APRILS POV
I stepped out of the bar in the early morning, the door clicking softly behind me. The cool air hit my skin, and I couldn’t help but let out a breath, feeling a sense of freedom that had been missing for weeks. It was still dark outside, but I had already made my decision. The past few days had been a whirlwind, with the number of rogues steadily increasing around town, making me uneasy. Snow, my wolf, had become restless. She wanted to leave, and the pull to listen to her had never been stronger.
But it wasn’t just the rogues. Something about this place-the town, the bar, the people-had begun to feel suffocating. I had stayed because of the faint hope of finding something about my parents, but even that seemed like a long shot now. The Alpha? A man who had never looked at me the way others did but had still managed to leave an imprint on me in a way that made me angry and confused all at once.
I had asked for a few days off. My boss didn’t argue. He probably assumed I’d return after a bit of rest, but I wasn’t sure about that myself. I hadn’t told him exactly what I was doing-no one could know what I was up to or who I truly was. That would be a risk I couldn’t afford.
With a final glance at the bar, I turned and walked down the street toward the bus stop. I wasn’t going to let anything hold me back. Snow was practically vibrating with excitement inside me, eager for the change, eager for the unknown.
The bus ride out of town was quiet. I found a seat by the window, pulling my coat tighter around me as I looked out at the road disappearing behind me. The town, the bar, and everything I had come to know in the past few months felt like a lifetime ago. The town lights slowly faded away, and all I could think about was the lead I had received. A town seven towns over-people who might know something about my parents. It wasn’t much, but it was all I had. I had to chase it.
Snow’s energy was like a second heartbeat in my chest, pushing me forward. There was no turning back now. I didn’t know what I would find in that town or what would happen when I arrived, but there was a small flicker of hope inside me now.
“We’re getting closer,” Snow whispered, her voice a soft hum in the back of my mind.
I nodded silently. We didn’t need to say anything more. We both knew this was important.
As the bus rolled on, my mind drifted back to the bar, back to Cassius.
I wasn’t going to beg for anything, not from anyone. His rejection had hurt more than I cared to admit, but I wasn’t going to let that define me.
Forget about him, I told myself. You’re doing this for you. Not for him.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling that Cassius’s presence, his strange interest in me, was a puzzle I had yet to solve. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
The bus journey felt endless, each mile pulling me farther away from the life I knew. The city lights from the city we just passed became distant pinpricks in the night. Eventually, the landscape outside changed into long stretches of nothing but dark fields and trees. I had no idea what awaited me in the next town, but I knew I couldn’t turn back now.
By the time I reached my stop, I was tired but determined. The chill in the air bit at my skin as I stepped off the bus and onto the cracked pavement of the small town. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for yet, but I had a sense that I was getting closer.
Snow, as if sensing my determination, gave a low, contented growl in my chest. “This is it. We’re going to find them.”
I didn’t reply. I didn’t need to.
I made my way toward the small cafe where the lead had suggested I meet a man who might know something. The town was quiet, too quiet, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
Inside the cafe, a man in his forties sat at the back booth, his eyes darting nervously toward the door as I walked in. I slid into the seat across from him, the smell of stale coffee lingering in the air. He didn’t look like much-just a tired middle-aged man who had seen too many years of hard living.
“You, Avery?” he asked in a low voice, glancing around.
Of course, I had used a fake name; I’m not dumb.
I nodded, trying to appear calm despite the adrenaline pumping through me.
He slid a weathered envelope toward me. “Everything I know is in here. Take it or leave it. Might be useful. Might be nothing.”
I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed the envelope, my fingers trembling as I opened it. Inside were several scraps of paper-names, addresses, dates-and the smallest connection to my parents that I’d had in months. It wasn’t much, but it was something. My heart thudded in my chest.
“I’ll leave now,” the man muttered, his eyes shifting nervously.
“How much do I owe you?” I asked because I knew nothing in this world came freely.
“If you ever find them, come look for me and only then will I accept payment from you,”
That was awfully generous and nice of him.
People are rarely nice, though. Could it be a trap?
Before I could say anything more, he left the cafe. I did not even get the chance to thank him.
My mind was already racing through the possibilities this envelope might bring. I stood up, tucked the envelope into my jacket and headed back outside. The night air was colder now, but I barely noticed. My focus was on the papers in my hand and the answers they might hold.
“This is it, April. This is what we have been waiting for.”
I couldn’t help the tiny smile that tugged at the corners of my lips. For the first time in a long while, hope felt real again.