Zubair’s hand brushed down Sera’s back, like he was giving it a simple reminder to behave itself before he stepped through the doorway.

The glossy woman watched the movement, eyes narrowing. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t look away either.

Zubair didn’t bother to look at her at all.

"Luci," Sera called out. "Come."

The wolf padded into the leather shop, his claws tapping against the tile as he responded to Sera’s command.

He sat by the counter, his head level with a shelf of belts, and his eyes calm but focused. He didn’t like the outsiders, and he didn’t like how they looked at Sera.

With one look from Luci, the men who had been puffing themselves up decided to find somewhere else to look.

"Two stores each," the glossy woman said, voice tight but steady. "We enforce it, and you will not like the consequences if you break the General’s rules."

"Enforce," Alexei repeated, his head tilted to the side.

The word came out flat like he had never really heard it used that way before. He leaned near the door and didn’t bother to hide how ready he was to take care of any threat.

Elias was already circling a display table, running his fingers over tags that no longer mattered.

He picked up a heavy black jacket, sized it by sight, then lifted it toward Sera. She turned slightly, letting him settle it over her shoulders. He adjusted the collar as she hummed in appreciation.

Lachlan found a cracked mirror near the register and a pair of sunglasses that had survived behind it. He put them on and smirked at his reflection. "Stylish," he muttered.

Sera threw a belt at his stomach. He caught it and grinned wider.

The glossy woman watched the exchange, her fake smile twitching at the corners. "We have a system," she said again. "You’ll learn it."

Sera slipped into the jacket, buttoned two brass clasps, and left the rest undone. "I don’t need a system."

"You’ll share," Elias said quietly, mostly to keep things even.

The woman’s smile widened. "We’ll see. We’ve been here for weeks. We keep this place safe."

Alexei didn’t even look at her. "And apparently, you’ve been here long enough to forget how to survive outside," he said.

A man from her group leaned toward the water cans they’d set down. Zubair’s shadow shifted just enough to make him freeze.

"Ask first," Zubair said, calm.

The man forced a smile. "Didn’t mean anything by it."

"Then keep it that way," Sera said without looking up. She pulled on a pair of gloves and flexed her hands until the leather fit like a second skin.

The quiet woman at the back, the one with small, tired eyes, and a binder clutched to her chest, kept staring at Sera like she couldn’t decide if she was scared or grateful.

When Sera looked her way, the woman’s chin dipped in an awkward nod. Sera gave a small one back.

Luci yawned, unimpressed. His tail thumped once, slow.

"Two stores," the glossy woman repeated. "That’s how we keep order. This is your first one."

Sera reached for another jacket—the same cut as hers but in a man’s size—and handed it to Zubair. He slipped it on as a warm feeling filled his chest.

She straightened the collar and tugged at the shoulder seam like she’d been doing it all her life.

"We’ll take what we need," Zubair said. "And we won’t ask."

The glossy woman’s mouth tightened. Her group shifted uneasily. The quiet woman looked at the floor.

Elias pocketed the price tags like trophies. Lachlan draped belts across his chest and one around Luci’s neck. The wolf sighed, rolled his eyes, and accepted his fate.

Alexei glanced at the skylight. "Too open," he muttered, moving a rack so no one would trip during a fight.

Sera turned to the glossy woman. "We’ll be civil," she said. "You do your thing, we’ll do ours. Take from us, and you’ll regret it."

The glossy woman’s eyes flicked over Sera’s jacket. "You’ll roast in that. It looks too heavy."

Sera gave a short laugh. "I’ll live."

"She always does," Lachlan added, loud enough for everyone to hear.

That got a look—sharp and jealous. "You think you’re special?" the woman said. "You think you don’t need rules?"

Sera tilted her head. "You think rules make you strong?"

"Without order, we’d all be dead."

"Maybe you should test that theory," Lachlan said before Sera could. His tone was all teeth as he grinned at the other woman.

He couldn’t put his finger on it, but somehow, she was rubbing him the wrong way.

The glossy woman turned her attention back to Zubair. "You don’t have to follow her. A man like you deserves—"

Lachlan took a step forward, fast enough that his boot scuffed the tile. "Finish that," he said. The blue started crawling up his neck. "Please."

The glossy woman stopped talking. Her men stiffened.

Sera looked between them, still calm. "You’re wasting time," she said. "Take your stores and get out of the way."

The woman forced a laugh. "You’ll learn. The General doesn’t like rule breakers."

"Then he’s welcome to tell me himself," Sera replied.

The man with the bat finally spoke up. "You think you can just walk in here, take whatever you want?"

"I don’t think," Sera said. "I know."

He stepped closer. The pipe man mirrored him. Neither of them made it far. Zubair’s hand rose—casual, almost polite—and both stopped moving.

Alexei’s knife appeared without ceremony. "That’s far enough."

The glossy woman tried again, louder this time, needing the crowd. "You can’t just—"

Sera cut her off. "You keep talking like I care what you think. I don’t."

It was quiet after that. The kind of quiet that comes right before someone makes a mistake they can never come back from.

Sera didn’t move.

She let the moment hang there until the glossy woman blinked first. Then she turned, crouched, and picked up a pair of boots from a bottom shelf. "These will do," she said.

The glossy woman’s jaw worked. Her group backed off a little, pretending it was strategy and not fear.

Zubair stood guard without having to try. Lachlan kept laughing under his breath. Elias stayed close enough to catch Sera’s shoulder if things went bad. Alexei’s attention stayed fixed on every reflection in the glass.

Sera finished buttoning her jacket. "Let’s move," she said, already walking deeper into the mall.

"Two stores," the glossy woman said weakly, as if saying it again might make it true. "That means you only have one store left."

Sera didn’t look back. "Try and stop me."