Coldsnap: The Billionaire Alpha's Fated Pregnant Princess (GL)
Chapter 111 - Getting More Than What I Came For

Chapter 111: Chapter 111 - Getting More Than What I Came For

Around 9 in the evening, I received a message with GPS coordinates and a retrieval code that I’m supposed to message back to this same contact number. I imagine it is one that is meant to be thrown away and not truly attached to the seller.

Using the message feature to open the phone’s map app directly, I see that it was an abandoned lot behind a long defunct paper mill (according to the location ratings) miles outside the city proper. Which is to say, quite close to the railyard I’ve already been to and way down by the industrial district.

I was to arrive between 2:00 and 4:00 AM, alone, and text the code. Every royal instinct told me this was potentially a trap. Yet, if these hunters operated within the Council’s broader framework, then openly attacking a werewolf without provocation would violate their own protocols.

> Does tricking them into thinking I was one of them, but still actually paying for the good I bought count as provocation? If so, then their whole concept of trade anonymity needs reworking! <

Still, I’d prepared as carefully as I could. I wore a set of dark, flexible clothing that wouldn’t restrict movement if I needed to shift. Purchased cheaply from a big name store.

The hunter’s knife was secured on a black belt without any shiny metal. I’d even taken a circuitous path to ensure I wasn’t followed, doubling back and changing routes three times. Even climbed a ladder and hopped down from a fire escape once.

Smokestack silhouettes loomed in the remaining moonlight, blocking some of the stars that clouds were not yet. Chain-link fencing surrounded the property like most places in this area, but the gate itself hung open with its chain long since cut by bold explorers...

I checked the time on the system map, instead of the glow of my phone. 2:47 AM... early enough to easily remain within the window I was given. Late enough that anyone waiting to catch a glimpse hopefully grew impatient or tired.

The lot behind the mill seemed like a ’graveyard’ of industrial debris. Rusted machinery parts, hills of concrete rubble, and weather-worn and rotting wood pallets created a maze of potential hiding spots.

> This place looks perfect for an ambush. Also perfect for me to disappear if things go wrong if no one is hiding behind them. How dangerous... <

Vrika huffs as I scan the area with shifted eyes. Using both the hybrid form’s enhanced sight and scent to try and detect any human presence. Nothing seems immediate, though plenty of old smells lingered.

Multiple people had been here in the past few days and, by the tire tracks... at least one group tonight. In the center of the lot, they’d sat down what I came here for. A steel shipping container, stark white with the reinforced door exactly as pictured in the listing.

It appeared to be in notably good condition compared to its surroundings... sticking out like a sore thumb as I circled for any signs of tampering or far away surveillance. Of course, if they are doing it with tiny cameras I may never know.

Rounding the last corner of it, something immediately caught my eye. A logo printed on the side panel, partially obscured by a quick repaint but still visible for its embossed and stylized crescent moon with the words [Lunarizon Industries].

I stopped in my tracks, staring at the ’erased’ familiar emblem.

> Of all the places they might have acquired a container in the world, my purchase had come from Kyrie Voss’s company? <

My wolf made a weird sound and sent an impression that I... was acting silly? It seemed to think it only made sense. And I suppose I agree.

That the biggest company name in the city and one of the bigger ones in this region of the country would have lots of these. And that, through whatever method, they were being resold to hunters.

> If this BoundaryKeeper purchased them legally, then that means some of the money I took from her card is going right back to her company... <

A little relief that I might not be borrowing as much from her as I thought turns to frustration that I couldn’t seem to escape touches of her influence, even when trying to be completely independent. Taking this means my Stash will almost permanently have something to do with her.

Unless I replace the container at the first possible opportunity... which seems like a hassle. And a nagging suspicion about whether this was mere coincidence or something more deliberate started to build.

> Did she know? Is she monitoring her card’s usage and somehow orchestrated this? <

No. That was paranoia talking and I didn’t even need the spirit to give me that pointed look to realize it. Lunarizon was simply a ’major player’ in the region and this was all coincidence.

Being owned by the Rimecoat Alpha... the hunters probably had a standing arrangement with them for decommissioned units. Since they work alongside the council. It makes a strange amount of business and community sense.

Hiding in a spot where my phone’s screen light hopefully won’t be noticed, I text that code to the number provided. The response came almost immediately. Is every person in this world just always holding onto their devices?

BK: [Verified. Property transfer complete. Maintenance package inside top left corner. Do not return to this location.]

I blinked a few times, seeing the contact... having letters on the icon and not just some generic symbol. Moving back to my contacts, I see that the number had... been added to it without my doing so.

> That’s not creepy at all. How was it even done? <

The device had been in my possession the entire time, yet somehow this [BoundaryKeeper] had managed to insert themselves without physical access. Helene’s memories provided no help - her knowledge of phones and computers extended only to the most basic functions.

Sealed royal missives in my world could definitely be opened and doctored by those with enough knowhow or reason to risk it, but even that is an extremely rare skill to possess without being found. I have to imagine that whoever this person is, they are very good with technology.

For a moment, I considered deleting the contact entirely. But something told me that might be noticed. And I had no idea what other access they might have or what they would do if I messed with what they’d done.

For all I knew, they could be tracking my movements through this device even now. If so, why they would... why they are even still willing to work with me is an oddity.

> Should I respond? Thank them? Or pretend I never noticed this invasion? <

Vrika offered no strong opinion, merely radiating a sense of caution to temper my thrill seeking. The wolf seemed to understand that we were operating against something neither of us fully comprehended.

> Nothing new, there. <

In the end, I simply pocketed my phone without further response. Though I did grow a sudden epiphany that made me mumble out loud.

"Even though two other people have given me business cards now, I’ve never added a single contact myself. Both of these entries, people have just... put them on my phone on their own. I’m starting to feel like a pushover."

> I’m starting to feel like Kyle! <