By the time we rumbled into Baltimore, it was nearly two in the morning. Kira had stopped once more for fuel, and I had groggily dragged myself to the front of the truck, trying to stay awake long enough to park before crashing again. When we finally found a spot at the Travel America truck stop—one of the few sanctuaries for rigs in this concrete jungle—we stumbled inside to use the restroom, barely managing to lock the truck down before collapsing into our bunks.
Now, it was nine in the morning, and while Kira was still blissfully snoring away above me, I lay wide awake, my mind already spiraling through the day’s potential disasters. Scuzball, ever the multitasker, had finally gotten back to me with an update on the Cross Pines Real Estate building. He’d managed to tap into their security and camera feeds, but even he wasn’t keen on touching their servers. Apparently, the company’s network was a digital fortress, bristling with intrusion detection software that would lock everything down at the slightest hint of tampering. Scuzball mentioned he could brute force it, but the ensuing fireworks would turn this covert mission into a very public disaster.
Instead of the old-fashioned snoop-and-snap job, Scuzball proposed something more... delicate. We needed to sneak into the building, plug a thumb drive into a terminal, and let his program do the rest. It would worm its way through the network, disguised as some harmless real estate query, and open a backdoor for him to access later. The challenge? Getting in and out without setting off every alarm in Baltimore.
Kira and I would need to go shopping today—for black clothes, a thumb drive, and some overpowering perfume or cologne to mask our scents. Scuzball had a plan to create some chaos, tripping breakers to kill the lights and looping the security cameras to give us a window of opportunity. And for the grand distraction? He’d trigger alarms across multiple company assets, including Kira’s father’s precious car collection. The gleam in Scuzball’s eyes when he mentioned those cars told me he was planning something particularly nasty. I almost felt sorry for the poor bastards guarding them—almost.
Rolling over in my bunk, I stared up at the underside of Kira’s bed. I didn’t want to get up. There were way too many things that could go wrong with this plan. Groaning, I grabbed my phone and checked my bank account, nearly dropping the damn thing when I saw the balance. Over one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Uncle wasn’t kidding when he said this job would be worth my while. The thought of what I’d have to do to earn that cash made my stomach twist into knots.
I sat up and quickly transferred the one hundred thousand dollars to my savings account, the kind of life-changing transaction that would make most people jump for joy—or at least consider an extravagant splurge. But for me? It was just another step in the day. I could buy a brand-new rig with cash if I wanted to, but what would be the point? I already had my dream truck, kitted out with some badass upgrades that made even the most seasoned drivers green with envy.
After closing the app, I reached up and pounded on the upper bunk, the universal alarm clock of truckers everywhere. Kira let out a disgruntled grunt before rolling over, clearly not ready to face the world.
“Damnit, Jake, I don’t want to get up. Can’t we just sleep in for once…” she grumbled, her voice thick with sleep.
“Kira, we need to get up and get moving. We’ve got supplies to grab for tonight,” I said, probably too cheerfully for her liking.
The truck rocked slightly, followed by an umph and a hiss of pain. “Did you just hit your head on the roof of the truck?” I asked, my tone dripping with playful mockery.
“Fuck you, Alpha… that wolfen hurt…” she growled, her words laced with irritation.
I couldn’t help but giggle, the sound as much a release of tension as it was genuine amusement. I climbed out of my bunk and rummaged through my go bag for a change of clothes.
“Maybe next time you won’t have naughty dreams about Jake while we’re stuck together,” I teased, pulling on a clean shirt.
“Don’t start with that wolfshit…” she muttered, still half-asleep. “I was having a good dream before you woke me up. And no, it was not a naughty dream.”
I laughed again, pulling on my jeans before grabbing one of yesterday’s Red Bulls. Slipping through the blackout curtains, I settled into the driver’s seat and cracked open the can. As I took a sip of the liquid gold, I waited for Kira to finish getting dressed. It didn’t take long before she slid the curtains open and plopped into the passenger seat. She opened a Mountain Dew, and we sat in silence for a bit, letting the caffeine work its magic and preparing mentally for the day ahead.
“So, what do you think we should do first?” Kira asked, finally breaking the silence.
“Well, we need to get a thumb drive, and it’d make sense to grab some low-profile headsets so Scuzball can stay in our ears,” I suggested.
“Yeah, then we should probably hit up a store for some black clothing and that cologne,” she added.
“Where do you suggest we go to do that?” I asked. “I’m not exactly familiar with Baltimore.”
“There’s a Best Buy in Laurel, Maryland. It’s right next to a Ross clothing store. It’s the last major city before the quarantine zone,” Kira suggested, her tone all business.
“Sounds like a plan. A one-stop shop for everything we need,” I stated, taking another sip of my Red Bull.
“The question is, how do we get there?” she asked.
“We could use Lyft or Uber,” I suggested, pulling out my phone. “Trying to maneuver the rig into a parking spot there would be a nightmare.”
“I didn’t even think about that. I’m so used to sticking close to my truck, too scared to leave it for fear of getting caught,” she admitted, her voice tinged with a sadness that tugged at my chest.
The thought of her living in constant fear made my blood boil. It made me want to storm the Cross headquarters and rip her father’s throat out, just like Star did to my father. Gritting my teeth, I opened the Uber app and found the Best Buy in Laurel, requesting a pickup. While we waited, we emptied our go bags to make room for whatever we bought.
Once we were ready, we made our way into the truck stop to wait for our ride. It didn’t take long for the Uber to show up. We climbed into the car, giving the driver a polite greeting. As we neared our destination, the looming presence of the massive concrete wall around what was once Washington D.C. came into view. In the distance, I could just make out the scarred remains of the city, a testament to the devastation caused during the Second Twilight Winter event. The weapon of mass destruction used back then was shrouded in mystery, its knowledge lost when Dr. Bracton and Colonel Sirnic fell in battle.
Unlike a nuclear weapon, this device didn’t just obliterate Washington D.C.; it ripped reality a new one. When it detonated, the nation’s capital wasn’t just destroyed—it was erased, leaving behind a ten-mile-wide void where nothing familiar remained. In its place, a twisted, massive structure rose, as if reality itself had been stitched together wrong. The area became a wound in the world, bleeding out magical radiation like a festering sore.
As we drove closer to Baltimore earlier that morning, I could feel the radiation feeding me, surging through my veins, amplifying the power that already hummed under my skin. Kira’s eyes had flared with an unnatural, glowing blue. It took everything we had to rein in our beasts, to keep them from clawing to the surface. After an hour or so, we managed to settle the power within us, but it was a reminder of just how close we were to something far beyond our control.
“It’s been a long time since I last saw the quarantine zone,” Kira muttered softly, her voice carrying the weight of memories better left untouched.
“The last time I saw it was right after it happened,” I replied, my own memories clawing their way to the surface. “Cayro, Cameron, Zak, and I were here, helping with the rescue efforts.”
“Where was Star?” Kira asked, curiosity tinged with hesitation.
“She was back aboard the SAF Autumn. She and Cayro had their first big fight, and he’d come back to the U.S. to help.” The words tasted bitter as they left my mouth.
“Damn… that must have been one hell of a fight,” Kira remarked, her eyes widening slightly.
“It was,” I confirmed. “From what I’ve heard, it was bad. I stayed with Zak while the two of them went back to the Autumn. When the weapon went off, Star nearly lost it—thought Cayro was dead. To this day, neither of them will talk about what happened before he left.”
“Wow,” Kira whistled just as our ride pulled up in front of Best Buy.
I didn’t respond, just nodded and climbed out of the car, Kira following close behind. We waved goodbye to the driver, and I tipped him through the app before turning toward the store. The moment we walked in, we were greeted by an associate. Kira offered a polite greeting while I simply nodded, our minds too preoccupied with the task at hand. We quickly navigated the aisles, searching for a thumb drive and low-profile headsets.
We found the headset aisle first—no surprise, since Best Buy had their phone counter right near the entrance. We settled on two sets of earbuds, figuring we could keep one bud in to stay connected with Scuzball while still keeping an ear out for anything else. After that, it didn’t take us long to locate the thumb drives.
As we browsed through the selection, my phone buzzed. Pulling it out, I saw Scuzball’s digital form perched on my screen.
“What’s up, buddy?” I asked, curious about his sudden appearance.
“Get two thumb drives, and make sure they have both USB type C and legacy USB connections,” he instructed, pulling up an image of the exact model.
“Why two?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“That way you and Kira each have one, just in case,” he explained.
“Ah, okay. That makes sense,” I replied. “Any particular capacity you want?”
“A ten-gigabyte drive will work perfectly,” he said.
Quickly scanning the options, I found two twenty-gigabyte drives with the required connections. Shrugging, I grabbed them, and we headed to the checkout counter. Spending what felt like a small fortune on the electronics, we left Best Buy and made our way next door to Ross’s.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
The moment we stepped inside, it was like entering a war zone—shoppers swarmed everywhere, hunting for deals during what looked like a blowout sale on women’s clothing. Grabbing Kira’s hand, I dodged and weaved through the crowd, determined to make it to the men’s section unscathed. On the way, I spotted a rack of hats and quickly snagged two black baseball caps before continuing on. When we finally reached the men’s section, Kira and I began hunting for black cargo pants and shirts.
For me, though, clothes shopping was always an exercise in frustration. Being five-foot-nothing with a small build had its advantages, but when it came to finding clothes that fit? Total pain in the ass. After a few minutes of searching the men’s section, it became clear I’d have to venture into the boys’ section to find anything that wouldn’t drown me. Huffing in irritation, I stomped off, fully aware of Kira snickering behind me as she continued browsing. I shot her a glare that could melt steel and growled under my breath.
"Don’t forget, I know where you’re sleeping tonight," I grumbled, half-joking, half-threatening.
"Uh huh," Kira replied, unphased, "and you sleep right underneath me, Alpha. Taco Bell sounds rather appetizing for dinner tonight." She flashed a mischievous grin that sent a shiver down my spine.
I snapped my jaw shut, the prospect of being gassed out of the truck effectively silencing any further retorts. Huffing, I turned my attention back to the boys’ section, rifling through racks until I found a pair of black cargo pants that would fit my small frame, along with a black T-shirt. At least I’d packed my black leather coat—it would do the job of keeping me warm now that fall’s chill was creeping in. My South American heritage made me loathe the cold, and being short didn’t help either.
Once I’d gathered my gear, I tracked down Kira, finding her inspecting a rack full of bandannas.
"Hey, Lyra, we could use these to cover our faces—keep us less recognizable," she suggested, holding one up for emphasis.
"That’s brilliant!" I exclaimed, snatching a black bandanna with a white stenciled design.
But just as I was about to feel relieved, Kira’s gaze slid to my hair. “We really need to do something about your hair, Lyra. It’s going to stand out with all the black you’re wearing.”
I slowly turned to face her, suspicion lacing my tone as I growled, "What do you have in mind?"
She grinned like a cat about to pounce. "We could always dye it black."
Instantly, I clutched my long, poofy hair like it was a lifeline. "You will do no such thing to my hair!" I screeched, the protective instinct kicking in hard.
"But Lyra," she countered, "it’s going to stand out. It might get us caught."
"I’ll tuck it under my hat!" I huffed, stubbornly refusing to entertain the thought.
Kira eyed my voluminous mane with clear doubt. "Something tells me that’s easier said than done."
"I am not about to let you pull a Lady Lycotonu on my hair," I growled, remembering the last disastrous attempt someone made to alter my precious locks.
"A whaaa?" Kira asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Nothing… Don’t worry about it," I huffed dismissively. "We are not dyeing my hair. Period. End of story."
"Alright, fine… But if we get caught because someone spots your hair, don’t say I didn’t warn you," she retorted with a huff.
In response, I stuck my tongue out at her and lovingly ran my hand over my silver hair. No one messes with my hair. The last person who tried found themselves flying through a wall. My hair was my pride and joy.
Kira snickered as we moved toward the cologne and perfume section, but not before she made a sly attempt to veer toward the hair dye aisle. A low, threatening growl escaped me, and I grabbed her arm, dragging her away before she could sneak a box into her shopping haul. Whatever had gotten into her lately had turned the timid wolf I first met into a brazen, devious one.
When we finally reached the perfume section, the overwhelming stench made my nose twitch. Within seconds, I was caught in a full-blown sneezing fit. Meanwhile, Kira seemed completely unaffected, her expression calm and focused as she scanned the shelves.
"How is this shit not affecting you?" I grumbled between sneezes.
"I’ve gotten used to it. My father wears cologne a lot to mask his true scent," she explained, barely batting an eye at my discomfort.
"Ah, that explains…" I began, but another sneeze cut me off, my eyes watering from the assault on my senses.
To my utter horror, Kira saw this as the perfect opportunity to test out various scents—on me. She snatched up random bottles, spraying them under my nose with rapid efficiency. Each scent triggered another round of sneezing fits until she found one that was particularly vile. This one didn’t just make me sneeze; it made my eyes tear up and my throat tighten with a cough. I backed away, glaring daggers at her as I tried to recover.
“Was that necessary?” I demanded irritably, still rubbing my nose from the aftermath of the perfume assault.
“Actually, yes it was,” Kira replied with a mischievous smile, casually tossing every single bottle of the horrid fragrance into our basket.
“Why the hell do we need so many?” I exclaimed, eyeing the growing collection of stink bombs.
“Your reaction gave me an idea,” she said, her grin widening. “They’re in glass bottles. We can use these like stink bombs—and werewolf repellent.”
“Where the hell do you come up with these ideas?” I asked, half-impressed, half-concerned.
“All because I don’t know everything about werewolves doesn’t mean I’m stupid…” Kira replied bluntly, her tone a little sharper than usual.
“I… but…” I stammered, caught off guard by her sudden defensiveness. “When did I insinuate that you were stupid?”
“It was the look on your face after we talked about the mating bond yesterday,” she pointed out, eyes narrowing slightly. “You should remember, Jake and I have been on the run from my father for years. We had to figure out some tricks and methods to stay hidden.”
“Valid point,” I conceded, feeling a bit sheepish. “I’m sorry if I made you feel that way.”
To my surprise, Kira playfully punched me in the shoulder and smiled. “Lyra, you of all people should know that people like my father try to control us by keeping us in the dark. That includes limiting our knowledge. I may not have book smarts like most wolves, but I do have a hell of a lot of street smarts,” she said, her grin returning.
I chuckled, feeling the tension ease between us as we headed to the checkout line. It took us another twenty minutes just to reach the cashier. While Kira started scanning her items, I pulled out my phone to request our Uber. By the time we finished checking out, our ride was already waiting at the door.
I could still feel my nose tingling from the perfume Kira had chosen. It was wreaking havoc on my sense of smell, and I swore the cashier thought we were insane with the sheer amount of perfume we bought. We played it off, telling her we were planning to prank a friend. She laughed and regaled us with a story about a prank she pulled on her husband back when they were dating.
Once we climbed into the SUV, we buckled up and enjoyed the ride back to the truck stop. The driver was kind enough to drop us off right at the back of the lot where we had parked the truck. After tipping him through the app, Kira and I climbed into the truck and started it up to get the air conditioning going. We emptied our haul onto my bunk and began dividing everything up, with the perfume stash split evenly between us.
I ripped open one of the thumb drive packages and grabbed my tablet. Scuzball instantly appeared on the screen, giving us both a devious grin.
“Plug the USB type C end into your tablet, please,” he asked calmly.
Doing as he requested, I plugged the thumb drive into my tablet. Scuzball walked off the screen and vanished. Suddenly, my tablet erupted with random construction noises, followed by the appearance of a digital garbage can. Something flew across the screen and landed in the can with a metallic clang, which then vanished as the construction noises continued.
I stared at my tablet, trying to make sense of what in the Great Wolf’s Tail Scuzball was up to.
“He’s an industrious little bugger, isn’t he?” Kira said, peeking over my shoulder.
“I’m trying to figure out why he’s making a big production out of it,” I replied, still puzzled.
“Probably because he can. He seems like he can be a bit extra,” she remarked with a playful grin.
“To be frank, you have no idea,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“So, he’s always like this?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.
“Yep,” I answered, settling into the driver’s seat. I grabbed my unfinished Red Bull from earlier and took a sip, grimacing as the flat, warm liquid hit my tongue. But I was more interested in what Scuzball was doing than the disappointing drink.
It took him another ten minutes or so to finish whatever he was doing. When he finally walked back onto my home screen, he was decked out in a white hard hat bearing his signature cat head logo, complete with a tool belt loaded with digital tools. He brushed his shoulders off, sending a cloud of digital dust falling from him.
“Seriously, what the hell have you been doing in there?” I asked, half-amused, half-exasperated.
“I was building the software we need to access the Cross Pack network,” Scuzball replied with a smug grin, clearly pleased with himself.
“Was all the sound effects and production necessary?” I asked, one eyebrow raised.
“What? I was bored. Plus, I thought it would make you and Kira laugh,” he retorted, not the least bit apologetic.
I rolled my eyes and glanced at Kira, who was doing a poor job of hiding her giggles behind a serious face. She was failing miserably, and honestly, it was kind of infectious. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Is the first thumb drive ready?” I asked, steering the conversation back on track.
“Yep, you can yank it whenever you’re ready,” he said with a nod.
I pulled the thumb drive out and handed it to Kira. She took it and handed me the second one in exchange. I plugged it into my tablet, and that’s when Scuzball decided to up the ante on his theatrics. He twirled in place, and his hard hat and tool belt vanished, replaced by a tan Australian bush hat. He even had a high-voltage cattle prod in his paw.
He strolled off the screen, and then the ruckus began.
“Oye! You scaley bastard! Back! GET BACK!” he shouted in a flawless Australian accent.
What followed was the unmistakable sound of electricity crackling, a velociraptor screeching, and Scuzball wrestling with… something. The noise escalated with more shocking sounds, hisses, shrieks, and the slam of a heavy metal door. Silence hung in the air for a moment.
“Clever girl…” Scuzball’s voice echoed, and then gunshots, like those from a shotgun, rang out, followed by more hissing and screeching.
“Back in your cage, ya dobby!” Scuzball’s voice hollered.
Another metallic door slam, and then Scuzball reappeared on my screen, looking thoroughly roughed up. His hat had a large chunk bitten out of it, and twigs and leaves stuck out of his fur.
“One of those bastards got out…” he muttered, still in the accent, as he cocked the shock gun for good measure.
Kira lost it, bursting out in laughter. I couldn’t help but facepalm, shaking my head at the ridiculousness. He was bound and determined to get a reaction out of us, and damn it, it was working.
“Is the second thumb drive ready?” I asked, chuckling.
“Yep,” he confirmed, still using the accent.
I pulled the thumb drive out, raising an eyebrow. “Are you going to keep using that accent?”
He just shrugged and walked off the screen, leaving me to wonder what kind of epic adventure he was imagining. I set my tablet on the dashboard, shaking my head with a grin. Only Scuzball could make writing a program feel like Jurassic Park meets Mad Max.
Kira had finally composed herself and was packing her go bag with shower gear. “Getting ready to go shower?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m starting to get rank,” she replied with a smirk.
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll go with you,” I remarked.
Gathering my own shower gear, we climbed out of the truck and made our way into the store to pay for showers. It wasn’t long before my number was called, so I left Kira in the driver’s lounge while I headed off. I took my time, savoring the hot water and steam, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation. By the time I finished, dressed, and returned to the lounge, about forty-five minutes had passed. I sent Kira a text to let her know I was out.
When she didn’t respond, I waited a few more minutes before deciding to call her. As her phone began to ring, I noticed another phone nearby also ringing. I scanned the lounge but couldn’t pinpoint where the sound was coming from. Her voicemail picked up, and the other phone went silent.
Narrowing my eyes, I redialed her number, listening closely. The other phone started ringing again, and this time, I followed the sound, leading me directly to… a trash can.
A chill ran down my spine as I stared at the trash can, the ringing phone echoing ominously. Something was definitely wrong.
Looking down into the trash can, I spotted a phone lying face down on a heap of crumpled paper towels. A sickening chill crawled up my spine. I didn’t even hesitate—I reached in and snatched it out, flipping it over with shaking hands. The screen lit up, revealing a lock screen image of myself on my skyboard. Ice-cold dread spread through my veins.
Without a second thought, I unlocked my own phone and summoned Scuzball. He appeared instantly, his usually playful demeanor in place.
“What’s up, Lyra?” he asked, his tone casual.
“Did Kira bring her tablet with her?” I demanded, my voice sharp and unsteady.
“Yes, it’s been with her the whole time. Why?” His tone shifted, catching on to my urgency.
“Where is it now?” I pressed, my heart pounding in my chest.
“One moment,” he said, falling silent for a brief second that felt like an eternity. “It’s moving down I-395, headed straight into the heart of Baltimore.”
“Fuck!” I spat, adrenaline kicking in as I bolted out of the truck stop, my mind racing. “Track it and tell me where it stops.”
“Understood,” Scuzball replied, his voice now devoid of its usual playfulness.
I sprinted towards the truck, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My mind was a storm of worst-case scenarios. Kira was in danger, and whatever was happening, it was bad—very bad. There was no time to waste. As I reached the truck and yanked the door open, Scuzball’s voice buzzed in my ear, guiding me, keeping me grounded.
But in the back of my mind, a single thought kept repeating itself: How the hell did this happen?