Page 27 of Ranger's Code

“Check it. Go light. Stay sharp.”

Dalton and Gage nod, both leaving their guns on the island. “Copy that.”

The front door clicks shut behind them with a soft finality, the sound echoing through the loft like a quiet lock sliding into place. Maggie and I stand still for a moment, the hum of the city beyond the glass muted by distance and insulation. Inside, the air carries the faintest trace of cinnamon and ozone, tension coiling low and slow between us.

She turns to me, arms still folded tight across her chest, her gaze fierce despite the questions rising behind her eyes. I don’t move toward her. Not yet. I watch the way her jaw sets, the way her chest rises and falls in tight, measured breaths. I can feel the storm gathering inside her before she even speaks.

“They left their guns,” she says. “You told them to go unarmed. That makes little sense unless you know something I don’t.”

I don’t answer right away. The moonlight spills across my features as I step forward, the silver light catching in my eyes until they shimmer with gold. Not just reflection—a glimmer from within, alive and unmistakable. Her breath hitches, something primal seems to be stirring in her chest. She sees it—not imagined, not refracted. Real.

I step closer now, unhurried, each footfall measured. The glow in my eyes hasn’t faded—it shimmers faintly in the dim light, too subtle to mistake now that she’s seen it. Her pupils dilate, her stance shifts, and still she doesn’t back away.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” I say quietly.

CHAPTER13

MAGGIE

"Start talking."

My voice lands like a match struck in a quiet room—low, firm, and utterly non-negotiable. I don’t raise it. It doesn’t waver. But it cuts through the air between us like a blade, sharpened by disbelief and something far more dangerous—clarity. My spine is straight, chin tipped forward, hands curled at my sides like I’m holding myself back from throwing something. It’s the kind of stillness that comes just before the storm. My eyes, wide and wild, pin him in place like a knife through glass.

The golden glow that flickered in his irises moments before—unmistakable, impossible—hangs between us like smoke that hasn’t cleared. I saw it. I know what I saw. Now I want the truth—and nothing less. His voice isn’t loud, but it doesn’t need to be. The weight behind it is enough to make him still. The glow in his eyes is fading, but not fast enough to pretend it hadn’t been there. Not fast enough to pretend I hadn’t seen it.

He exhales, slow and steady. "I’m not just a Texas Ranger, Maggie. I’m a wolf-shifter."

My brows shoot up, but I don’t move. I don’t laugh or scoff or call him crazy. I just stare. Then say flatly, "Come again?"

"A shifter. Not metaphorically. Not symbolically. Not a nickname. I turn into a wolf. Kari too. All of Team W."

My lips part, close again, then part once more, as if words are just out of reach. My gaze bounces from the door to the window and finally back to him, a flicker of disbelief still clouding my features. "You mean… as in some kind of weird were-wolf part man, part wolf? The whole cinematic horror reel—fur sprouting, bones cracking?"

He shakes his head. "Not at all, and it has nothing to do with a full moon. When we transition—when we move from human to wolf or back again—there’s always a surge of energy. It builds fast, burns through you like lightning under the skin. And right at the edge, there’s this mist. Thick. Pale. It curls around us, drawn from the air like it's responding to the pull of something ancient. That’s not just for show—it’s raw magic. The boundary between forms softens, and that mist? That’s the moment where both exist at once. Wolf and human. The in-between. It’s brief. But it’s always there."

"You expect me to believe I’ve been running a bakery while the cast of a supernatural crime drama runs tactical ops in my alleyway?"

"It’s not fiction, Maggie. There are three species—purebred humans, purebred wolves, and hybrids like me. We evolved along different evolutionary lines, right beside purebred humans like you. Hidden, mostly. Quiet when we can be. Somehow, the governor found out about Rush and he recruited the rest of Team W. The governor is the only one, outside the team, who knows about our true nature. We are shifters with control, loyalty, and purpose."

I shake my head, pacing now, agitation rippling through every step. Then my eyes snap up, wide with sudden realization. "Wait. Are you telling me... Kari, too? She's like you?"

Gideon meets my gaze without flinching. "Yeah. She is. Born same as me. She’s a wolf-shifter too. Always has been."

My mouth drops open. "Jesus. I’ve known her my whole life and she never…"

"She’s good at keeping secrets. We all have to be. Never doubt that Kari has always been your friend. She sent me because she trusts me. Because she knew you were in danger."

"And she conveniently forgot to mention you might howl at the moon?"

He steps forward, quiet but unrelenting. "You wanted answers. That’s the truth. You’ve been pulled into something big, and the people responsible don’t care what species you are. You’re a target because you didn’t back down. Because your bakery is a keystone in their little plan."

"And you? What does this make me to you?"

His jaw clenches. "You’re my mate."

The room drops into silence, dense and electric.

I blink. "Your what now?"

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