Chapter Eighteen

WHISPERING SHADOWS

GABRIELLA'S POV

The house felt too quiet after Samantha arrived. The kind of quiet that isn't peaceful, but heavy.

Flynn's words still echoed in my head. He says it’s about Gabriella. Me.

I paced about in my room, feeling like the walls closing in on me, thinking about what that meant. Flynn wasn’t the type to waste words, so I've noticed. If he wanted to meet, if he wanted Jax alone, it wasn’t good. My mind kept circling back to the same question: Why now? Why me?

I moved to the window, pressing my hand against the cold glass. From here, I could see the training grounds, the pack moving like clockwork under the weight of a threat none of us could fully understand. Jax stood at the center, barking orders, his body tense but controlled. Jack hovered nearby, always a shadow to his brother but lately... I could feel the distance growing.

A soft knock pulled me from the window.

"It’s open," I called, turning just as the door pushed open.

Jack stepped inside. His expression wasn’t angry, not like before, but it was guarded.

"You alright?" he asked, voice low and rough around the edges.

I nodded, but the look on his face told me he wasn’t convinced.

"You don’t have to lie, you know," he added, leaning against the wall. "I can tell when you're pretending."

I sat down on the edge of the bed, playing with a loose strand of my sleeve. "It’s hard not to. I don’t want to make things worse."

Jack let out a short, dry laugh. "Gabriella, things are already worse. Pretending won't stop that."

The silence stretched between us, comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. He moved closer, sitting on the chair across from me, his eyes locked on mine. That silent battle we’d both been fighting, trying not to step over invisible lines still hung between us.

"I know you must be thinking about Samantha.”

My throat tightened. "Do you?"

"She’s always been part of our lives. Jax and me. She was there before all of this," he gestured to the house, the pack, the war. "But don’t let her mess with your head. Jax isn't the same guy she remembers."

That should have comforted me. But it didn’t.

"And you?" I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them. "Are you the same?"

Jack looked away, his jaw tightening, his usual humor gone. "No," he said after a beat. "Not even close."

That night, the whole pack was silent. Jax left just after sunset, kissing my forehead and telling me how he would come back soon and that I should restore care of myself and our baby. He rubbed my belly for two minutes straight and then I watched him disappear into the woods, my chest aching with the fear I couldn't name.

Jack stayed behind, and for the first time, he didn’t try to be any form of sarcastic or annoying. He moved opposite me, sat on the porch without a word and stared out into the sky silently.

I sat next to him, feeling cold even though I was wearing sweaters. I curl myself tight.

"Why did it have to be like this?" I whispered.

Jack didn’t answer right away. "Because people like us don’t get easy lives. We're not just ordinary people. This pack, it's powerful. My father made sure of it. He carried the pack. Flynn was my father's beta. He had a taste of power then," he said finally. "And people like Flynn don’t let go of power once they’ve had a taste."

I looked at him then, not just a simple glance, no. I really looked. His sharp features, his guarded eyes.

"Jack, I—"

But the words caught in my throat. Before I could finish, a voice echoed from the driveway.

"Still haunting the porch like old times?"

Samantha.

She walked toward us, her heels clicking against the stone path, her smile sharp as ever. She sat on the opposite side of Jack without waiting for permission, crossing her legs elegantly.

Who wears boots at night? I almost scoff and roll my eyes at the thought.

"I always knew you two would get along," she said, her gaze flicking between us. "Though I thought it would be me sitting next to one of you, not her."

Jack's face hardened. "Why are you here, Sam? Really."

She let out a soft laugh. "Can’t a girl check on old friends?"

“And you. You are?” She nudged at me.

Before I could speak, my phone buzzed. I pulled it from my pocket, my heart dropping at the name on the screen.

Unknown Number.

I hesitated, but Jack saw the fear in my eyes and nodded for me to answer. My voice barely worked as I whispered, "Hello?"

A deep voice answered, one I’d hoped I wouldn’t hear again.

"Miss me?"

It was Hunter's voice.

My hands went cold, my pulse spiking. Jack leaned closer, his body tense the second he saw my reaction.

“What is the problem?” He whispered. Samantha also leaned in like she was being let on in a secret.

I tried to play it cool. I shrugged nonchalantly

"What do you want?" I asked, forcing my voice to be firm and strong and not shaky. I couldn't afford to be weak in front of Samantha too.

His chuckle sounded through the phone, cold and sharp. "Just checking in. You should tell Jax he’s late. And I nor Flynn like being kept waiting,” and just like that, the line went dead.

I lowered the phone, my hands shaking. Jack didn’t wait for me to explain. He was already on his feet, calling for backup. Samantha stood too, her face pale now, the mask slipping.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice smaller than before.

I looked between them both. “Hunter. He called me. Jax is walking into a trap."

And that was the moment I knew everything was about to change.