The hoverbike descended smoothly onto the landing pad outside Cassandra’s mansion, its engines purring softly before falling silent.
Jayden dismounted, his boots touching down on the polished stone as he took in the familiar sight of the sprawling estate. The place always managed to impress him... elegant architecture blending seamlessly with modern technology, surrounded by manicured gardens that stretched as far as the eye could see.
He’d been here countless tis since recovering from the lightning strike. This place had beco almost a second ho. And Cassandra had beco one of his closest friends.
Yet sothing felt different today. An unease settled in his chest as he walked toward the entrance, rembering their brief, cold encounter three days ago. The way she’d brushed him off, that sharp sarcasm in her voice.
He shook his head, pushing the thought aside as the massive double doors opened automatically and he stepped in.
The interior was just as impressive as always... marble floors gleaming under crystal chandeliers, artwork adorning the walls, and the faint scent of expensive perfu lingering in the air. Voices drifted from the living room, drawing his attention.
"Jayden!" Tasha’s cheerful voice called out as he entered the spacious living area.
She was sprawled on one of the leather couches, dressed in a fitted tank top and athletic shorts that showed off her toned physique. Jessica sat across from her, similarly dressed, while an Aileen occupied the armchair nearby.
"Hey," Jayden greeted, managing a smile as he walked over.
Jessica looked up from her tablet, her brown eyes scanning him briefly before she smirked. "Took you long enough. Gym session run long?"
"Sothing like that," he replied, dropping onto the couch beside Tasha. She imdiately shifted closer, her leg brushing against his in that casual, intimate way that had beco natural between them.
Through the pack bond, he could sense her contentnt, her happiness at his presence. It was a warm, comforting sensation that wrapped around his consciousness like a gentle embrace.
"So, what’s the plan for today?" he asked, looking around at the three of them.
"We were thinking of running so combat drills in the training facility downstairs," Tasha explained. "Aileen ntioned sothing about working on formation tactics for the tournant."
Jayden nodded, but his attention had already shifted to Aileen. She sat quietly, fingers dancing across a holographic interface projected from her wristband, lines of code streaming past faster than most people could read.
"Hey, Aileen," he called out, drawing her attention. She looked up and her gaze locked onto him with unnerving focus.
"Yes, Jayden?" Her voice was soft, polite, but there was an underlying sharpness to it... like she was constantly analyzing, calculating.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I wanted to ask you sothing about EverRealm."
Aileen’s fingers paused mid-type, though her expression remained neutral. "Oh? What about it?"
"The company you sold it to... VirtuTech, right?" When she nodded, he continued. "How much control do they have over the ga itself? Like, can they modify the code, change chanics, that kind of thing?"
There was the briefest flicker of curiosity and suspicion in Aileen’s eyes... But it vanished so quickly Jayden almost thought he’d imagined it.
"No, actually," she replied, her tone remaining casual and innocent. "VirtuTech only handles marketing and distribution. They get about thirty percent of the revenue, but the ga itself remains entirely under my control. All updates, patches, modifications... that’s all ." She tilted her head slightly. "Why do you ask? Did you experience so kind of issue while playing?"
Jayden hesitated. Ava’s words about the creators of the ga being aware of supernatural creatures, echoed in his mind. But looking at Aileen now, sitting there with her tablet and code, she just seed like a talented teenager who loved making gas.
"Not really an issue," he said carefully. "Just... when I enter the ga, it feels like my strength gets reduced a bit. Like there’s so kind of limiter."
Aileen’s expression turned thoughtful, and for a long mont she said nothing, her eyes distant as if processing information. Then, suddenly, her face lit up with realization.
"Oh! I think I know what you’re talking about," she said, leaning forward with enthusiasm. "It’s probably not the ga itself, but the VR pods used to access it. The pod manufacturers... NeuroSync. They implent dampeners to regulate users whose physical or neurological capabilities exceed the pod’s processing limits."
She pulled up a holographic display, showing technical schematics that ant nothing to Jayden but seed to support her explanation.
"Basically," she continued, "if soone is too strong or too fast, the system can’t accurately translate their movents into the virtual space without risking feedback errors or even neural damage. So the pods automatically apply a limiter to bring users within acceptable paraters. It’s a safety feature, really."
Jayden nodded slowly. That... actually made sense. It would explain what Ava had been referring to without implicating Aileen directly. The dampener wasn’t in the ga code itself, but in the hardware used to access it.
"Yeah, that makes sense," he said, relaxing slightly. "Thanks for clearing that up."
"No problem!" Aileen smiled brightly, returning her attention to her tablet.
But internally, she let out a long, silent breath of relief.
"That was close," she thought, her fingers resuming their typing with renewed focus. "Too close."
She’d known the mont he asked the question that Ava had told him sothing. So redirecting Jayden’s suspicion toward the pod manufacturers had been the right move. Now he’d investigate NeuroSync’s technology instead of looking deeper into EverRealm’s code.
Her mission to monitor Jayden was delicate. He couldn’t know what she truly was... not yet. The timing wasn’t right. And while she knew about his werewolf nature, she’d maintained her cover perfectly. A high school coding genius. Nothing more, nothing less.
At least, that’s what everyone believed.
Jayden leaned back, satisfied with the explanation, when Tasha’s voice cut through his thoughts.
"By the way, where’s Cassie? She’s usually the first one ready for training."
Jessica glanced toward the stairs. "Yeah, now that you ntion it, she never ca down to greet us. That’s weird."
Jayden’s brow furrowed. The unease from earlier returned, stronger this ti. "She hasn’t co out at all?"
"Nope," Tasha confird, a hint of concern creeping into her voice. "We’ve been here for like an hour, and she hasn’t even acknowledged our arrival. That’s not like her."
No, it wasn’t. Cassandra was always the hostess, always making sure everyone felt welco. The fact that she’d completely ignored their presence...
Jayden’s mind flashed back to that morning. The cold greeting in the hallway. The indifference. The way she’d dismissed him so casually before walking away.
Sothing’s wrong.
He stood abruptly, drawing curious looks from the three girls.
"I’m going to check on her," he announced.
Jessica raised an eyebrow. "You sure? Maybe she’s just getting dressed or sothing."
"Maybe," Jayden replied, already heading toward the stairs. "But I need to make sure she’s okay."
He climbed the sweeping staircase, his footsteps echoing softly against the marble. Cassandra’s room was on the second floor, down the left corridor... he’d been there enough tis to know the way by heart.
As he approached her door, that sense of unease intensified. Sothing was definitely wrong. He could feel it in his gut, that primal instinct that had kept him alive through countless dangerous situations.
He raised his hand and knocked. "Cassie? You in there?"
Silence.
Jayden waited, counting the seconds. Ten. Twenty. Thirty.
No response.
He knocked again, louder this ti. "Cassie, it’s . Can we talk?"
Still nothing.
His hand moved to the doorknob, hesitating for just a mont before he turned it. Unlocked. He pushed the door open slowly, peering inside.
"Cassie, are you ok—"
The words died in his throat.
Cassandra sat on her bed, her back against the headboard, knees pulled up to her chest.
But it was her face that made his heart clench.
Her eyes were red and swollen, tears having clearly streaked down her cheeks. Even now, fresh ones glistened at the corners. She looked... broken. Utterly devastated.
"Cassie..." Jayden stepped into the room, concern overriding everything else. "What happened? Are you okay?"
She turned her head toward him, and the look in her eyes made him freeze mid-step. It wasn’t sadness. It wasn’t grief.
It was hostility. Raw, burning hostility.
"What are you doing here?" Her voice was flat, cold, nothing like the warm, teasing tone he was used to.
Jayden blinked, caught off guard by the direct aggression. "I... I was concerned about you. You didn’t co down, and I got..."
"Worried?" Cassandra let out a bitter laugh, cutting him off. "You’re worried about ? That’s rich."
He took another step forward, hands raised in a placating gesture. "Cassie, talk to . What’s going on? Did sothing happen?"
That’s when she snapped.
"You tell , Jayden," Cassandra said, her voice dropping into sothing dark and venomous. "You’re the one sleeping with my mother."
The words hit Jayden like a physical blow. His eyes widened, his mouth opening to respond, but no sound ca out.
"That’s right," she continued, her lips twisting into a mirthless smile. "I know. I know about what happened between you and her that night."
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