I sat on a swing and pumped my legs, climbing higher and higher. Maybe I was a bit big for it, but it gave me a bird’s eye view of the entire park. Not to mention, it was fun. In my spare moments as a child, my mother had taken me to a park near our house. One of the first jungle gym’s—and I’d loved it. Five minutes, she’d said, where you can be a kid. A kid who zipped through the obstacle courses, and hung upside down from the bars. The swing had been my favorite. I’d often wondered if I could swing myself around the top bar. But Amalie had always stopped me before I could manage it.

Wasn’t anyone to stop me here today, but I knew better than to try. With age came wisdom, they said. And wisdom dictated that I watch for someone other than Lucy. Jerrik stood next to the school, leaning against the brick wall. Every few seconds his gaze would stray to our surroundings and he’d scent the air before glancing back my way.

Lucy was five minutes late. Not unusual for her, but disconcerting nonetheless. My mind spun, contemplating all the ways this might have gone wrong. Maybe Gabriel had refused to let her come to me. Or maybe Benjamin had found her before she could reach my father. So many ways this might have gone tits up.

I shot Jerrik another glance, one he interpreted correctly with a quick shrug.

A few pumps later, and I caught her scent on the breeze. I released the chains and sailed off the swing in a graceful leap.

“Show off,” Lucy called out from the park entrance.

I straightened and dusted off my hands. My duffle bag hung over her shoulder. The thought of clean clothes that weren’t Jerrik’s sweats had me rushing toward her. I wanted my own jeans and fresh underwear.

“I was starting to worry,” I said.

Her mouth quirked. “Nothing to worry about.”

“So, you talked to Gabriel then?”

She grimaced and removed the bag from her shoulder. “Oh, I talked to Gabriel all right. You’re lucky I love you, girl. Could have sworn the man was about to have a seizure. Hey, did you ever notice the vein he gets when he’s like extremely pissed?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “That thing was my constant companion as a kid.”

“Mmm, I bet. You were always a shit disturber.”

“Me?” I rocked back on my heels and eyed my friend. “What about you, Miss Drove Your Father’s Car Into a Lake?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said with the hint of a grin. “I was the perfect angel. Unlike you, who now has a contract out on her life. Thought that damn vein would rupture when I told Gabriel. That man is truly terrifying.”

“Nawh. He’d never hurt you. Now, gimme!” I beckoned at the bag.

“All right. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

“They’re already twisted. That’s why I need new ones.”

“TMI, Reagan,” Lucy said with a chuckle. “I packed a little something extra for you.”

I quirked a brow, then took the bag from her and dropped it to the ground. A quick zip revealed a few different articles of clothing, my toiletry bag, and my cell phone. Hallelujah!

“Keep digging,” she said.

I rummaged farther in, then froze when my fingers brushed something metal. “You didn’t.”

“Oh, I did. I snuck into your house just for this.”

I lifted my chin and met her stare. My mouth split into a wide grin before I could stop myself. She’d packed my favorite sword, the one I’d named Rory as a kid—don’t judge. Young and naïve children did stupid things, including naming their best sword after their first crush. Only Lucy and I knew his name—and I intended on keeping it that way.

“You’re the freaking best!” I squealed in excitement. In a rush to hug her, I stumbled over the bag and practically clobbered her. “You shouldn’t have risked it, though.”

She wrapped her arms around me with a soft chuckle. “It’s fine. No one was watching your place, and I figured a girl needed her best guy. Though, looks to me like Rory has been replaced.”

Once we parted, I followed her gaze. Jerrik still leaned against the wall, his focus locked on us.

“He’s even prettier than I remember,” Lucy purred.

“Hey, eyes off my assassin.”

“So, that’s really him, hey? The shadow wolf? I didn’t tell Gabriel about him. I told him I didn’t know who was helping you. Not sure he believed me.”

“Tell me how that conversation went down.”

“Well, he’s a bit upset you didn’t talk to him before leaving the church. But I think he’s more concerned about the developing situation. Christian wasn’t with him when we spoke, so that’s a huge plus. I have to say, though, it took every ounce of persuasion to convince him not to rip their throats out right now and be done with it. I only managed to get twenty-four hours from Gabriel, though. After that, he says they’re dead.”

I nodded. Unsurprising. Gabriel had always believed in quick and decisive punishments.

“He’s called for a meeting tomorrow night at sundown. He made it sound like it was to discuss the future of the packs—which isn’t wrong. But remind me again why we don’t want him to just kill them?”

“A good deal of their pack came for the wedding,” I reminded her. “If Gabriel strikes and kills them both, what’s to stop Christian’s pack from retaliating? Next thing you know, he’s started a war between the two packs.”

Lucy gave a sage nod. “Right. Makes sense. So, what’s the plan then?”

“I’m going to give Benjamin exactly what he wants.”

“And that is?”

“Me.”

She blinked. “Not following you there. He doesn’t want you. Remember?”

“No, but he wants me dead.”

She sighed and shook her head. “How much you wanna bet I’m not going to like this plan of yours?”

Jerrik either, I figured, considering I hadn’t discussed it with him yet. Not my fault the idea had come to me on the swing. “It’s simple. We need to gather as much proof as possible to put before Benjamin’s pack. There can’t be any doubt, or boom, war. So, Jerrik is going to kill me and collect the reward.”

A savage snarl ripped through the park. Geez, even my hair stood on end with that one.

Lucy’s wide eyes shot to Jerrik. “I…uh, think you pissed him off? Oh, shit. I mean when Gabriel’s mad, you take a few steps back and maybe hide. But him? Damn, girl.”

I turned around, my breath catching at the sight of his wolf straining to escape. Even from here, I could see the furious glow in his eyes, and a hint of his beast in his elongated jaw line. Creepy.

“Obviously, I didn’t mean you’d actually kill me,” I said, knowing my voice would carry the distance. “I figured that’d be self-explanatory.”

“Clearly not,” Lucy muttered. “A little more information might help.”

“I want concrete proof that Benjamin is the one behind all this. If Jerrik “kills” me, he can collect on the fee. I’ll keep out of sight and snap some photos of the pay-off, while Jerrik records the conversation.”

“One problem with that, dove,” Jerrik growled.

“He calls you dove,” Lucy murmured as an aside. “How sweet.”

“Shut up,” I grumbled under my breath before glancing back at Jerrik. “What’s wrong?”

“David,” he said.

“David?” Lucy asked. “Who’s…oh, the other assassin, right.”

“He saw me with you,” Jerrik commented. He pushed off the wall and strode toward us. “There’s a chance he might have reported that back to Benjamin.”

My mouth pursed as I contemplated that obstacle. “Do you often report back to the person who hires you if you fail?”

“Couldn’t say. I’ve never failed.”

Lucy made a soft sound. “Hear that? He’s never failed.” She chuckled to herself. “Tell us about the process. How does someone even go about hiring the shadow wolf?”

He cast her a quick glance but didn’t answer. Yeah, if I were him, I wouldn’t give my business practices away either.

“Sexy and silent,” Lucy mused. “I like him.”

“I don’t think the feeling is mutual,” I commented. “All right. Let’s assume that Benjamin hired them face-to-face. Would it be safe to assume that?”

Jerrik turned back to me, the stern expression softening. “Safe enough.”

“So, David and Benjamin have met. Which means…you and Benjamin have met.” For some reason, that bothered me. The thought of the two of them sitting around, discussing my murder in lengthy detail.

“It would also be safe to assume that I have a number to contact once the job has been completed,” Jerrik added.

Unnerving to think about. But I didn’t doubt Jerrik, not anymore. “Is it common practice to hire a second assassin before the first has completed the task?”

“Not if the buyer wants it done fast. Benjamin was adamant that the event take place before the wedding.”

“The event,” I repeated. “Can we just lay it all out. Call it my death, or whatever.”

“So gauche, Reagan,” Lucy murmured.

“At least it’s honest. Why sugar coat it? They planned my death. Just say it, for crying out loud.”

“Hey…” Jerrik’s fingers curled around my shoulders. He dipped his head and met my gaze. “This was all before I met you. Things are different now.”

I nodded. It still burned, though. I’d done nothing wrong. I wasn’t some mentally disturbed werewolf who needed to be put down. This entire endeavour was nothing more than a power play. Benjamin didn’t like what Gabriel was willing to offer. And like a child whose toy had been taken away, he was lashing out and throwing a temper tantrum to the nth degree. It sucked.

“As fascinating as it is to watch you two together, can we get back on track?” Lucy asked. “Jerrik was saying something about this all going down before the wedding. Why before?”

Jerrik shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t want to get married, didn’t want to go on the honeymoon? I didn’t answer. But when there’s a rush like that, sometimes the buyer chooses to hire more than one employee, to ensure the task is completed on time. Add a little competition to speed things up. But it’s not ideal. Amateurs like David enter the playing field and screw things up.”

“So, the only thing we need to worry about is if David has reported his failure back to Benjamin.”

Jerrik nodded.

“All right—so, call Benjamin and tell him you were playing Reagan,” Lucy suggested. “Luring her into believing her she was safe, and then you killed her. Play it up. Tell him his other assassin almost ruined the entire thing, and that you don’t appreciate him hiring competition, especially incompetent ones like David.”

A shiver rippled down my spine. When the hell had Lucy become so manipulative?

“It’s more than a phone call.” Jerrik raked a hand through his short hair and cursed under his breath. “What you’re asking for requires a dead body.”

“Say what?” I said.

“The agreement was to send him a photo of you dead to initiate payment. And to bring something with me as proof of death when I came to collect.”

“A photo is simple enough,” Lucy commented. “We can get creative.”

“No, you aren’t listening.” Jerrik blew out a heavy breath. “When they insist something be brought as proof of death, they mean…”

“A piece of the victim,” I whispered, that damn chill returning with a vengeance.

He wouldn’t meet my gaze. I couldn’t blame him, either. Had he ever done this before? It sickened me to think about it.

“Well, we don’t actually have to dismember Reagan, or anyone for that matter. So long as Benjamin believes you’re bringing something, that’s all that matters, right?” Lucy said. “Did he stipulate at any time that it needed to be a body part?”

Jerrik frowned. “No, but—”

“There we go, then. You can take something else. Oh!” Lucy sucked in a breath, then dropped to her knees next to my bag and fished out my blade. “Take Rory! Anyone who knows anything about Reagan knows she would never willingly part with Rory. He’s her baby.”

Jerrik blinked, a twinkle of amusement thawing his gaze. “Rory?”

I growled and snatched my sword back from Lucy. “Yes, Rory. Got a problem with that?”

“No, not at all.” His mouth quirked as though struggling to bite back laughter.

“And Rory isn’t going anywhere. He stays with me.”

“Okay… Oh!” Lucy’s hands darted beneath my sweatshirt’s neckline.

“Hey!” I slapped at her hands.

She fished out my gold necklace—a locket Gabriel had given me many years ago with a picture of Amalie in it. The only time I could ever remember him giving me anything sentimental.

“Take this, then,” Lucy said. “She never takes this thing off, and everyone knows that.”

I hated the thought of parting with it, but Lucy had a point. I’d never taken it off. Until now. I reached behind my neck and opened the clasp. My mouth twisted, but I handed it over to Jerrik, then cupped my bare throat. I’d been naked many times, but this was the first time I’d ever felt nude. For half a century, I’d worn that necklace in silent remembrance of my mother. Gabriel always refused to speak of her—this was all I had left of her. I never thought I’d part with it.

“You tell Benjamin you couldn’t dismember her because then Gabriel would know it wasn’t an accident,” Lucy continued. “I mean, I assume that was part of the arrangement, right? If Gabriel knew his daughter had been assassinated, it would have ruined everything.”

Jerrik turned an appreciative glance her way. Seemed he’d begun to warm up to her. Lucy had that effect on everyone.

“You scare me a little,” I told her.

“Hey, you have your sword and muscles, I have my mouth.”

I choked back a laugh. Wouldn’t be the first time I’d thought that same thing. I weighed Rory in my hand and studied the gleaming silver folds. “In the meantime, I want to pay David another visit.”

“What?” Lucy frowned. “Why?”

“Collateral in case Benjamin tries to turn the tables on me. David can confirm Jerrik’s story.”

Jerrik groaned. “You want me to stand up in front of both packs, admit who I am, and confess that someone hired me to kill their damn alpha’s daughter?”

I didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

“By the gods, woman. Lucy’s right, you are insane.”

“It’s time you stopped hiding, Jerrik,” I murmured. “Time to join a pack and see that we aren’t the monsters you think we are.”

“Reagan…”

I shook my head. “I won’t force you to do this. I’m not my father. But I think we both know it’s time you put aside your past. It won’t be easy. I’m sure there are some in the pack who’d rather see you dead than a member. But if you’ll let me, I’d like to help with that.”

He shook his head. “It’ll never work. You’re asking for the impossible. Gabriel will challenge me the second he sees me, and I’ll kill him.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

“Doesn’t challenge me? Considering how things went down the last time I saw him, I don’t see that happening.”

“Jerrik—”

“Uh, guys?” Lucy chimed in. “Maybe this is a conversation for a different time? We’re under a time crunch remember? And there’s a lot to do before meeting Benjamin.”

I nodded and dropped the issue, not that it helped to quiet my thoughts. In the span of twenty-four hours, I had to find David, fake my death, and confront Benjamin in front of his entire pack, all while initiating a truce between my father and Jerrik. If I failed in any of those things, I’d lose my shadow wolf—and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet.