#Chapter 102: Around Every Corner

Alexander The scent of blood clung to the walls. Faint—nearly swallowed by the stench of oil and dust—but unmistakable. Wolves bled differently. Their blood sank deeper into places most wouldn’t notice. It clung to the air like a whisper of violence, a stain that time and bleach wouldn’t erase. I crouched low, pressing my fingers against the rough grooves slashed into the concrete. Three lines. Uneven spacing. Claws. Too wide to be human. Too deliberate to be an accident. Rogues. I exhaled slowly, feeling the weight settle in my chest. I’d hoped that when GrimMaw found his pup and took him back, things would settle—that this chaos would die down, having given them what they wanted. But clearly, that wasn’t the case. This wasn’t over. I glanced around the warehouse, the metallic scent of looted shelves and upturned crates mixing with the ghost of blood. The place had been ransacked—medical supplies gutted, crates shattered, boxes overturned like a storm had blown through. No