered even when the tournament was, for them, already a thing of the past.

  But no one wanted to miss the finals. It was kind of companionship that made the Munich Games so great—and presented a major thorn in my ass at the same time.

  My ears perked up as a sparrow landed on a nearby branch. I shot the fat little thing a look, but it didn’t seem ruffled in the least. Letting out a wolfish equivalent of a snort, I directed my attention back to the Zentrum.

  The overwhelming amount of humans and supes out there stirred a low rumble in my chest, but there was a possibility I could use this to my advantage.

  People might be inclined to glance at a wolf trotting across the Zentrum’s grounds, trying to figure out if it was one of the players warming up or just someone from the support teams enjoying a bit of time off, but few could actually tell us apart from a distance. Aside from a heart-shaped patch on my chest where the fur was so dark it was almost black, I looked just like the next regular brown were. As long as I kept downwind and didn’t bump into anyone, I should be fine.

  Staying well away from the tennis courts, I looped around and entered the compound through the garden surrounding the residential area.

  A guard was on patrol up ahead—werewolf, by the scent of him. The wind was still favorable, but unfortunately, the guy seemed rooted to the spot.

  I swore silently. We were already far enough from the main doors to kill any hope a guest might attract his attention.

  Retreating, I scanned the garden for—

  There.

  A free-standing board with a map of the Zentrum was tucked behind a rosebush by one of the cultivated paths winding across the grounds.

  Seconds skidded by as I waited for a strolling couple to disappear around the bend. The moment they did, I darted forward and into the shadows.

  Once again, I cursed my genetic inability of a partial shift, and called to the power within me. I wrapped my human hand around a rock the instant I changed and threw it with werewolf strength at the board.

  Between the stone smashing into the mix of steel and plastic and the entire thing crashing down, I switched forms again and broke into a run.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the guard take a few steps towards the noise, and then I was running past him, cutting across the narrow stretch of sunlight-illuminated open space before the looming wall of the Zentrum hid me from sight.

  My heart hammering, I crouched down in the shadows by the dumpsters to conceal my scent and form alike, and fixed my gaze on the unmonitored back door.

  While it was locked, the maids used it regularly. All I needed to do was wait for one to appear.

  Sure enough, after a few moments, a middle-aged woman emerged, four heavy bags of trash occupying her hands.

  With a sigh of relief, I noticed she was human. No need to worry about her scenting me.

  I crawled through the crack between the dumpsters and the wall, then sprinted towards the door the instant she was busy fighting the heavy lids.

  The cool air of the Zentrum’s air-conditioned interior enveloped me once I crossed the threshold. Risking a precious second, I lolled out my tongue and sampled the currents for any more people who might be lurking about. Thankfully, none were in the short corridor leading to the underground garage.

  Nonetheless, I crossed the distance with preternatural speed, then turned right and stalked down the half-forgotten stairwell until I found myself in the mostly abandoned section of the parking lot, right next to the room harboring the main generators. Their buzzing grazed against my ears, but I tuned it out, listening for any signs of life.

  Nothing.

  Satisfied, I padded in the other direction well away from the cameras, then squeezed my body through a broken vent on the lower section of the door separating the garage from the service corridor. It was a tight fit, costing me several chunks of fur, but I got through. Only then did I finally allow myself a few heartbeats to catch my breath before shifting shape.

  The somewhat cooler air brushed against my skin, the touch chilling where it met the slight sheen of perspiration. I shivered, then undid the collar now dangling loosely around my neck.

  Squashing the thought of casting it aside, I wrapped it around my wrist instead and redid the clasp.

  One trackable werewolf ready for action.

  A soft snort ran through my mind, but I forced myself to move before the absurdity of what I was doing really hit me. My nerves were tender enough as it was.

  As agreed, a bundle of spare clothes and a pair of sneakers waited for me tucked against the wall a little farther down the corridor. I pulled on the sweats and T-shirt first, then slipped into the Nikes before finishing the ensemble by pulling a dark baseball cap low over my brow. I had a suspicion ICRA had eyes in the building, not just on the court, and while regular agents didn’t worry me much, having Isa catch a glimpse of me was a development I couldn’t afford.

  Blowing out a breath, I slumped down against the wall and fished the burner phone from the pocket of my sweats. The screen’s light briefly scattered the somber hue of this place.

  Three more hours.

  Three more hours and the match would officially start, the majority of the people I could still hear moving about in the upper level gone to enjoy the game out under the blue skies.

  It was silly to even think about it, but I couldn’t help wishing I were up there with them—that the Games weren’t riddled with deaths and drugs and a threat over Nathaniel’s life.

  That I wasn’t hunkered down in a smelly corridor, going over my breaking and entering plan that would most likely pit a Senior Agent against me. Peachy.

  A bitter laugh rolled from my lips. In a twisted kind of way, it was almost poetic.

  Running away from pack life only to become an informant for ICRA before going all rogue spy.

  What came next was anyone’s guess.

  I just hoped arrested wasn’t part of it.

  21

  My nerves weren’t too pleased with the three-hour wait, but I managed to get them under control by the time I followed the service corridor to another unmonitored stairwell, then climbed up to the proper floor. With every step that felt as loud as a pop of a gun echoing through the silence, the thoughts I’d been battling since last night swam closer and closer to the surface.

  It had always been just a matter of time before they’d spill over—although it would have been nice if that moment wasn’t right now.

  I ground my teeth, but the pesky things kept nagging.

  In all honestly, I was pissed at myself for not realizing who stood behind it all sooner. For not considering it the instant I broke into those lockers, searching for clues that simply weren’t there…

  At the very least, I should have connected the dots when said clues had found their way into my office. Motherfucker.

  Then again, an ugly truth was something no one was particularly enthusiastic about having to face.

  I blew out a disgusted breath and cracked open the door.

  A blend of artificial and natural light fell in a narrow stream upon me. Instinctively, I froze, but the sight only confirmed what my nose had already picked up on.

  While there were some employees still here, they were secreted away in their offices, more than likely pretending to work while watching the match on the low-budget flat screens every room was equipped with. Good. That should keep them from stumbling onto me as I stalked around.

  I did, however, sense a
new presence in the common break area on the left-hand side. Definitely an ICRA agent by the self-importance and just a slight case of unpleasant anticipation wafting through the air. My money was on someone who’d just climbed the ranks but wasn’t exactly at ease with his position. Loved it, sure, but even the greatest actors couldn’t fool a werewolf’s nose. I hid away a smile and prowled outside.

  Making sure to keep a steady pace and acting as if I had every reason to be here, I passed under the cameras, then knocked on the door when I reached the proper office. Sweat was coalescing on my brow at how damn loud the sound seemed to be in the empty corridor, but the need to keep up pretense outranked stealth.

  Mercifully, not a single soul stuck their head outside to see who was so uninformed as to come here during a match.

  The door was locked when I pressed down on the handle. Not that it kept me from pushing it open with the right amount of force. The instant I cleared the threshold, I shut it firmly behind me, relieved I could finally drop the act.

  Briefly resting my back against the cool wood, I closed my eyes and cleared my senses, then took in the office anew.

  I could hardly count how many times I’d been in here, gritting my teeth when Schultz gave me tasks that certainly didn’t fall under my job description yet again. Could hardly remember how many times Alec and I shared discreet, but very telling glances when the boss went on and on about how his star players—even former ones, after we both retired—should do publicity stunts to drive even more people to an already thriving business.

  Business.

  Schultz knew his way around that, all right. Had to, to make an arrangement with whatever assholes were producing Nill to take their prized drug off the market before it had even truly caught on. I highly doubted the dealers would have sacrificed such a lucrative way of income if it were otherwise—especially when they succeeded at the impossible. A drug that couldn’t be traced through proper channels.