The fluorescent lights of the outdoor market buzzed faintly, blending with the distant hum of conversation and the rhythmic shuffle of carts against pavement.

  Red barely noticed.

  Her mind was still at the crime scene.

  The bloody paw print, the deliberate way the body had been left—it wasn’t just murder. It was a message.

  And it wasn’t just for the police.

  It was for her.

  She reached for a carton of milk, barely registering the weight as she placed it in her basket. Her thoughts kept circling, trying to piece things together.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  The Wolf had been quiet for years.

  So why now?

  Why this return, this escalation?

  She moved down the aisle, scanning the shelves, but not really seeing them. Her brain wasn’t in the market—it was in the patterns, the history, the unanswered questions.

  Then, her phone vibrated.

  She glanced at the screen.

  “GEPATO TECH ACQUIRED BY PI ROBOTICS IN HIGHLY SECRETIVE DEAL.”

  Red frowned.

  She had almost forgotten about the ping from earlier.

  Something about the deal felt off—no press conference, no leaks, no announcements from Gepato himself. It had all happened too quietly for a standard business move.

  She felt the itch to dig deeper.

  But now wasn’t the time.

  She exhaled, shaking it off.

  One mystery at a time.

  Turning the corner, she reached for a pack of coffee—and that’s when someone bumped into her.

  “Ah, sorry,” the man muttered.

  Red barely looked at him. Just another distracted shopper, like her.

  She gave a quick nod. “It’s fine.”

  And that was it.

  She moved on, grabbed what she needed, and headed toward checkout.