Page 25 of Barely Breathing

And underdressed.

I pull at my T-shirt, glad it doesn’t have some fuck-off band logo on it. Running shoes sounded smart when I put them on. Now I hear Astrid’s voice in my head lecturing me about propriety and etiquette. She would have probably put me in a dress for an audience with a werewolf king.

Maybe it won’t matter. This hardly seems like a palace. I also hear Astrid’s voice telling me that werewolves are dirty, feral creatures and part of the lower echelon of the supernatural world. It’s possible she’d have recommended a hazmat suit over a dress.

Water drips somewhere in the darkness. My shoes thump against the concrete floor, the sound heavier than the two larger men with me. I consciously try to step lighter.

I find I’m gripping the amulet like the talisman it is. Steel and concrete give way to exposed brick. I can’t tell what forgotten purpose this building was initially used for, what old-fashioned products it would have spit out that the world no longer wants. There are many like it in the city, scattered pockmarks that give home to vagrants and the supernatural.

The further we go, the more the décor changes. Bricks morph into polished stone. Torches replace the fluorescent lights, casting dancingshadows that make me edgy. Costin stays close but doesn’t touch me as we walk. His shoulders are stiff, and each movement seems measured.

“The Alpha likes to remind us of where we came from,” our guide explains, noticing my interest in the transition. He gestures to an ornate door ahead, carved with scenes of wolves hunting under a full moon. It’s not the sanitized hunting of nobility but the raw, primal chase that makes other supernaturals fear them. Even so, hunting might be too nice of a word. It looks like they’re chasing humans. “He calls it progress. We are not who we once were. I personally hate the torches. They need to be replaced too often. But then these are not my decisions to make.”

Costin makes a small noise of disbelief.

The guide hears it and smirks. I see a challenging light in his gaze as it fills with gold to threaten a shift. “Don’t mistake progress for weakness. The treaties might force us to play nice, and they might restrict us to these industrial territories while the vampires get their mansions and the magics get their estates. But we remember what we really are.”

My heart beats fast. I don’t know what to expect as the door opens to reveal a throne room out of a gothic nightmare. It’s not what I would expect after seeing the outside of the building.

Classic rock plays. Voices carry like a softmurmur, nothing like the chaos outside. Couches, chairs, and tables form conversational areas. Scantily clad men and women enter carrying trays filled with food and drinks like waitstaff.

The ceiling is high as if the floors above had been cleaved out to make space. I see openings along one wall, the exposed rooms left after the cut, stacked three stories up. There is no rail to keep people from falling over the edge, but I see them moving around up there. Some sit around a poker table. Others watch television or play video games. A spiderweb of chains hangs like an industrial chandelier. Wolf sculptures that come out of their stone bases in an eternal struggle fill the walls, as beautifully detailed as any statue found in Rome.

“Jack,” a voice yells. “Get up here!”

I watch a half-shifted werewolf leap from the ground up two stories to the room where they play video games. Seconds later, another jumps down to take a beer off one of the trays.

“This way.” Sully takes the lead as we approach the Alpha.

Costin nudges my arm to walk. I hadn’t realized I’d stopped to stare.

At the far end of the room lounges a dangerous-looking man on a throne made of welded metal and leather. He’s not shifted, but his long brown hair falls wild around his naked shoulders. Tattoos coverhis massive chest, only to disappear down his waist into his leather pants. His eyes are wolf-gold and unwavering, suggesting he’s powerful enough to hold partial transformation indefinitely. That gaze fixes steadily upon us. I’m unsure why his bare feet suddenly hold my rapt attention, but it’s better than meeting his eyes.

Thane lazily rests his head against his fist, but there’s nothing lazy about the predatory focus in his gaze. As we approach, I find myself hyper-aware of Costin beside me, wanting to press closer to his familiar darkness rather than face this wild, untamed power. The memory of our kiss outside burns through me, making me wish we were anywhere but here.

“Alpha Thane,” Costin says, holding out his hand to get me to stop moving. I glance upward. The Alpha shows fangs as he grins.

“Constantine,” Thane rumbles. Dropping his arms to his legs, he leans forward on the throne. “Have you come to renegotiate our arrangement?”

“This isn’t about that.” Costin’s clipped voice contrasts with Thane’s boisterous tone. I feel Costin reach for my back, fingers flexing against me like a warning.

“Arrangement?” I whisper, not liking how Thane’s wolfish smile widens at my question.

“The treaty between our kinds,”Costin mutters dismissively, but there’s tension in his jaw that wasn’t there before.

Thane laughs as if he hears us, but I don’t get the joke.

“Ah yes, the treaty.” Thane’s eyes gleam with dark amusement.

Sully whispers in Thane’s ear.

“The mortal girl who tamed a dragon and saved us all.” There is something in Thane’s tone that doesn’t radiate gratitude. If I had to guess, he’s mocking me. “I’ve heard interesting things about you, Miss Devine.”

His massive form dominates the space, radiating a raw power that treaties and politics can’t fully contain. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that he was chosen for his size alone. I’ve heard stories about werewolf hierarchy and how they spill blood to climb their ranks. Thane is not Alpha because he was voted in.

“Tell me,” he continues, in that same smug tone, “does your vampire master let you wander far from his territory? Or does he keep you on a shorter leash than he keeps us?”

“Pleased to meet you, Alpha Thane,” I say, not taking the bait.

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