#Chapter 73: Meeting for Two

Lauren The mansion was silent at midnight, the kind of heavy quiet that made every creak in the floorboards feel like a scream. I exhaled slowly, easing open the window of my bedroom, the cool night air brushing against my skin. I was already dressed in black—typical, I know, but sneaking out required a certain level of cliché commitment. If I was caught, I could at least argue I was getting into character. Not that Alexander would appreciate my dedication to the craft. Maybe the joke of it all was making this easier, getting into the character. I swung my legs over the sill and dropped into the garden below, rolling to absorb the impact, just barely saved myself from eating dirt. Man, maybe I was getting weaker without my wolf…or maybe I was just getting older. Weird thought. Without wasting another second, I sprinted into the trees behind the mansion, my heart pounding with something between exhilaration and pure panic. The trees blurred past me as I made my way to th