The dashboard clock glowed 11:42 PM when Elena Vale eased her battered SUV into the darkness beside the Ironfang Pack House. The engine coughed twice before falling silent. She exhaled, brushing a hand through her dark hair. A simple delivery. Confidential files for her Beta cousin. Nothing more. “Should be quick,” she murmured, reaching for the manila envelope on the passenger seat. To anyone watching, the SUV was little more than a rusting wreck. That was intentional. Beneath its shabby exterior was a rare Lycan-armored vehicle, an heirloom passed through generations of the Vale Family, descendants of the Ancient Lycan Bloodline. Keeping it disguised was just another part of Elena’s carefully maintained identity. She adjusted her jacket, making sure the antique Alpha crest pendant remained concealed beneath the fabric. Its familiar weight against her skin steadied her, even though no one around her knew what the pendant truly represented. “Just deliver the files, Elena,” she reminded herself. “Nothing unusual about tonight.” She stepped out and headed toward the imposing entrance of the Ironfang Pack House. Then the atmosphere changed. A strange energy rippled through the night, prickling across her skin and stirring the instincts she had spent years suppressing. Elena slowed. Something—or someone—was waiting in the darkness.