chapter 17
By Tuesday evening, Ferial wanted to evaporate.
She and Abdie had just finished another long shift, and all she wanted was to go straight home, soak her feet, and pretend the world didn’t have wolves.
But the moment they stepped outside the factory gates—
Two enforcers were waiting again.
With a clipboard.
And bored expressions.
Abdie groaned, “No, man. AGAIN?”
The enforcer checked his list. “Abduol Karim. Ferial Samsodien.”
"Damn it's government names today Abdie" Ferial laughed, knowing full and well Abdie always went by his nickname 'Abdie' instead of Abduol.
“Delete our names!” Abdie begged.
“No.”
“Lose the list.”
“No.”
“Lose yourself,” Abdie muttered under his breath.
The enforcer’s ear twitched. “I heard that.”
“Sorry, Sir Wolf.”
Ferial sighed. “Where are we cleaning today? The floors? The trash yard? The kennels? Please don’t say the kennels. Keep in mind the Alpha heir did say two days of punishment and i dont want to hear my name or see you tomorrow. ”
The wolf shook his head. “No. Today you two are assigned to laundry duty.”
Both humans froze.
“Laundry,” Abdie whispered. “Laundry. For wolves.”
Ferial’s soul died a little. Wolves were huge. Their clothes were huge. Their uniforms were basically made from the same fabric as military tents.
“We’re going to break our spines,” she muttered.
The enforcer beckoned. “Follow us.”
---
THE LAUNDRY BUILDING
It was massive — tall shelves stacked with folded military garments, metal washing units the size of bathtubs, and industrial dryers that sounded like jet engines.
Five other humans were already hard at work sorting uniforms.
The enforcer explained, “Sort, wash, dry, fold. And don’t mix the scents. Wolves notice.”
Abdie whispered, “They notice EVERYTHING.”
They got to work folding uniforms that weighed more than their rent.
Ferial was halfway through folding a steaming wolf shirt (how did it hold THAT much heat??) when the door opened.
She didn’t need to look to know who had entered.
The air changed.
Wolves straightened.
And she went still.
The Alpha heir strode in, followed by several officers.
He was giving instructions, checking inventory logs, discussing patrol rotations.
He didn’t look at her.
Good.
Perfect.
Wonderful.
Safe.
Then his gaze flicked sideways.
Right at her.
Ferial stared at the uniform she was folding like it was a rare alien artifact.
Abdie elbowed her. “Act normal!”
“I AM!”
“You’re folding the shirt like it insulted your family.”
“I SAID I’M TRYING!”
The Alpha heir approached their table without any hesitation.
The officers froze.
The humans froze.
Abdie actually held his breath.
The Alpha heir picked up the uniform she had folded, lifted it with one hand, inspected it…
Ferial waited for a critique.
Maybe he’d say it was wrong. Or uneven. Or crooked. Or something.
Instead—
“It’s neat,” he said.
She blinked. “Oh. Uh. Thank you.”
He placed it back down.
Then he did it.
The impossible.
Again.
He joked.
“You didn’t miss a spot this time.”
Every officer’s head whipped toward him so fast someone might’ve dislocated a neck.
One general muttered, horrified, “He’s doing it again.”
Another whispered, “Is he… flirting? Is that what this is?”
Abdie clapped a hand over his own mouth to stop from shrieking.
Ferial, however, said the worst possible thing:
“Well, I tried not to embarrass myself.”
He raised a brow. “You’re doing poorly at that.”
She choked.
The officers choked.
Abdie nearly passed out.
The Alpha heir turned to his second-in-command.
“Make sure these uniforms reach the east-wing barracks by tonight.”
“Yes, Alpha heir,” the wolf said, staring at Ferial like she had cast witchcraft on their leader.
The Alpha heir turned to leave.
Then paused.
Looked at her one more time.
A brief glance. Barely a second. But unmistakably deliberate.
Then he walked out.
The room stayed silent for a full five seconds.
And then Abdie exploded.
“WHAT DID HE JUST DO TO YOU?!”
“NOTHING!” she snapped.
“He spoke to you. Twice! And the second time he—he—he INSULT-FLIRTED!”
“No he did not.”
“Yes he DID.”
Ferial grabbed another uniform. “Let’s just finish and go home.”
But whispering erupted among the wolves.
“I’ve never seen him speak like that.”
“He doesn’t even speak like that to us.”
“He barely speaks outside missions.”
“What’s happening?”
“Should we report this?”
“To who?”
“I don’t know—this feels like a security breach.”
Ferial’s face burned.
Wonderful.
Amazing.
She would never be able to breathe in public again.
---
ON THE WAY HOME
An enforcer escorted them back to the district, as usual.
The walk was silent at first… until Abdie finally snapped.
“Okay LISTEN,” he said, grabbing her arm. “This is not normal behaviour.”
“I know.”
“He joked yesterday.”
“I know.”
“He joked TODAY.”
“I know.”
“He looked at you like you’re an important file he needs to study.”
“…that’s insulting.”
“I’m complimenting you! That’s how wolves look at things they want to keep!”
She nearly tripped. “WHAT?!”
Abdie held her shoulders dramatically.
“Ferial. Hear me…”
She braced herself.
“…you need to stop making supernatural men fall in love with you.”
She shoved him. “He is NOT—ABDI—please. Stop talking.”
Abdie kept going. “If he jokes again tomorrow, I’m leaving the planet.”
“Good. Go.”
“I’m serious! Wolves don’t joke! It’s like angels tap-dancing—IT DOESN’T HAPPEN!”
Ferial rubbed her forehead. “Maybe he’s just… bored.”
Abdie stared at her.
“He is the Alpha heir. He doesn’t get bored. He makes OTHER PEOPLE bored.”
“…true.”
They walked the rest of the way in chaos-fuelled silence.
--
She lay awake staring at the ceiling from her sad excuse of a couch bed.
Trying not to think about him.
Failing.
His tone. His glance. His impossible-smirk-not-smirk. His strange interest.
Why her? Why now? Why at all?
And why did her stomach twist every time he looked at her?
She covered her face with her pillow.
“This is a disaster,” she whispered.
But something deep inside her—a place she didn’t want to examine—felt the truth.
This wasn’t stopping.
Not now.
Not ever.
Something was happening.
Something she couldn’t control.
Something he wasn’t hiding anymore.
And tomorrow… she would have to face him again.
Whether she wanted to or not.