Chapter 18
Devon’s POV
The car was weird. It smelled like old leather and something spicy that made my nose twitch. Diana sat beside me, her legs too short to touch the floor, swinging them back and forth as she stared out the window. I could tell she did not trust these guys any more than I did.
The driver kept glancing at us through the mirror. He had dark hair and a beard that made him look kind of like one of the bad guys from the cartoons we were not supposed to watch. His friend, sitting in the passenger seat, was older, with white hair and a face that scrunched up like he was always thinking too hard.
“So,” Beard Guy started, his voice a little too cheerful, as if trying to be less suspicious, acting so likeable to a children. “What are your names, kids?”
Diana and I exchanged a look. Mom always said not to talk to strangers. Diana gave him lier best unimpressed face and said, “We are not supposed to tell strangers our names
I nodded, crossing my arms. “Yeah. And we do not know you.”
Beard Guy chuckled like we had said something funny. “That’s fair. You’re smart kids. But you’re sitting in my car, so maybe we are not strangers anymore.” 1
“We are not friends either,” Diana shot back, her nose wrinkling like she smelled something bad.
White Hair Guy laughed, turning around to look at us. His eyes crinkled at the corners like he wanted to be nice, but I did not trust him. “I’m Mr. Bennett, and this is my friend Ethan. Better?”
Diana shrugged, not answering.
“What are you kids doing out here, anyway?”
than asked, his voice softer now.
1 looked at Diana, and she looked at me. It was like we could talk without saying anything. We had been practicing that. Finally, I said, “We are looking for our mom.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Your mom? Out here?”
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“Yep,” Diana said, her chin lifting, “She is at a meeting thing. We are going to find her.”
“What meeting thing?” Mr. Bennett asked, turning fully in his seat now.” So we could take you there instead.”
“Um…” I hesitated, trying to remember. “Mom said it was important. Something about packs.”
Diana perked up. “Yeah! It’s called…” She scrunched her face like she was thinking real hard. “Oh! The Alpha Summit! That’s it.”
Mr. Bennett and Ethan exchanged a look. It was quick, but I saw it. Adults always thought kids did not notice stuff, but we did.
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“Well, you are in luck,” Ethan said, his smile not reaching his eyes. “We are headed there too. We can take you to her.”
Diana leaned toward me, her voice low. “Dev, I do not trust them.”
1 nodded. “Me neither.”
“We can hear you,” Mr. Bennett said, sounding amused.
Diana stuck her tongue out at him, making me snicker. “We did not ask you to,” she said.
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Chapter 15
“You two are really something,” than said, shalding his head. “Don’t worry. We will get you to your mom safe and sound.”
I leaned back against the seat, trying to figure them out. Edham kept looking at us, his eyes flicking between Diana and me like he was trying to solve a puzzle. It was annoying
“What?” Diana finally asked, her voice sharp.
“You two just… remind me of someone,” Ethan sald slowly
“Who?” I asked, even though I did not really care.
Ethan hesitated, then shook his head. “No one. Never mind
Diana narrowed her eyes at him, but she did not say anything else. She was probably thinking the same thing I was: These guys were weird.
The hotel where the meeting was happening was huge. Bigger than any place I had ever seen. The car pulled up in front, and my mouth dropped open as I stared at the fancy glass doors and the shiny cars parked outside.
Diana elbowed me. “Stop gawking. You look like a fish.”
I snapped my mouth shut, giving her a glare. “You are gawking too.”
“No, I am not.”
“Yes, you are.
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Okay, okay,” Mr. Bennett interrupted, sounding exasperated. “Let’s get inside. Come on, kids.”
Ethan held out a hand, but Diana ignored it, hopping out of the car on her own. I followed her lead, keeping close to her side.
The inside of the hotel was even fancier than the outside. The floors were so shiny I could see my reflection in them, and the air smelled like flowers and something else I could not name, like newly laundry sheets perhaps?
Ethan made us sit on one of the couches in the lobby, and knelt in front of us, his eyes were serious. “Stay here, okay? We will find your mom and bring her to you.”
Diana crossed her arms, “What if you do not find her? You do not even know her.”
“We will,” Mr. Bennett said firmly. “Just stay put.”
I frowned, glancing at Diana. She did not look convinced, and honestly, neither was I. But before we could argue, the two men disappeared into the crowd of people moving through the lobby.
“I do not like this,” Diana said, her voice low.
“Me neither.” I tried to mind–link Mom, just like we always did when we needed her, but I could not reach her. It was like she was just out of range. “Can you feel her?”
Diana closed her eyes for a second, then nodded. “Yeah. She is here. I can feel her.”
“Then let’s find her,” I said, grabbing her hand.
We slipped through the crowd, dodging around adults who were too busy talking to notice us. The further we
#25 BONUS
went, the stronger the pull felt, like a string tugging us in the right direction.
“Dev, slow down,” Diana whispered, stumbling as 1 dragged her along
“We have to find her before they come back,” I whispered back.
We turned a corner, and the hallway was quieter here, the noise from the lobby was fading away. I could feel my heart beating fast, but I did not know if it was because we were close to finding Mom or because we were doing something we definitely were not supposed to.
And then a voice behind us made us freeze. The guards?
“Well, who are you two little guys?” the man asked and I turned slowly to look at the man standing at a corner that seemed connected to another hallway. He was tall, with broad shoulders and eyes that looked deep and scary, like he could look right through me.
Diana squeezed my hand, her grip tight. I did not know who he was, but something about him felt… big. Important.
“We are…” 1 hesitated, my mouth suddenly dry.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his tone was curious but not unkind.
Diana tilted her head, her eyes narrowing, “Who ate you?” she asked.
The man’s lips twitched like he wanted to smile. “I asked first.”
I glanced at Diana, and she glanced at me. We did not say anything, but I could tell we were both thinking the same thing. Whoever this guy was, he was not someone we could ignore.
But we did not have to answer him either.
“We are looking for someone,” I said finally.
The man’s eyes shifted between me and Diana. “Someone he repeated.
“Yeah,” Diana said, stepping forward like she was not even a little scared. “Our mommy.”
The man’s expression did not change, but I could tell he was thinking hard about something.
“And what is your mom’s name?” he asked.
I hesitated, my stomach twisting in nervousness and also hunger. This man right here, something about him. made me want to tell the truth, he seemed weirdly convincing, different, but at the same time, I did not trust him.
Diana’s hand slipped into mine again, her grip tight. “We do not have to tell you,” she said defiantly.
The man’s lips quirked again, but this time it looked more like a smirk. “Fair enough,” he remarked. “But you two should not be wandering around here on your own. It is dangerous.”
“We are not scared,” I said quickly, lifting my chin, acting tough to square him.
“Maybe you should be,” he said, his tone dropping slightly.
For a second, I thought he was mad, but then his eyes softened, and I could not figure out what he was thinking.
Chapter 15
Chapter 19
