It's been four days I'd come out to my father as someone who could shift and three since I'd been to Sentinel HQ and last seen Adrian.

Vika had moved in to show me her support, and Adam had been working tirelessly on my case, keeping me a free man, albeit one who was forbidden to leave the state without express permission from the Order. He had, however, called in to tell me he had to see me urgently and that he was on his way to my apartment; I had no doubt it was to notify me Bolek had forbidden him from helping me out any further.

If I had to be honest, I was surprised the old bat hadn't pulled on Adam's leash sooner.

I guessed even grand and mighty grandpa Bolek had had a difficult time deciding whether my shifting ability was a detriment to the family or something he could use. Him restraining Adam could be a sign of either: it could be Bolek giving me the middle finger or it could mean he was simply going to demand I did something for him or that I acted in a certain way and in exchange, I'd get Adam's services back.

"Your cat is broken." Vika's words made me open one eye, but I didn't rise from my position, lying on my couch.

"How so?" I asked looking at her just as she pocketed something small and shiny.

"He refuses to chase the laser dot. What kind of a cat doesn't chase after a laser dot?"

"A smart one that knows better than to run around for no reason," I replied and closed my eye again.

I heard Vika rise and then listened as she helped herself to something from my fridge. Softer steps followed her to the kitchen and I knew Luca had padded after her to see if there was anything tasty he could demand from my cousin. Apparently, there had been as Vika's footfalls were the only ones I heard near me again, and then there was the sound of her body hitting the soft armchair she'd vacated before her food quest.

A loud exhale let me know she was preparing to speak, but the bell rang before she could utter a word.

"That would be Adam," she said.

"That would be," I agreed and when I didn't get up, she did and opened the front door. Their greetings reached my ears and I itched to rise and demand the newcomer to just get to the point, but not wishing to give my anxiety away, I stayed put, only opening my eyes after Adam said:

"Stop pretending to be asleep. We need to talk."

"So it seems." I made sure my voice was even and my movements lazy as I sat up on the couch. Vika took one of the armchairs and Adam placed his briefcase on my coffee table before making himself at home on the other.

Thankfully, Adam wasn't one to beat around the bush.

"Bolek called me off." The lawyer opened the briefcase and took out two large manila folders. "Here are two copies of your case files. This one is for you," he handed me the first, "the other for whoever you hire to replace me."

"Are they different?"

"Yours has some notes explaining things in layman terms."

"That's thoughtful of you," Vika said, taking the second folder to flip through it.

"It also has a list of lawyers you can contact. All of them have experience with shifter cases and none of them work for Bolek... Although I can't promise he won't bribe them if he hears you've contacted them," Adam went on. "I've highlighted a few who I think are more reliable, but when Bolek gets involved, I can't really know for sure."

"Alright." Ignoring my desire to check Adam's notes and the lawyer list, I threw the folder on the coffee table without even opening it. "Anything else I need to know before you leave?"

"A few things. One: your ban to travel now applies to anywhere outside this city although I brought up your rights for pack support and you can travel to the Bullets' territory if you notify the Sentinels first and fill out some documents."

"Pack support?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"When wolf shifters stay packless for a long time, especially when they are under stress, it can have detrimental effects on them."

"But I'm not a wolf shifter," I pointed out. "And I'm not under stress."

I was feeling anxious, but I didn't need him to know that.

Adam ignored the second point, going for the first one:

"You are half-shifter and your ability to take wolf form is grounds enough for me to make the claim that you need pack support. The Bullets' Alpha also expressed her desire that you attend a pack meeting where they'd discuss your ability and whether that and your ties to your shifter family could lead to you being accepted as a pack member."

"That would be a hard pass," I snickered, but my mind flashed with the image of Ollie and I had the briefest moment of pondering what it would be like to live in the Bullets neighborhood and see him every day.

"And that is not a wise answer." Adam's tone was perfectly even as he gave me the professional equivalent of 'you are an idiot'.

"Having the support of a pack, especially one well-reputed as the Bullets, will help your case in front of the Sentinels. If you don't join them, you should at least try to make allies of them in case you need character witnesses, which you almost certainly will."

"Hard. Pass." I repeated, this time more sternly. I could not live in a society where my every step leads to some variation of 'whatever you do, it reflects on the pack, so don't mess up'. To some - most wolf shifters, really - pack life meant security and support; to me, it meant restrictions.

"Besides, I doubt they'd want me to join. It's just a formality, because of my father and Uncle Rhys, and Kennedy, to have me there and say 'you are not a good fit for us'. Keri might've taken a liking to me lately, but she's professional enough to push me away if the pack decides I'm dangerous. Just look at how long she stayed away from her mate because she thought he wouldn't mix with the Bullets."

I very much respected Keri for her ability to hold her feelings at bay for the good of the people entrusted to her, and yet, a troubling sliver of disappointment crept into my chest as I considered the possibility of a permanent ban from the pack land.

I knew I could always ask Everett or even Lisa to bring Ollie somewhere else so I could see him, so this feeling was surprising, unsettling even.

It wasn't like I'd miss any of the other Bullets.

Well, except for Kennedy and Keri. but I could ask Keri out for coffee, perhaps at the Milk & Cream while Riley was on shift, so I could see him too. Kennedy wouldn't say no to a meeting either, although...

The only time I'd considered showing my wolf to a Bullet for something other than shock value was when I'd seen Kennedy run in his own wolf form. I'd had this almost irresistible urge to shift too and race him through the woods, run until one or both of us could no longer stand on our paws.

Challenging someone as fast as Kennedy would be a thrill, even if I'd lost to him... Not that I intended to let him win without a fight.

"Then convince them you aren't dangerous," Adam said as if it was the simplest thing on Earth. "Moving on to the next matter at hand: Bolek has frozen all the assets he's ever given you."

I snorted.

"Oh, my, how will I ever survive?" My voice was dripping with sarcasm and this time I wasn't faking it.

"The matter is serious enough that I wouldn't be surprised if he got people to contact your sugar daddies and sugar mammas and put some pressure on them to let you go," Adam went on.

"I don't have sugar daddies or sugar mammas; I just fuck people and they try to make me stay longer by giving me things," I corrected, although I wasn't sure he'd see the difference. "Besides, I haven't hooked up with anyone rich in a while."

Or with anyone at all.

Not since Adrian and I had gotten closer... But that was an issue for another day.

"Regardless, I hope you have large sums of cash stacked under your mattress," Adam threw in. "And that goes for you too, Vika. As long as you are staying with Alec, you aren't getting an allowance either."

"Don't worry; I've got it covered," she reassured him. "We both do."

"Very well." Adam closed his briefcase and stood. "I'll be off then."

Vika also rose to send him off, but I once again stayed put.

"You aren't going to wish me good luck?" I teased the lawyer as he made his way towards the door. He stopped and turned to me, expression serious.

"No, Alec, I'm not going to wish you good luck. But I am going to tell you this: get smart."

With that, he resumed walking and soon was out of my apartment.

Vika let out a loud huff as she slumped on the couch, her head against the backrest.

"I sometimes pity that guy. His whole life depends on grandpa's whims." She straightened up to look at me. "You and I have to put up with a lot, but at least we have independent means and some strength to fight back. If Adam pissed Bolek off, Bolek could snap his fingers and Adam would be out on the streets, begging people for change... Or would suddenly disappear without a trace."

"It's his own fault. He worked his ass off to become Bolek's right-hand man and he isn't stupid; he knew what he was getting himself into," I retorted although, from the few things I knew about Adam's life before Bolek, I could see why the human would choose to serve someone like my grandpa. At the time, it probably seemed like the lesser of two evils.

"He has a point though. About the Bullets."

I opened my mouth to contradict Vika, but she raised a hand to shush me.

"Just give it a try, okay?"

Before I could speak, she tactfully changed the subject and even got up to walk away for good measure.

"I'm going to flip through the takeout menus in the kitchen and pick us something for dinner, okay?"

Not in a mood to argue and eager to check the files, I agreed, but once she was out of the living room, I decided to wait a little longer before seeing what info Adam had provided me with as a parting gift. I wanted to do it on my own, even though I wasn't sure why.

I was just pondering on what to distract myself with - Luca had returned and was taking a nap on the piano stool so maybe go and bug him? - when my phone buzzed with a text.

Adrian: How are you?

A smile immediately appeared on my face, even though I hated it when people asked me that question.

But Adrian wasn't most people and if I wanted to get to the bottom of deciphering what I felt for him, I'd have to speak to him.

But I didn't want to do it through text.

Alec: Why don't you come over and check for yourself?

Okay, I have so many questions for you guys. Let's start with Adam: do you blame him for following Bolek's order and leaving Alec?

As for Alec: do you think he should've said thanks to his now ex-lawyer?

Are you anxious about the meeting with the Bullets?

Do you think they, as a group, would accept Alec?

What about individual members? Everett? Rhys? Keri? Kennedy? Anyone else who comes to mind?

Do you think Alec is going to try to win them over?

How do you think his not-a-date with Adrian is going to go... If Adrian even agrees to come over?

Do you think they'll open up to each other?

Please support this chapter with a VOTE if you enjoyed it!

PS: I'll be making an announcement about Kennedy's story soon and it's probably going to be posted in the EXTRAS book as I don't want it to get lost on my board among other messages.