“You’re full of sh*t! Everyone saw it—this little girl reached out and stole my ten thousand dollars!” The girl trembled in fear. “I didn’t! That money is mine! You’re lying!” I got the picture. That ten grand must’ve been the girl’s, and she accidentally let it show while at the hospital. These werewolves saw it, followed her out here, and tried to flip the story—frame her so they could snatch the money while a crowd watched. Classic setup. I stared at the lead werewolf. “You’re saying it’s your money? Got any proof?” The guy held his chin high. “That ten grand’s mine. Everyone around here saw it. That’s all the proof I need.” “You mean these other punks who are clearly in on it with you?” I glanced at the rest of them, a bunch of greasy wannabes, and let out a cold laugh. “Who you calling punks, bitch? You better learn your place. Back off now, or don’t blame us for what happens next!” He reached toward me—so I kicked him. Hard. He hit the ground with a scream, clutching his arm in pain. “You really hit me?! Get her! Let’s show this bitch what happens when she acts tough!” Honestly, I’d been itching to blow off steam anyway, so I didn’t even bother releasing my aura. But seeing me take one of them down that easily clearly shook the rest. They hesitated, not daring to rush me. “What are you waiting for? She’s just one chick! You telling me all of you can’t take her down? Move!” One finally grit his teeth and charged. The others followed his lead and swarmed me. Good. I shoved the girl behind me and ran straight into the fight. These half-baked losers? Please. I knocked them around like bowling pins. A single kick took one down. In less than a minute, the rest were groaning on the floor, too beat up to move. “She’s nuts! We can’t take her—she’s too damn strong!”One of them, bruised and swollen, looked up at the lead werewolf in frustration. “Useless idiot! You’re the weak one!” The werewolf spat, then suddenly locked eyes on the girl behind me. Grinning like a predator, he lunged straight at her. I saw it coming. I shoved the girl behind me and kicked him square in the chest. He flew back again, this time coughing blood on the ground. That kick definitely broke at least two of his ribs. “I’m giving you five seconds to get out of my sight. After that, I won’t be so nice.” I raised my hand and started counting. “Five.” “This b*tch stole my money! Why should I be the one to leave?!” “Four.” “F*ck it, let’s go! Ugh—damn it…” Still groaning, the lead werewolf shot me one last hateful look, then waved his hand and led his little crew limping off in defeat. “You okay?” I turned to the girl, who was still shaking. She nodded, but tears spilled from her eyes before she could speak. “I’m okay… I have to go pay for my mom’s treatment now, or it’ll be too late.” I looked at her—young, plainly dressed, definitely not from money. Something in my chest tightened. “What’s your mom sick with?” “Leukemia. It’s been really hard finding a match for a bone marrow transplant. We’ve already burned through all our savings just for the hospital bills. I’m about to sell our house.” “How old are you?” She sniffled. “Seventeen.” My heart softened. “Let me help you.” She blinked. “Help me with what?” “I’ll pay the bills. I’ll help you find a matching donor. Don’t sell your house.” I smiled and ruffled her hair. “It’s okay… I can earn the money myself.” Her eyes lit up for a second, then dimmed. “It costs too much. I can’t let you do that. Thank you, though.” The way her gaze flickered away made my gut twist. How exactly does a seventeen-year-old earn that kind of money? I didn’t press. Instead, I nodded and slipped my ring off, placing it in her hand. “Then take this. If things get really bad and you’ve got no other options, bring this to me. I’ll cover whatever it costs to save your mom. Just promise me—don’t sell the ring. It’s not worth anything.” If Jackson heard me say that, he’d probably cough up blood. That ring was specially made by Bluewater Corporation, cost three hundred million, and came with GPS and a secure remote communication link. Completely priceless. But to someone who didn’t know better, it just looked like a plain silver band. Wouldn’t even fetch a few bucks at a pawn shop. “Okay. Thank you, big sis.” She tucked it away carefully. After the fight, I felt ten times better walking back to the hospital room. Aiden looked at my relaxed expression and gave me a weird look. I couldn’t be bothered to explain. Later that night, I opened my laptop and tracked the ring’s location. The girl’s GPS signal was pinging from a place called Midnight Bar. Midnight Bar? A sinking feeling crept into my chest.