Last Female Sypher and Her Brother's Friends novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Aria

A wolf broke into the house. Not a human. Not some drugged–up traveler looking to score a few bucks

before moving on from our little town.

A shifter.

And then my mother died trying to hide…what?

Those two facts circle each other endlessly in my head like predators stalking the same piece of ground.

They refuse to settle.

They refuse to make sense.

Why was the wolf there?

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What was my mother trying to burn?

Why did the police decide it was a burglary?

The questions pile on top of each other until it feels like my brain might collapse under the weight of them.

I sit in Ronan’s office trying not to look like my entire world has been tipped sideways.

The room is large and dark, filled with heavy wooden furniture and tall shelves packed with books. The windows behind Ronan’s desk overlook the forest stretching beyond the compound. It should feel peaceful.

It doesn’t.

Nothing about wolves and a secret supernatural world existing beside our own feels peaceful.

Liam sits beside me in one of the leather chairs, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees while he recounts everything he discovered at the house.

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Chapter 23

His voice is tight, controlled.

But I know my brother.

He’s barely holding it together.

“After the fire place, we found a few things in the study,” Liam says, sliding a folded paper across Ronan’s

desk. “Names. Accounts. Some records that look like investments.”

Ronan picks up the paper.

His dark eyes scan the list.

The room falls silent.

His expression doesn’t change, but something in his posture shifts. A subtle tension settles across his

shoulders.

He goes very still.

Like a predator catching a scent.

My stomach tightens.

“Do these mean something to you?” Liam asks.

Ronan doesn’t answer immediately.

His gaze stays on the paper for several seconds longer than necessary.

Then he sets it down carefully.

“I’ll have Marcus start looking into this.”

That’s it.

No explanation.

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No reaction.

Just a calm statement like we didn’t just drop a pile of strange financial records on his desk.

My eyes narrow slightly.

Something about that response feels… off.

Liam notices it too.

“You think it’s connected?” he presses.

Ronan folds his hands together on the desk.

“It might be. I want to be sure before we make any moves.”

That’s not an answer.

That’s a politician’s dodge.

My suspicion grows stronger.

There’s something they aren’t telling me.

Maybe they think they’re protecting me.

Maybe they think I’m fragile.

Which is funny considering I’ve been chased by wolves in a forest, almost kidnapped, and watched them turn into wolves in a hidden prison cell underneath the house within the last seventy–two hours.

I’m pretty sure my tolerance for weird is higher than they think.

Liam exhales slowly and pushes himself to his feet.

“Well,” he says. “That’s all we found.”

I stand with him.

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Chapter 23

“Guess we’ll-”

“Aria.”

Ronan’s voice stops me before I reach the door.

I turn.

His eyes are on me.

“Stay a moment.”

Liam pauses beside me.

Ronan shifts his gaze to him.

“I’m going to have a word with Aria alone.”

Liam hesitates.

I can see the protective instinct battling with his trust in Ronan.

Finally Ronan adds, “Why don’t you go get Barric. Meet back here so we can work on perimeter checks.”

That seems to settle it.

Liam nods once. “Alright.”

He gives me a quick look–half reassurance, half apology–then opens the door and steps out.

The door closes behind him with a quiet click.

Silence settles across the office.

I stand there awkwardly for a second.

Ronan remains seated behind his desk, watching me with that intense focus he always seems to have.

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I decide to break the tension.

“So-”

“Did you get everything you needed on your shopping trip?”

The question hits me like a curveball.

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