Chapter 7 · Uploaded Yesterday

I played it again.

Mom's voice. Scratchy. Old recording.

Don't trust Cole.

My hand shook on the mouse. The file sat there on Dennis's screen, timestamp from twenty years ago, uploaded yesterday. Someone wanted me to find this. Someone wanted me to hear her say his name.

Cole.

The guy who showed up at my door three days ago. Who knew about the growl. Who had Mom's name on a list.

"Ivy." Dennis stood by the office door. "You okay?"

I wasn't. I closed the laptop. "I need to go."

"Wait—"

"Thanks for the files." I grabbed my jacket. My phone buzzed in my pocket. Probably Cole. He'd been texting since yesterday. Wanting to meet. Saying we needed to talk.

Yeah. We did.

I drove home too fast. Rain hit the windshield. Streetlights blurred. I kept hearing her voice. Don't trust Cole. Like she knew. Like she saw this coming.

My apartment was dark when I pulled up. I checked the rearview. No one. I checked again. The wolf part of me said someone was close. Watching.

I got out.

Cole was sitting on my steps.

"You've been avoiding me," he said.

I stopped three feet away.