Page 17 of The Hyena’s Guardian

Vale looked at him evenly across the dim cabin lights. “If I could guarantee certainty in this line of work, Mr. Reynolds, I would not need operatives.”

Matt leaned back in the harness. “That somehow feels less reassuring every time you people talk.”

Baptiste glanced sideways. “You continue expecting reassurance from predators. That may be part of the problem.”

A faint sound interrupted the conversation before anyone could respond. Scratching.

Matt's expression grew serious on instinct as the noise threaded noticeably through the constant drone of the engines, subtle enough that a human probably would have ignored it completely. Unfortunately, nobody inside the aircraft was entirely human.

The noise came again several seconds later, quiet but distinct beneath the vibration of the aircraft. Something scraped lightly across metal somewhere near the rear of the aircraft, uneven enough that it did not sound mechanical.

Every predator inside the cabin reacted at once.

The change happened almost invisibly, but Matt still caught it immediately. Posture tightened. Attention sharpened. Several operatives adjusted their grip on their weapons without seeming consciously aware they were doing it.

The atmosphere inside the aircraft changed in an instant.

Matt could feel his hyena rise hard into alertness while Baptiste lifted his head toward the rear cargo section, his expression losing what little amusement it had carried earlier.

Then the scratching stopped.

Silence lingered heavily across the cabin afterward, thick enough that even the engine noise suddenly seemed distant.

Matt looked toward Keene. “Please tell me that was normal aircraft noise.”

Keene did not answer instantly.

Which was already a terrible sign.

“No.”

“That is the opposite answer I wanted.”

One of the wolf operatives stood near the rear compartment. “Cargo restraint might’ve shifted.”

Nobody sounded convinced.

Vale’s expression never changed. “Check it.”

The operative nodded once before moving toward the rear of the aircraft with controlled caution. Another operative followed close behind while the rest of the cabin remained unnaturally still.

Matt listened carefully as the first wolf operative approached the rear cargo section. The aircraft engines droned steadily beneath the silence while metal clasps shifted somewhere near the storage racks, followed a second later by the sharp click of a restraint lock disengaging.

Then nothing happened, and the silence afterward stretched several seconds too long.

Matt sensed the tension spread through the cabin as every predator onboard listened for movement that never came.

“Everything secure?” Vale asked from the front of the aircraft.

“Yeah,” the operative answered after a pause. “Probably turbulence.”

Nobody relaxed afterward, including the operative who had checked the cargo restraints. Even after securing the latch and returning to his seat, the wolf carried a faint stiffness through his shoulders, and his attention kept drifting back toward the cargo section.

Matt noticed it, and unfortunately so did the predator beneath his skin.

He exchanged a brief glance with Baptiste before lowering his voice. “See? That pause right there was deeply suspicious.”

Baptiste leaned back against the fuselage without looking particularly concerned. “You find most things suspicious.”