Ellery POV:
Queens was a sensory overload of noise and grime. Perfect cover.
I pulled my hoodie up. I wasn't wearing silk today. I was in thrift store jeans and boots two sizes too big. To a human, I was invisible. To a wolf, I still reeked of high-status Pack-moonflowers and ozone.
That's why I'd arranged the courier months ago.
I ducked into an alleyway. A man waited by a dumpster, shivering in a heavy coat despite the July heat.
"Payment?" he asked, not looking up.
I handed him the envelope. Fifty thousand in untraceable cash, skimmed from Brendan's petty cash over six months.
He handed me a manila folder and a spray bottle.
"June Bennett," he said. "Ohio birth certificate. Clean history. The spray is skunk musk and sulfur. It'll hide your scent from God himself for six hours."
"Thanks."
I doused myself in the foul spray and headed for the clinic.
It looked abandoned, windows boarded up. I pushed inside.
Evans stood behind a metal table. Milky eyes, scarred skin.
On the table sat the vial. Electric blue, swirling with a light that looked radioactive.
"I placed the order six months ago," I said, stepping forward. "It took you long enough."
"Ingredients for soul-poison aren't easy to come by, Weaver," Evans rasped. "Remember: once you drink it, there is no antidote. You will bleed from your eyes. Your wolf will die screaming. And the Bond will snap like a dry twig."
"Good."
I reached for the vial. My phone buzzed. The special ringtone for Brendan.
"Answer it," Evans warned. "If he suspects, we're both dead."
I answered, pitching my voice high and soft.
"Where the hell are you?" Brendan barked. "Tracker says Queens. Why are you in the slums?"
I touched the platinum choker-my leash.
"I'm sorry, Brendan. I... I heard about an antique shop here. They have a rare Moonstone. For your birthday."
Silence.
Moonstones. His weakness.
"You're shopping for me?" His voice softened, the arrogance returning.
"Yes. A surprise."
"Don't take too long. Gala tomorrow. You need to look presentable. Not like a stray."
"Yes, Alpha."
Click.
I looked at Evans. He grinned, showing yellow teeth. "You lie well."
"Survival mechanism," I said.
I put the vial in my bag next to the June Bennett ID.
"I can't take it yet," I said. "I have to prep the house. If I'm leaving, I'm making sure the door hits him on the way out."
