Stuck with the enemy

After sharing everything with Alya, a plan started forming in my mind. It was reckless, maybe even dangerous, but it was the only way I'd find out who was behind those messages. I thought back to the last message, the one where I'd asked the sender who they were. Maybe that was my way in. My wolf, Derya, seemed unusually quiet as I considered it, her presence lingering just beneath the surface, watchful.

I exhaled, sinking onto my bed and closing my eyes, trying to focus. "Alright, Derya, what do you think?" I asked her silently.

"This is dangerous, Deniz," she responded, her voice a gentle but firm reminder. "Whoever this is doesn't want you finding out the truth. And they clearly aren't afraid of threats."

"I know," I whispered, the chill of her words grounding me. "But I can't keep waiting, hoping they'll slip up. If I don't push, I'll never get answers."

"Fine," she replied, a hint of reluctant approval in her tone. "But you need to be careful. I'll be here, but you're going to need more than me."

"Then let's set the trap." I grabbed my phone, my fingers hovering over the screen as I crafted the message. If I wanted this person to take the bait, I'd have to make them believe that I was ready to walk away from all of it.

Finally, I typed, "I want to meet you. I will give you one chance to tell me a very good reason why I should stay away from Derek. Otherwise I will talk to him about this matter, I believe you already know that he is my mate. So? What do you say? Can we meet?"

After hitting send, I waited, my heart pounding as the seconds ticked by. Then, to my surprise, my phone buzzed with an immediate reply.

"Alright. Tonight. Alone. Midnight at the old park."

Derya growled lowly in my mind. "I don't like this. It's too convenient."

"Maybe," I muttered, "but it's our only shot."

Without a second thought, I dialed Alya's number. She picked up after a single ring.

"Deniz? What's going on?"

"I got him," I said, adrenaline sparking through me. "He agreed to meet tonight. The old park at midnight."

"Are you serious?" Her voice was a mixture of shock and admiration. "Alright, so... what's the plan?"

"I need you to come with me," I said, my voice lowering. "I don't trust this person, and I have no idea who's going to show up. But if I go alone..."

"Say no more," Alya interrupted, her tone steady. "I'm with you, Deniz. Wherever this leads."

I felt relief wash over me. "Thank you, Alya. Let's meet up early, so we can go over everything together. We need to make sure we're ready for whatever comes our way."

Alya's laugh was soft but confident. "We've got this. You know I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Close to midnight, a heavy silence hung in the air, the kind that wraps itself around everything, amplifying the faintest sounds. A mist had begun to roll in, curling around the trees and winding through the empty pathways of the old park. The streetlights cast an eerie glow, their yellow haze barely breaking through the darkness. Alya and I were perched on the roof of an old building across from the park, cloaked in shadows, waiting.

Beside me, Alya shifted, glancing over with a tight, anxious smile. "So... just one more time. Can you go over the plan again?"

"Alya, relax," I said, trying to keep my tone steady. But seeing her nerves actually made me feel a little better; I wasn't the only one feeling on edge. "Did you bring the spray?"

She nodded, holding it up. "Yep, right here."

"Good. Now, use it," I instructed, nudging her gently. This spray was one of our little tricks-a potion that masked a werewolf's scent. Whoever showed up tonight wouldn't be able to sense us, wouldn't even know we were here unless they could see us.

Alya sighed but obeyed, spraying a light mist over herself and then passing it to me. I did the same, the faint, almost herbal scent lingering for a moment before fading.

"Are you positive you weren't followed by him too?" She asked, half-joking but needing the reassurance.

I raised an eyebrow, catching her humor. "If I was, then yeah, this is about to get really stupid," I teased, rolling my eyes.

We settled back, each of us holding a pair of binoculars, eyes trained on the park below. At exactly midnight, I sent a quick message to the unknown number, saying, "Running a bit late, but I'm coming. Wait for me at the third bench from the fountain."

From our vantage point, we'd have a perfect line of sight to that bench, tucked under a broken streetlamp, cloaked in shadow. It was ideal for keeping our distance and watching who showed up.

Minutes passed in tense silence, each one stretching longer than the last. Finally, Alya broke it, her voice barely above a whisper. "Do you really think they'll come?"

"They have to," I whispered back, unable to look away from the bench. "If they don't want me to talk to Derek, they have to show up eventually."

Seconds turned into minutes, and I felt my pulse quicken. The thrill of the unknown, the fear of what could be hiding in the shadows... it was overwhelming. Then, just when I thought they might not show, a figure emerged from the darkness, moving cautiously toward the bench, pausing now and then to scan the park.

"There," Alya whispered, clutching her binoculars. "Do you see them?"

"I see them," I replied, my voice tense. My heart raced as we watched the figure settle onto the bench, glancing around as if waiting for me to appear.

Alya's hand was steady on my arm, her voice barely audible. "Deniz... if this goes south, we'll need a backup plan."

I nodded, tightening my grip on the binoculars. "Let's just see what they do first. Keep watching."