CHAPTER SIX

Elisa sat on the edge of the bed, holding her phone tightly. The screen was still lit, showing the message that had drained the color from her face.

"Watch out, my little omega. The world can be dangerous and full of surprises. I'm sorry for what you went through. Don't worry; I've taken care of those responsible. I'll be keeping a much closer eye on you from now on."

There was no name. No number; the number was private. The message woke her up when the notification sounded, sending chills through her veins. She swallowed hard and tried forcing herself to breathe evenly. Who could it be? Was it from the men who tried to kidnap her earlier? The message says they will be keeping a closer eye... closer; does that mean they were watching from afar before?

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, debating if she should send a reply, but what would she even say? Instead, she deleted the message and turned off her phone, as if that could erase the eerie feeling crawling up her spine.

________________________________________

Meanwhile, outside in the other suite, Jason stared at Cael, his eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"You want to take her with us?" He repeated, Maybe he had heard wrong as if waiting for Cael to realize how ridiculous that sounded.

Cael stood up unsettled and walked over to the window, leaned against it, and crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "She's not safe here."

Jason scoffed. "And how do you know she will be safe with us?" he replied in a low tone, trying to reason with him. He had never seen his alpha this impulsive before, and it unsettled him. "We don't even know if all this is a coincidence; she could have been mistaken for someone else, or there is a simple explanation for all this.".

"No, something is wrong. You just heard them on the call; there is an alpha in that warehouse and he came with men that look shady".

Jason looked at Cael with absolute confusion. What exactly was going on??…. Cael was never impulsive; he has always been logical and calculating to a fault; in fact, pack members call him "The Machine" secretly. But from going to have a drink alone instead of celebrating a multimillion-dollar deal, they just closed to this. He has noticed changes in him recently: normally his alpha and friend are very closed off, but recently it's been worse; it was like he didn't find joy in anything at all anymore.

Running a hand through his hair in frustration, he said, "Cael, think about this. We know nothing about her. She could be involved in that attack. Maybe those guys were after her for a reason. This could have been a setup."

But Cael wasn't listening; his wolf was stirring, restless ever since he had woken up and seen Jason in Elisa's apartment; actually, now that he thought about it, it had been that way ever since they'd crossed paths with her. Something about Elisa made it impossible for him to ignore her. His wolf was drawn to her, though he couldn't understand why. It wasn't just attraction—it was something deeper, something off.

" it is safer for her than being alone," Cael said flatly

Cael's gaze darkened. "She's terrified. If she was involved, she wouldn't be this shaken."

Jason shook his head. "Look, I get it. You feel bad for her. But bringing a stray omega into our pack? You know that's a terrible idea." He was almost yelling at this point, "I know she's an omega, but I can't sense her wolf! That alone is suspicious on its own.".

Before Cael could reply, the door where Elisa and Tilly were creaked open.

Elisa stepped out, looking pale. Her hands trembled slightly as she clutched the sleeves of her hoodie. She glanced between them, clearly sensing the tension in the air.

"Did something happen?" Cael asked softly, stepping toward her. She smelt of fear.

Jason shot him a bewildered look.

Elisa hesitated. Her fingers twitched against her arm, gripping the fabric tighter. "I… I just got a message."

Jason tensed immediately, his instincts kicking in. "From who?"

Elisa shook her head. "I don't know. It was anonymous."

Cael's eyes sharpened. "What did it say?"

She hesitated, shifting from one foot to another. Something about his tone made her want to tell him, but at the same time, the weight of fear made her hesitate. If this was the same person behind the attack, would telling Cael not put him and his friend in danger too? They had done enough for her; she didn't want them hurt.

Cael noticed her hesitation and gently touched her arm. "Elisa, if someone is threatening you, we need to know."

Elisa exhaled slowly, her shoulders dropping. "It said to be careful... that the world is dangerous. And that they were watching." She said as he handed the phone to him showing him the text.

Cael took the phone and read the message out loud for Jason to hear.

A heavy silence filled the room. Jason exchanged a wary glance with Cael.

"Dealt with? That's not a warning," Jason muttered. "That's a damn threat."

Cael's wolf growled low in his chest as he read the message. His instincts screamed that something was wrong. He wasn't the type to let fear dictate his actions, but something about Elisa—something about the situation—felt dangerous in a way he couldn't ignore.

"Do you know anybody that could have sent this message?" Jason asked her.

Elisa shook her head no.

"How about an alpha in this town?"

"Alpha?" Elisa asked, looking up at him sharply, "I don't know any other werewolves, yes, I see and cross paths with my kind once in a while but I never engage with them, my parents forbid it."

"You need to come with us," Cael said abruptly.

Elisa's head snapped up to him. "What?"

"It's not safe for you to stay here," he said. "Whoever sent that message is watching you. You're not going to outrun them on your own."

Her pulse quickened. "I—no. I can't just leave. I—" She looked between them, suddenly feeling cornered. "I don't even know you."

Cael's eyes locked onto hers. "Then consider this your chance to get to know me."

Jason huffed in disbelief, but Elisa barely noticed. Her mind was racing. The rational part of her knew he was right—she wasn't safe here, not just because of what happened, but ever since her parents' accident just before she graduated from college, she had been feeling someone was watching her.

If those men came back, if the person who sent that message was truly watching her, she had nowhere to run, and now she doesn't only have herself to protect but Tilly also.

But dropping everything and going with Cael? Yes, she had nothing tying her here; her job as a barista was not that important; she couldn't leave; no lovers, no deep friends. Plus, she had been thinking of relocating because everywhere here reminded her of her parents.

But go into his pack? After never associating with any of her kind before?? That was something entirely different.

Cael's voice cut through her thoughts. "Elisa, I know this is a lot, but I promise we won't let anything happen to you." He smiled gently. "And it is just for a little while till we know what is going on. Look at it as a vacation."

Elisa bit her lip. She wanted to believe them. And maybe... maybe she didn't have another choice.

Before she could reply, Jason jumped into the conversation. "Besides, you can use it to learn about yourself and nature."

Cael glanced at him, surprised he was also trying to convince her to work. Jason avoided his gaze. He wanted to see how it went; he had known Cael since childhood and had never seen him this way: impulsive, openly worried, and caring.

Elisa curled her fingers into fists at her sides. "How about Tilly? She's human; how will she be viewed by the pack members? She asked. "I would love to know more about my kind; I've always wanted to, but I don't want to take Til to a place where she will be discriminated against."

Just as Cael was about to reassure her, the TV in the suite flickered. A news anchor's voice filled the room, grim and urgent, drawing their attention.

"Breaking news tonight—a gruesome discovery in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. Authorities have confirmed multiple bodies found at the scene, brutally tortured, and mutilated beyond recognition. The police urge anyone with information to come forward. Early reports suggest the crime scene points to something far more violent than a typical gang dispute. We will show the scene of the crime now, viewer discretion advice."

A grainy aerial shot of the warehouse flashed onto the screen, followed by close-up images of outside the crime scene. Yellow police tape blocked off the area, and officers moved in and out of the building. The camera panned to a bloodstained concrete floor and walls faintly blurred out.

Elisa's breath hitched, and she turned to Cael and Jason, their expressions frozen in shock.

"But… it wasn't like that when we left," Cael muttered, his face tight. "Yeah, I roughed them up to keep them down, didn't use a lot of strength on the humans, I only killed a beta wolf and that was because he was about to shoot her. But this? This is carnage."

Cael's jaw clenched. He had expected some fallout from the earlier fight, but this was different. This wasn't just about covering tracks—this was a warning and looked like revenge.

Jason turned to him, voice low. "You think it was that alpha? The one spotted there?"

Before Cael could respond, Elisa's phone vibrated loudly on the table Cael had dropped it after reading the message, making her jump.

A code number.

Elisa hesitated, pulse hammering as she reached for the phone.

Cael stepped closer, eyes narrowing. "Answer it." He told her soothingly.

With shaky fingers, she pressed the button and brought the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

A firm, professional voice responded, "Miss Elisa Hart?"

Elisa stiffened. "Yes… who is this?"

"This is Officer Reynolds with the local police department. We need to speak with you regarding an ongoing investigation. It's urgent. Can you come down to the station?"

Elisa's throat went dry. "What… what is this about?"

There was a pause on the other end, then the officer's voice turned grim.

"It's about the warehouse incident. We have reason to believe you were there earlier tonight."