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Home / MM Romance / THE PROWL OF THE ICE / Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

All Chapters of THE PROWL OF THE ICE: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

33 Chapters

21

"Don't get too comfortable, Quinn. The ice is thin today, and so is my patience."I stared at the locker room door, my hand tightening around my hockey stick until the composite frame groaned. Alpha Ronan Blackridge didn't even look at me as he spoke, his voice a low vibration that seemed to rattle the very marrow of my bones. He was already geared up, his massive frame making the cramped space feel like a cage."I'm not here for a lecture, Ronan," I snapped, my own voice sounding thinner, more human, than I liked. "I'm here to do my job. You provide the muscle on the ice; I provide the medical clearance. That’s the arrangement.""The arrangement is that you belong to this pack's jurisdiction," he growled, finally turning. His eyes flashed a warning amber, the wolf beneath the skin pressing hard against the surface. "Grimford isn't some safe haven in the UK. It’s a war zone. You being the son of Edward Quinn doesn't change the scent of 'victim' hanging off you like cheap cologne.""I

22

"You think he’s stopping at simple kills, Ronan? Look at the precision on Noah Vexley’s throat. That’s not a mindless rogue."I gripped the cold steel of the Lunar Forensics Lab table, my knuckles white against the sterile surface. On the slab, the body of a young wolf—barely past his first shift—lay in a silent, gruesome testimony."The patterns are shifting, Jack," Alpha Ronan Blackridge growled, his voice a low frequency that hummed through the soles of my shoes. He stood by the frosted glass door, his massive frame blocking the only exit. "He’s no longer looking for a quick fix for his hunger. He’s feeding a void. Every kill is a message to this pack.""And the message is that we’re failing," I countered, finally looking up. "These kids are innocent. They’re being hunted in their own hunting grounds.""I know the scent of the predator, Quinn. It’s someone who knows our lines. Someone who understands the territory.""Then do something as Alpha instead of just watching me work.""Is

23

"That is indeed very strange," Dr. Samuel Hayes muttered, leaning over the holographic display in the Lunar Forensics Lab.I watched the flickering blue light illuminate his face as he analyzed the crime scene data from the Ravencroft Disposal Grounds. "The group is already tearing into this new discovery. We’ve been looking at the victim, Silas Crowe, but we missed the connection to the logistics."I stepped closer to the blackboard where the Pack Enforcers had pinned various relationship diagrams. My eyes narrowed as I traced a line between the rogue victim and a name I hadn't expected to see."Wait," I said, my voice sharp. "Look at this. Silas Crowe's stepbrother was seen at the Silverlight Broadcast Hall factory zones multiple times before the murder. And Noah Vexley was stationed there every single night.""The kid? Noah?" Sam asked, looking up. "How did they even cross paths? Silas's brother is a scavenger from the rogue sectors.""He went to the facility to find Silas," I expl

24

"What do you want me to do with this, Derek?" I asked, my voice echoing through the sterile chamber of the Lunar Forensics Lab.I stood firm, staring at the trembling rogue wolf pinned to the floor under Derek Shaw’s heavy boot. The scent of fear—sour and thick—filled the room, making my own inner wolf stir with a restless, surgical curiosity."I heard you were the best healer the Blackridge Pack ever produced, Jack," Derek sneered, his grip tightening on the silver-edged blade at his hip. "A real prodigy of the Medical Sanctuary. So, show me. If you’re so good at putting things together, let’s see if you have the stomach to take one apart. Scent the truth out of this traitor. Or are you too delicate for the wet work?""My father, Edward Quinn, didn't raise me to be a butcher for your amusement," I replied, keeping my heart rate steady. "Victor Quinn sent me here to evaluate a crime scene, not to perform a public execution. Is this how the Enforcers operate now? Forcing doctors to do

25

"Why?"I barely managed the single word, my voice cracking like thin ice under the weight of the betrayal. I stared at Caleb Rourke, the man I had trusted as my primary lab assistant for three years. He still wore that same unassuming, almost dull expression I’d seen every morning in the Lunar Forensics Lab, but the light behind his eyes had shifted into something predatory. It was as if a parasitic soul had hollowed him out and crawled inside.Caleb let out a low, guttural chuckle that didn't belong to the man I knew. "Dr. Quinn, don't try to use that psychological profiling on me. I’m not one of your victims on the table.""You were the one who tampered with the Silas Crowe evidence," I said, the realization hitting me like a body check on the rink. "You didn't just misplace the samples; you swapped them with rogue DNA to throw the Blackridge Task Pack off the scent.""The North needs a change, Jack," Caleb said, his fingertips twitching as they hovered over the silver-lined scalpel

26

"Actually, I’m getting married soon."The admission hung in the air of the Blackridge Enforcement HQ, sharper than a silver-tipped arrow. I looked directly at Evan Mercer, whose face had drained of all color, turning a sickly, deathly pale. The surrounding Pack Enforcers, who had been watching the confrontation with varying degrees of confusion, shifted their gazes to Evan with unconcealed disdain.I was officially done with the ghost of our past. Since the entire specialist group already knew about our disastrous breakup, I felt it was time to give the Blackridge Task Pack a heads-up about my whirlwind engagement. It was better they heard it from me than through the territory’s gossip mill."Whirlwind?" Evan sneered, his voice trembling. "You've barely been back in the Northern Territory for a month, Jack. Who would have you? Some desperate rogue?""What are you doing?"The voice belonged to Alpha Ronan Blackridge. He stepped out from the inner briefing room, his presence alone causi

27

"Dr. Quinn, open this door right now! I know you're in there!"I leaned against the heavy oak frame of the Blackridge Alpha Estate, my knuckles aching from the cold. The freezing Grimford rain was turning into sleet, slicking my hockey jersey to my skin. Behind me, the towering figure of Alpha Ronan Blackridge was leaning heavily against the stone pillar, his breath coming in ragged, whiskey-scented puffs."Ronan, shut up," I snapped, fumbling with the heavy iron handle. "You’re making a scene at your own doorstep. This is the Alpha’s residence, for Spirit’s sake. Have some dignity.""Don't want dignity," Ronan slurred, his voice a low, vibrating growl that rattled my ribcage. He lunged forward, nearly toppling us both into the mud. "Want you to stay. Why are you always leaving, Jack? You're a healer. Heal the ache."I sighed, catching him under the arm. The man was a beast on the ice—the most feared enforcer in the National Hockey League—and even more terrifying in the forest, but ton

28

"Where are the Pack Enforcers who were supposed to be securing this perimeter?"Alpha Ronan Blackridge’s voice cut through the freezing Grimford air like a serrated blade. I felt the vibration of his authority deep in my bones, a primal hum that always set my blood on fire. The Silverlight Broadcast Hall was swarming with humans and wolves alike, a chaotic mess of adrenaline and fear."Alpha, we’re moving them now!" a Blackridge Enforcer shouted, scrambling toward the crowd."Ensure the scent-blockers are active," Ronan commanded, his gaze sharp and predatory. "I want this plaza cleared before the transformation fever hits the lower-ranked members. Disperse them toward the Divided Pack Zones immediately."He didn't wait for a reply. Without so much as a glance toward Sienna Quinn, who stood shivering by the entrance, Ronan turned on his heel and followed me into the dark corridor leading toward the ice. I kept my head down, focusing on the heavy medical kit in my hand.I could feel Sie

29

Ronan, quit being a brat at your own doorstep! You’re the Alpha of the Blackridge Estate, not some rogue pup looking for a scrap."I glared at Ronan through the falling sleet of Grimford. The ice of the Northern Territory always felt like it was trying to sink into my marrow, but tonight, the cold was secondary to the giant, stubborn werewolf leaning his heavy frame against the ancient stone archway. He had a look in his eyes that usually meant he was either about to start a fight or demand my attention."But this is where you live too, Jack," Ronan growled, his voice a low vibration that rumbled in his chest. "Why are you always in such a rush to leave me?"I rubbed my temples, feeling the onset of a headache. I really wanted to take back every nice thing I’d ever thought about Ronan Blackridge being a disciplined leader. When he was in this mood—half-drunk on adrenaline from the hockey game and half-obsessed with the 'fated bond' nonsense—his destructive power was comparable to a lan

30

"Dr. Quinn, focus. Was that Silas Crowe’s blood-debt payment found in the locker?"Alpha Ronan Blackridge’s voice was a low vibration in the small, sterile confines of the Lunar Forensics Lab. I didn’t look up from the centrifuge. I knew exactly what he was looking at—a pile of high-denomination credits and a jagged tooth, the traditional 'tuition' fee a rogue pays to learn a lesson in pack law."Yes," I replied, my voice sounding tight even to my own ears. "Silas isn't just sending a message; he's buying a seat at the table. He knows the Blackridge Task Pack is stretched thin protecting the Alpha Stage Arena."Ronan’s jaw tightened. "He thinks he can buy his way into the Northern Territory while we’re distracted by a hockey game. He’s underestimated the depth of the ice."I finally turned to look at him. "He isn't the only one. The school principals observing the hockey recruitment are already at a loss for words. They saw the 'accidental' shift in the third-string enforcer today. If

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