Lycan's Prey by Jessica Hall

Chapter 10 Granny's eyes lock with mine, and there's an unspoken understanding between us. She points at the linen cupboard and I nod, rushing towards it as she whispers urgently, “It has a false wall, and passthe air freshener." I grab the canister next to the old box TV and hand it to her before diving into the cupboard. Behind me, the knocking grows more aggressive. I shut the door quietly, the darkness envelopinglike a cloak. My hands fumble along the wall until they find the outline of the concealed panel.

"Hold on, hold on! My knees aren't what they used to be!" Granny's voice carries through the door, tinged with a hint of exasperation. I hear the hiss of the air freshener as she sprays, perhaps to mask any scent of mine that lingers in the air.

"Ma'am, you need to open this door!" I pull the panel shut behind me, enveloping myself in near- total darkness. My breath comes in shallow gasps, but I force calm upon myself. As my eyes adjust, shapes begin to form from the shadows, and I see the faint glow of light seeping through from Granny's room.

My heart pounds against my ribcage, each beat a reminder of the danger just beyond these walls if they catch me.

Granny's indignant voice pierces the tense silence, a sharp contrast to the muffled thuds of boots on her worn carpet. "Geez, waking an old lady up in the middle of the night, what is this about?" Her tone is layered with annoyance and the < Chapter 10 kind of feisty spirit that not even age can diminish.

From my cramped hiding place, I can't see, but I imagine her standing there, clad in her nightgown, wielding nothing but righteous anger against intruders. The footsteps grow louder, more purposeful, as they step into Granny's living room.

"Excuse me, how dare you just walk in here like you own the joint, and on whose authority?!" Granny's demand for respect echoes through the walls, her frailty belied by the strength in her words.

"Alpha Rhett's ma'am, his Luna has gone missing, and his mother-in-law said she never went hand that she probably chere," comes Nathan's reply, tinged with a patience that doesn't quite reach the edge in his voice.

I press myself tighter against the wall, willing my racing heart to be silent as the search continues. Granny doesn't falter, her voice steady as she challenges the intrusion. “Sir, please clarify exactly who you are looking for, I live by myself. There must be smistake!" The air is still, every shuffle and murmur from the other side of the wall reverberating through my bones. Silence hangs for a moment, then Nathan's voice slices through it, brusque and accusing. "Aubrey, your granddaughter. She is a wanted fugitive for fraud; she fled from her mate after she robbed his pack.” My breath catches, trapped in my throat as if the words themselves have woven into aensnaring me. I can hear the disbelief in Granny's voice, a note of confusion that she plays perfectly. "Aubrey, my granddaughter Aubrey? You must be mistaken." 21.07% Chapter 10 The lie coats the air, thick and desperate. I press my hand. against my mouth, scared that even the sound of my breathing might betray me. The space is cramped, the darkness almost suffocating, yet it's the only thing that separatesfrom being found.

Nathan's persistence is like a physical force, pressing against the flimsy barrier. "No mistake ma'am, she even attackedwhen she escaped." Attacked him? My fingers curl into fists, the memory of that encounter flashing hot and vivid. It was self-defense, a necessary act to protect myself from a fate worse than any prison they could throwinto. It makes it sound like it was unprovoked, but what did they expectto sit around and wait to be sold off? The words slice through the stale air of my hidden refuge, and I press my back harder against the wall, as if I can melt into the wood and disappear. "Well, you must have deserved it. However, I haven't seen her since she was a kid; her mother forbade it. My daughter and I are estranged; I doubt she even remembers I exist," Granny asserts, her voice laced with a hint of defiance and a sadness I wish I could take away from her.

I draw in a shaky breath, tasting the dust that clings to this cramped space and I have the sudden urge to sneeze. The scent of mothballs and old linen is pungent.

Huddled and jammed in the musty darkness of Granny's walls, I press my ear against the cool wood of the false door, straining to hear the muffled voices outside. My heart thumps a frantic rhythm, each beat echoing the fear that courses throughlike an electric current as they search for me.

43581 Chapter 10 "Clear!" someone calls, the word slicing through the tense silence like a knife. I barely manage to stifle the gasp that threatens to escape my lips. Nathan sighs heavily, and my chest tightens with the sound, the weight of his resignation as palpable as if he were besidein this cramped space.

I close my eyes, battling the surge of emotions that threaten to overwhelm me. Guilt gnaws at me, sharp and insistent. I think of Granny, her face lined with the years and hardships. she's endured, and my love for her swells alongside my regret. Why didn't I cto see her before? Why didn't I at least try? But deep down, I know the answer. After the fallout between her and my mother-visiting Granny becforbidden.

And here I am now, back in her house after all these years, relying on her protection, hiding away like a frightened animal while outside, Rhett's men are scouring and upturning her house looking for me.

"See? Now get out of my house before I call the police," Granny snaps, her voice a sharp crack in the tense night air. The fierceness in her tone shocksbut makes it clear she's not one to be trifled with, even now, at her advanced age.

There's a moment of silence, and then I hear the shuffling of feet, the murmuring of voices and Nathan apologizes for closes with the intrusion the door ve closes, with a definitive thud, and after a few heartbeats, the sound of retreating vehicles fades into the distance. My pulse still races, every sense heightened as if expecting them to burst back through the door at any moment.

Granny's footsteps approach the closet and my hiding place. where I've been holding my breath, trying to NOV becinvisible. She taps lightly on the wood. "You can cout," she says 67.667% Chapter 10 gently.

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I push against the panel, emerging from the false wall to see the Granny holding the closet door open. Granny stands there, a card held between her O ΟΠ fingers, her eyes scanning over its contents with a mix of disgust and concern. Without looking up, she moves toward the fireplace, where a candle flickers, casting dancing shadows across her wrinkled face.

"I think you need to explain, dear, about why your mate is hunting you," she states, her voice low but steady.

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