26. Elowen
ELOWEN
“What’s wrong?” Calder asks when I glance over my shoulder for the twentieth time.
I instinctively look again, unable to shake the feeling that we’re being followed. “It’s nothing. I’m just a little jumpy.”
We’re on our way to meet Gideon in a little shack in the woods bordering Elderwood Hollow.
Calder and Tyler know where it is. Apparently, students meet there when they’re getting up to the kind of activities they don’t want the academy staff to know about.
But it isn’t only the shack that has unsettled me.
It’s Mira’s warning too. Since seeing her yesterday, I can almost smell danger in the air.
“I’ll catch up with you,” Tyler says, backing away into the woods. “Make sure no one knows we’re here.”
His absence doesn’t help, but Calder and Julian close in on me protectively, keeping me surrounded.
The shack is in sight by the time Tyler returns, a little breathless, hair tousled in the cool November wind. “Didn’t see a thing,” he says, planting a kiss on my cheek.
We don’t bother knocking on the ramshackle door. The windows are intact if weather-stained, ivy is crawling up the exterior walls, and what must’ve once passed for a front yard is waist-high with angry nettles and wispy weeds.
Inside the shack is one room that covers kitchen, sleeping area, and living room.
Gideon is standing behind a dusty table, staring at the four of us. “Elowen,” he says, the concern in his voice unmistakable, “how are you feeling?”
A shudder travels down my spine. “Fine.” It’s a lie. “Scared.”’
He nods. “I’m sorry. I won’t sugarcoat it for you. You should be scared.”
At my side, Calder tenses. “Okay, let’s cut through the fearmongering. Say what you’ve got to say, so that we can get Elowen back to campus.”
Gideon doesn’t protest, and strangely, it gives me some comfort. If this were a gimmick to him, he’d be ramping up the fear to keep me on board with his conspiracy theory. Wouldn’t he?
"I began investigating after Iris died." He pulls out a folder, thick with notes, and we all move closer.
"To begin with, I hit nothing but brick walls and was starting to believe it was an isolated tragedy, just as they said.
Then Shannon McCartney died, and Lydia Jones.
Same pattern. Three months later, Helena Raven at Thornwood Academy.
Now, Kira Matsuda." He lines up photos. "Five deaths in eighteen months.
All from natural causes following their first heat. "
“So, you think what?” Tyler asks. “They were murdered?”
He raises haunted eyes to us. “Yes, that’s exactly what I think.”
“Based on what evidence?” Julian asks.
Gideon pulls out another document. "I don’t have anything concrete.
No postmortems. Deaths publicly announced as natural causes.
Iris’s report is sealed for fifty years.
So, I think whoever this is has specific access to medical records from multiple institutions.
Detailed knowledge of heat schedules. They’re either invisible enough to fly under the radar or someone is covering for them.
" He looks at each of us. "This is someone with authority. Someone trusted."
I try to take it all in, focus on facts rather than fear settling like cold sludge in my gut.
"Campus administration," Julian says slowly. "Medical staff. Security personnel."
"Maybe even faculty," Gideon agrees. "Someone who can move freely, access restricted information, and cover their tracks."
"Why tell us?" Tyler asks. "Why not go to the police?"
His laugh is bitter. "I tried. Campus security told me I was being paranoid.
Local police said they had no jurisdiction over closed cases.
My family's lawyer advised me to drop it.
" He meets my eyes. "I've been hitting walls for eighteen months in all directions.
Then I heard about Kira. Another death, same pattern.
And I heard about you." His eyes settle on me, and I shiver.
"How?" Calder demands.
"I have contacts. People who owe me favors. They told me about two newly bonded packs at Elderwood. Yours stood out for obvious reasons. Three alphas, one omega, first heat just completed." His expression hardens. "You fit the victim profile perfectly."
"You think he's already chosen me," I say flatly.
"I think you're in immediate danger." Gideon's voice is urgent. "Every victim died within two weeks of completing their first heat. Yours ended four days ago."
Four days. That leaves ten days maximum. If the pattern holds.
“What about Olivia?” I ask. “She survived.”
“Fluke maybe.” Gideon shakes his head, and I almost wish Olivia hadn’t thrown a spanner in the works. For his sake. “Maybe she did just have a regular virus. Or maybe the killer got sloppy.”
“That’s too many maybes.” Julian stares at the images. “We need to know what we’re up against here.”
"I understand." Gideon gestures to the evidence spread across the table. "I’m struggling to access current student records. My contacts are getting itchy about helping me. But you can. You're enrolled here, you have ID access, you can ask questions without raising suspicion."
"You want us to continue what you started," Julian clarifies.
"I want us to work together." Gideon pulls out a laptop, opens files. "I have eighteen months of research. Victim profiles, timeline analysis, potential suspects. But I need someone on the inside."
"And if we find the suspect?" Tyler asks. "Then what?"
"Then we make sure they can't hurt anyone else." Gideon's expression is granite. "We need concrete evidence to take to the police." He pauses. "Or we take them down ourselves."
“Whoa.” Calder raises both hands in a gesture of peace. “This is not some vigilante group.”
“Calder is right,” Tyler says. “We’re not putting Elowen in danger.”
Gideon’s eyes twitch. “She already is in danger. If you can’t see that, then you’re no help to me.”
"What do you need from us?" I ask. I can’t sit back and do nothing if there’s a possibility another omega will die. If there’s a possibility I will die.
Gideon's shoulders drop a little. "Access to omega health records. Heat schedules for the past two years. List of faculty and staff who had access to all four victims." He types rapidly. "I'll cross-reference with my data. Look for overlaps."
"That's confidential information," Julian points out. "We'd have to go through official channels or—"
"Or find another way," Gideon finishes. "I'm not asking you to break laws. But I am asking you to bend the rules if it means stopping a killer."
Calder and Julian exchange looks. Some wordless alpha communication I'm not part of.
"We'll help," Calder says finally. "But we do this carefully. No unnecessary risks."
"Agreed."
"And Elowen stays protected," Tyler adds firmly. "She doesn’t go anywhere alone."
"That was already non-negotiable," Gideon says. "Iris was alone when…" He pauses, his breathing erratic. "Don't let her be alone."
The vulnerability in that statement, the way grief cracks through his controlled exterior, drives his loss home like a blade through the heart. A twin who lost his other half.
"I'm sorry," I tell him. "About Iris."
His eyes shine but he doesn't look away. "Then help me make sure her death meant something. Help me stop this before they kill someone else's sister."
"We will," I promise.
He nods once, then starts organizing files with renewed purpose. "First step: I need to know everyone you saw during heat. Staff, faculty, anyone who knew you were in the heat suite."
My face glows as I think back to my heat and time spent with my pack. "Campus medical approved the heat leave paperwork. Ms. Hartley arranged the suite. No one came to check on me."
“That’s not true,” Julian interjects. "Security stopped by once. Said it was a routine wellness check."
Everyone in the room goes still. My pulse is racing.
"Who was it?" Calder's voice is dangerous.
"Officer Brennan. He was professional about it. Asked if we needed anything. Didn’t try to peer inside the room. Left when I said we were fine."
Gideon's typing furiously. "Kyle Brennan. Campus security, five years. Prior military, honorable discharge." He pulls up a photo. "This him?"
Julian looks at the screen and nods. "That's him."
I feel lightheaded. My brain was so consumed by the flames raging through me that I wasn’t even aware of the officer’s visit. What else did I miss?
"He was present at two other scenes." Gideon's voice goes flat. "Lydia's dorm when they found her. Shannon's heat suite for a wellness check." He looks up. "He's not the only common factor, but he's on the list."
"So, we watch him," Julian says.
"Watch everyone," Gideon corrects. "Trust no one outside this room. Whoever's doing this has been getting away with it for eighteen months." His gaze lands on me. "They've perfected their method. Which means you need to be smarter."
"What's your theory?" Julian leans forward, fully engaged now. "Method of death. How are they doing it?"
"I don't know yet. They said Iris’s death was caused by cardiac arrest. My parents didn’t question it; they were grieving for their daughter. She had no health issues that we knew about." Gideon rubs his face with his hand. "But five omegas dying suddenly within days of their heat?"
“Why are the campuses not more concerned?” I ask, drawing everyone’s attention to me. “What about the families of the victims?”
“My guess is the schools don’t want the publicity,” Gideon says. “They don’t want the student body on alert, students pulling out of courses, families creating panic.”
“Or they could be covering for someone,” Julian suggests, his expression unreadable. “It’s often the case with deaths that appear to be suspicious.”
My thoughts are spinning like cotton candy. “Did you question Kira’s pack?”
“My contact spoke to one alpha.” He glances at his notes. “Daniel Watson. He couldn’t tell them much, only that she was fine when her heat was over. Tired but fine. She was taking herbal tea for the cramps. No medication.”
“Your herbal tea?” Calder asks. He’s paler than I’ve ever seen him.
“Maybe. I don’t know. Seraphina handles all requests via the Student Council to keep it simple and to free up my time.”
“Seraphina Bloom,” Gideon says. “Maybe speak to her first, find out what she knows.”
"Do you think…?" My stomach drops.
"No," Calder says firmly. "Don't go there. Olivia drank your tea, and she didn’t die."
“Mira’s tea.” Not mine.
The seed of doubt is planted. What if my knowledge, my herbs, my attempts to help are hurting people?
"Look, this is just a precaution," Gideon says pragmatically. "But could you test your supplies? Make sure nothing's been tampered with. And get a list of everyone you've given blends to."
"I guess." I feel numb. How could this be happening? Mira saw my herbs in the greenhouse. She said I’d learned well. What if she was wrong too?
Gideon is still talking. "We'll need to cross-reference your names with any omegas due a heat soon."
My phone buzzes.
Withheld number.
Saw you go into the shack. Was that smart?
Ice floods my veins as I hand my phone to Tyler. This changes everything. This makes it real. "How did they get my number?" I whisper.
They must’ve followed us here. They were hiding the woods, probably smirking behind a tree whenever I peered over my shoulder because I thought I heard a sound.
Tyler’s fingers fly across the keyboard of my cell. “Come on, you coward,” he mutters to himself. “Answer.” He looks up. “Nothing.”
Gideon looks unsurprised. "I’ve been getting threatening text messages for weeks but killing me would be a real curveball. I’m not an omega, and my twin was his first victim. This might work in our favor though."
"How?" Tyler demands, jaw clenched.
"If they’re watching, they’re worried that we’re onto something." Gideon's eyes are calculating. "We make them more worried. We investigate openly. Make them nervous enough to make a mistake."
"Using Elowen as bait," Calder says flatly. "Absolutely not."
"Not bait. Protected lure." Gideon meets his stare. "She's already a target. At least this way we control the circumstances."
"No." Three voices say simultaneously. Pack unified in protection.
"Then what's your plan?" Gideon challenges. "Hide? Wait? Pretend nothing happened?" He gestures to the photos. "That's what they did. That's why they're dead."
The brutal honesty of it silences us.
"We need middle ground," Julian says after a moment. "Investigate without making Elowen vulnerable. Protect her while we’re gathering evidence."
"Agreed," I say before anyone can speak for me. "I won't hide."
Gideon studies our dynamic for a long moment. "You actually work as a unit. That's… rare."
"That's pack," Tyler says simply.
"Iris would have liked you." Gideon's voice softens. "She wanted that. Pack that functioned as a team rather than hierarchy." He looks at me. The past tense hurts, but it also strengthens my resolve.
"Then let's do this," I say. "Let's stop him."
Gideon nods. "First priority: identify all possible suspects. I'll send you an encrypted file with my research. Add anything you observe, anyone who seems too interested, any inconsistencies."
"First priority," Julian corrects, "is protecting Elowen. Twenty-four-seven presence. No exceptions."
"Third," Calder says grimly, "we figure out their method. Can't stop them if we don't know how this is happening."
"And fourth," Tyler finishes, "we get the police involved when we have concrete evidence."
The meeting breaks up with grim purpose. Gideon provides a burner phone number for secure contact, and Julian takes copies of all files on a flash drive that he carries around in his pocket.
"Be careful," Gideon says at the door as we leave. "Trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, it probably is."
My grandmother's words echoed by someone who learned the hard way.
"I will."
"And Elowen?" He hesitates. "Thank you. For helping. For…" His voice breaks slightly. "For not running away."
I don't know how to respond to that. So, I just nod.
Outside, the campus looks normal, students walking to class, leaves skittering across pathways, everything ordinary and safe.
But I know better now.
Somewhere out there, someone's watching. Waiting. Planning.
The clock is ticking.
Ten days until I fit the timeline.
Ten days to stop a killer.
Or become the next victim.