Thirty Five

VINCENT

All the way home, I couldn't stop thinking about what Ryan had said. Syke wanted to use me as his weapon. But, for what? Was it the reason why he'd shown up at the pack house? Was it to test my efficiency? Or was he playing mind games with me?

The last thing I wanted to do was to be a part of anything Syke was preparing. I was determined not to give in to him until the very end.

"You've been out of it since we left the hall," Rylee who had just walked into my study, said. She was carrying a white box. I couldn't tell what was in it because the box was covered.

"What is that?" I asked and she grinned, placing the box on my desk. I watched her as she slipped her hand into the pocket of her hoodie and took out a lighter.

I observed her as she removed the cover of the box. I blinked in surprise when I saw what was in it.

"You baked me a cake?"

She beamed, igniting the two candles on the cake.

"I did. You were adamant about letting me know your birthday. So, I asked Ava," she