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“What the hell are you doing in here?” an angry voice snapped from behind me. I cursed silently. Not having my wolf meant no early warning that he was coming back. A heads-up would have been helpful. By then, I had already stuffed the money and documents from the hidden safe into my duffle bag. Thankfully, he never knew there had been nearly fifty grand stashed here when he moved in. The safe was shut, locked, and hidden beneath the rug again. He had no idea what I had come for, and I had no intention of telling him. That money belonged to my family. I was reclaiming what was rightfully my sisters’ and mine. “I just wanted to visit my parents again,” I said, rising slowly to face him. “I still miss them.” “Did you forget this isn’t your home anymore?” he shot back. “Do you usually break into houses? I didn’t give you permission to be here. And I know damn well the place was locked when I left. So how exactly did you get in?” His voice rose with each question as he scanned the room, searching for signs of damage or disturbance. I held up my hand, the key dangling from my keychain. “With this. I just wanted to say goodbye to my father one last time. That’s why I was in his office. I didn’t touch anything of yours. I won’t come back. Here’s my key,” I said evenly. “Your father didn’t want you here anymore. Even I know that, and I’m still new to the pack,” Trey sneered. “Once it was clear you were wolfless, nobody wanted you. You’re a drain on resources. You eat our food and offer nothing in return. Don’t pretend you don’t know you’re useless. What you need is a man willing to protect you, if you can even find one. “You’re the lowest of the low in this pack. The only thing you’ve got going for you is your looks. I wouldn’t mind a quick taste, but I sure as hell wouldn’t claim you. Still, since you were so nice to walk right in, no one has to know.” He stepped toward me. I immediately took a large step back and moved to the other side of my father’s desk. “No, thank you, Trey. I’m not interested in you. I’ll leave my spare key right here on the desk. I’m leaving now,” I said, keeping my voice steady despite the disgust crawling under my skin. His eyes roamed over me, and I felt sick. I needed to get out, and fast. “I know Damien wants you, but one little taste won’t hurt,” Trey said, stalking closer. I kept the desk between us, inching toward the door. As I turned to bolt through it, I felt his claw slash into my left calf. Pain exploded down my leg as I screamed and collapsed, his grip locking me in place. I could feel the damage Trey was doing to my leg, tearing through muscle and tendon as he pinned me down. He crept closer with a sick smirk. “I don’t care what you want, witch,” he spat. “I just want a little taste to tide me over, until Damien ’s done with you or knocks you up. Then I’ll get my turn,” he said, raising a clawed finger and slicing through the fabric of my shirt and bra. He was so focused on me he didn’t notice my sister until it was too late. Lauren slammed her fist into the side of his head, knocking him out cold. He collapsed on top of me, his claws retracting as unconsciousness took him. Together, we shoved his body aside, and she pulled me to my feet, helping me out to our parents’ SUV. It was real now. The plan was in motion. We were either escaping… or being dragged into lives with men we despised. Lauren opened the back door, flipped the seat forward, and helped me lie down in the third row. Meliza, my other sister, was already hidden, curled up on the floorboard of the second row. If we got caught, she and Lauren would have to fight. I was no help now, exactly why I volunteered to grab the money. I knew Trey had a meeting this morning with Gamma Zach and Alpha Damien . He must have returned early, probably forgotten something. Damien loved hearing himself talk; his meetings never lasted just five minutes. I refused to consider this might be a setup. I peeled off the ruined bra and shirt, replacing them with a clean T-shirt from my duffle. I wouldn’t risk being exposed if this went wrong, I wanted to be ready. We had to go. I would rather die than live under Damien ’s control. Fear gripped me as we approached the pack gate. My heart thundered. Meliza and I stayed silent as Lauren rolled down the window to greet the guard. “Hey Dan, can you open the gate for me? I need to pick up a package for the Luna,” Lauren said casually. “Sure, Lauren,” he replied, walking over to open both sides of the gate. The pack had money, why hadn’t they upgraded this ancient gate? We looked embarrassingly low-tech. “See you when you get back, Lauren. Be safe,” Dan called. “Thanks, Dan. Take care, I’ll see you soon,” she replied, rolling up the window as we pulled forward. This was it, the moment of truth. She drove slowly, not drawing attention. I watched through the gap in the seat; she kept one eye on the rearview mirror. None of us breathed until she said, “The gate is closed.” She had been worried Dan might scent Meliza, since she was a wolf, or pick up on my bleeding. Luckily, Lauren was trusted and well-liked by everyone. We had cleared the first hurdle, but we weren’t safe yet. Someone would come looking for Trey soon. When they did, they would know we were gone. We had not even rejected the pack yet. Lauren said to wait thirty minutes before doing it, enough time to put distance between us and them. Doing it now might only alert them faster. “Meliza, grab a piece of paper and write this down,” Lauren ordered. Meliza sat up and began jotting everything Lauren said. Though Lauren was the middle child, she had always been our protector. She rattled off a list of medical supplies, and Meliza scribbled it all down. To strangers, Lauren might seem cold and harsh. But we knew better, she was loving, fierce, and loyal. Right now, she was in what I called battle mode. She wouldn’t relax until we were safe. She would walk through fire for us, and I was grateful. If we survived this, it would be because of her. Right now, I only trusted my sisters. “Meliza, tear the list in half so we can split up and get everything faster. Grab some money from Maya, we’ll need at least a hundred dollars to cover it all. Take your half of the list, and I’ll take mine. We’ll meet at the register,” Lauren instructed as she pulled into a local store. “Maya, once I stop, I’ll flip the seat forward so you can try to climb into the back. I know you’re in a lot of pain. If you can’t manage it, we’ll help you when we get back. I’m so sorry you got hurt, but Meliza will treat and wrap your leg while I drive. We’ve got to move quickly, they will come after us,” she added, her voice tight with urgency. After parking, Lauren flipped the seat forward for me, then gently brushed a hand through my hair. “I love you, Maya. Everything’s going to be okay. I just can’t relax until I know we’re all safe. We still need to fill up the SUV, and we need to hit the road fast.” Then she closed the door and hurried into the store. I was drenched in sweat from the pain, but I wouldn’t let it stop me. Sometimes, I wished I had a wolf. If I did, she would have already started healing the wound, maybe even dulled the agony. I hated that my younger sisters had to rescue me. I wasn’t weak, but I felt like I was. As the oldest, I was supposed to protect them, not the other way around. But I couldn’t. I was a hybrid, half wolf, half witch. My mother left me behind. My father was the Beta of our pack, the Blackwood Pack. Lauren and Meliza returned quickly. Meliza opened the door, flipped the seat back, and climbed in to tend to my injury. Lauren pulled the SUV up to a gas station and went inside to pay. She came back with a small bag of snacks and drinks for us. Once Meliza finished wrapping my leg, she climbed into the front passenger seat. “Lie down, Maya. We’ll drive a couple hundred miles before we ditch this SUV. I don’t want them tracking us by it,” Lauren said as she started the engine. I lay down, exhaustion pressing in. My leg throbbed with each heartbeat, but I let my eyes drift shut. Sleep came fitfully, my mind praying to the Goddess that we would make it to the next phase of our escape. Chapter 2 Maya's POV I felt weak as we ran toward the train station, blood still trickling down my leg. That was what was draining me. This was our third, and hopefully final, change of transportation for the next several hours. We had just gotten off a bus wed been stuck on for hours. I knew I was slowing my sisters down, and the guilt was eating at me. They refused to leave me behind, but if I was the reason we got caught, I would never forgive myself. Pushing through the pain, I forced my legs to move faster. If they caught us, our futures would be over, stolen and shattered. My sister Lauren had said we would fight to the death before going back. That only reminded me how I was the weakest of us. As we reached the terminal, Lauren ran ahead to buy our tickets while Meliza helped me through the crowd. We arrived minutes later, Meliza keeping a firm arm around my waist. I prayed my black jeans were hiding the blood. I just needed to sit down and stop the bleeding. A part of me wanted to sneak into the restroom and tend to the wound properly, but there was no time. Lauren was already motioning for us to follow her. She was right, we couldn't afford any delays. The trackers would be coming. Alpha Damien wouldn't let me go. His obsession with me had only intensified after our parents died last month. I was never his to claim, yet he pursued me relentlessly. His Luna, Kayla, was another nightmare. She had hated me for at least five years, maybe longer. She pretended well, like most in the pack did. But I never belonged. My father was the only reason I had a place at all. As Blackwood Packs Beta, he had Alpha blood, and no one dared to cross him. He never wanted to lead, just to protect. He preferred training warriors and spending time with his family. He had fallen in love with my mother, a witch named Ciara, who lived peacefully in the forest. Witches don't find mates the way wolves do. There was no magical bond, just love. She resisted it, but she loved him back. When I was two, Dad went away for a special training. He returned with Helen, already marked. That betrayal broke my mother. He marked Helen before facing her, knowing she had beg him to change his mind. Helen was the daughter of the Alpha hosting the training. She had little standing and left easily with her new mate. My mother wanted to take me with her. She said she could already feel my magic and knew I was a witch. She couldn't sense a wolf in me. But my father called her a liar. He threatened her, said she would be hunted if she tried to take me. He swore I would be safer with him. She left crying, and never came back. Everything I learned about her came from our Omega cook, my nanny, the only one who treated me like I mattered. Helen wasn't cruel, just distant. She favored her daughters, and I reminded her of what my father had before her. His love for my mother cast a long shadow. After I failed to phase at eighteen, Dad gave up on me. He never said it aloud, but the regret was clear in his eyes. He wished he had let my mother take me. But by then, it was sixteen years too late. She never wrote. Never called. Never tried. I was left to suffer among wolves who never saw me as one of their own. Only my sisters saw me as equal. They never treated me like less. Lauren, only fourteen when I turned sixteen, had always protected me. She confronted Kayla and her cronies without hesitation. Our pack was big, nearly 900 members, and school was brutal. I couldn't blend in, especially when my class had only forty students. Lauren always seemed to know when I needed her. Even when they tried to isolate her, she fought back. Fierce and fearless, she was a fighter like Dad. He had always been impressed by her. She listened, she trained hard, and she phased early. Everyone said it was her Alpha blood showing. I looked like my mother, wavy platinum hair, cornflower blue eyes, curvy. It made me a target. The boys liked how I looked, but none would claim me. A hybrid like me was taboo. I was the dirty secret no one wanted, and the whispers behind my back were cruel and constant. Lauren was already at the train car, talking to a staff member holding a step stool. She glanced toward us, trying not to shout for us to hurry. We stopped running once inside the terminal, we couldn't afford to draw attention. We stood out already. All three of us were beautiful, but we didn't look alike. Lauren was 5'10", lean and athletic, with straight golden-blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail, a sign she was ready for a fight. Her hazel eyes shimmered with flecks of gold. She looked like her mother, strong and determined. Relief crossed her face as the man scanned our tickets and helped me up the steps. Meliza stayed right beside me, an arm around my waist as we moved down the aisle to our seats. I was grateful they were benches, we could lie down. I planned to treat my leg as soon as I could. I didn't heal like they did. Meliza helped me settle. She was my height, 5'9". With our fathers brown hair and soft gray eyes. Sweet, kind, and the gentlest of us, Meliza avoided fights unless absolutely necessary. But I knew she had fire when it counted. She could surprise even Lauren. She watched me with concern, and her gray eyes shimmered. I wanted to cry from the tenderness. We might be safe, for now, but we couldn't let our guard down. We had to take turns sleeping. The Blackwood Pack wouldn't give up. They would come for us. I laid down, head on the bench, exhaustion washing over me. I had not truly slept in almost forty hours. I couldn't fight it anymore. I closed my eyes, and passed out. Chapter 3 Maya's POV I was having terrible dreams, ones that always started with the moment everything fell apart. I dreamt we were back at the pack house, right after my eighteenth birthday. Since I hadn't phased into my wolf, I was treated as lower than an Omega. They made sure I got every job they considered too disgusting for themselves. Every day, I scrubbed the toilets in the pack house. I also cleaned the public restrooms outside the dining hall, near the main living room, and the small arena used for events and meetings. Lucky me. “Well, look who it is,” I heard Kayla sneer from behind me as I scrubbed the last stall in the women’s room. “It’s the worthless bitch who can’t even phase,” Tanya mocked. “The curse of our pack,” Emma added. “I wish your whore of a mother had taken you with her when she ran off with her tail between her legs.” “Don’t talk about my mother,” I said as I stood up and stepped away from the toilet. I remembered the last time they caught me in here, I couldn’t fight them off, and they knew it. They always targeted my family, the one thing guaranteed to make me react. “What are you going to do?” Kayla taunted, stepping closer. “You have no powers, no wolf. How exactly do you plan to stop us?” They slammed me against the wall. Tanya and Emma grabbed my arms to pin me down. Kayla extended her claws, smiling that sick, jealous smile I had come to hate. She hated that Damien looked at me, even though I didn’t want him. She didn’t want to scare me today, she wanted to do real damage. “Don’t do this, Kayla,” I said, forcing calm into my voice. “You’ll get in trouble for this. I won’t let you walk away unpunished. The Elders will hear about it.” That bought me ten seconds. Then she smirked. “Who would believe you, Maya? It'll be my word against yours. And Tanya and Emma will back me. No one wants you here, not even your own father. You're wolfless, that only leaves one explanation: you're a witch. No one feels safe with you around. I'm doing the whole pack a favor. You won’t walk away today. You’re better off dead.” “We would,” a voice rang out. Lauren. I looked toward the door. Lauren and Meliza stood there. They were only sixteen and fifteen at the time, no match physically for our attackers. Kayla, Tanya, and Emma were all my age. Only our family knew that Lauren had phased early. Meliza likely would, too, thanks to their Alpha blood. Our father used that fact to highlight how much of a disappointment I was. Kayla didn’t back down. She lunged forward, claws aimed for my neck. I felt them skim my skin before Lauren yanked her back. Lauren's right hand was clawed too, her grip iron-tight on Kayla’s arm. I saw where Kayla had been aiming, she meant to slash my neck and let me bleed out. Kayla screamed as Lauren’s claws sank deeper into her arm, forcing her away. Then the door burst open. Gamma Bridget, Kayla’s mother, stood in the doorway, shocked. “What the hell are you doing to my daughter?” she shrieked. “Why didn’t you help my sister when your ugly daughter attacked her?” Meliza snapped. “Or were you acting as lookout while she tried to kill her? Everyone knows Kayla wants to be Luna badly enough to kill her competition. But even if you killed her, Damien would still pine for her. We've even noticed he can’t keep his eyes off Maya.” “Let her go! If you hurt her, I’ll report you to the Alpha,” Bridget hissed. “Then tell your daughter’s minions to release my sister first,” Lauren said evenly. “I’ll let go of Kayla when they let go of Maya. I may be young, but I know who I can and can’t trust here.” “You’re no better than that witch you call a sister,” Bridget said coldly. “One day, you’ll learn the hard way, you can’t trust a witch. Not even in your own family.” “Let her go!” Kayla shrieked again, her arm still bleeding. Her wolf couldn’t heal her with Lauren ’s claws embedded in her. Tanya and Emma hesitated, but finally released me, with one last shove into the wall. Lauren kept her promise and let go of Kayla. Kayla clutched her arm, then stepped close to whisper in my ear. “It’s not just me who wants you dead. Thank your sisters for now. But I’ll get you, Maya. Damien won’t choose you over me. Not in this lifetime.” She turned to leave, but paused again. “Lauren ,” she said, her voice sharp with rage. “You made the wrong choice today. I’ll make sure you regret it.” Then the door closed behind her. The threat was real. Kayla wanted me dead. And she wasn’t the only one. I was powerless here, no wolf, no mentor to teach me how to be a witch. Even if someone had, the pack would have forced me out the moment I showed any power. She was right. No one here wanted me. Not even my own father or stepmother. They didn’t even pretend anymore. I was only still here for my sisters. They were the only reason I got out of bed, the only light in my days. I had stayed to protect them, even without a wolf. I just wanted to be the big sister they deserved, strong enough to keep them safe, just like they protected me. Chapter 4: When The Truth Spilled Maya's POV The bad dreams kept coming, replaying every moment of Kayla spiraling out of control, like one long, miserable film reel. She never went after Lauren. I was the one she hated. I was the easy target, and she knew better than to take on Lauren, she would lose. But me? I was smaller, weaker, and easier to overpower, especially with her little crew backing her up. She made sure I suffered, but just enough to keep me useful. If she broke something, it was never my right arm. That way, I could still work. A rib here, a finger there, enough to keep the pack doctor busy for a year straight. She injured me seriously at least once a month. Then Lauren caught on. She challenged Kayla to spar during training. Kayla didn’t want to, but her pride wouldn’t let her back down. She was nineteen then, desperate to prove herself worthy of being Luna, especially now that Damien had taken over as Alpha at twenty-one. Admitting she was afraid of a seventeen-year-old, not exactly Luna material. Lauren didn’t hold back. She broke Kayla’s arm, the same one Kayla had broken on me, and cracked a rib, maybe even a few fingers. Every injury was deliberate. Meliza told me later that Lauren had bent down to whisper something to Kayla afterward, while Kayla lay there broken and humiliated. She warned her to stay away from me. I wish I could say Kayla listened, but she just got smarter. Eventually, she did become Luna, Damien’s best option, or so the pack believed. She had been in his bed for years, and that sealed it. Once she had the title, she used it to make my life hell, like it was her job. She doubled my workload, made sure I never got a day off. I wasn’t a wolf, and sometimes I got sick. Didn’t matter. I still had to show up. Ten hours a day, seven days a week. I didn’t complain. But I was fading. I couldn’t even eat at the packhouse. I had to cook at home before work. Kayla worked me straight through dinner most nights. I would drag myself home, take a quick shower, and collapse into bed, just trying to survive. I did it for my sisters. I saw the worry in their eyes every day. I brushed it off, took the beatings, and endured the exhaustion. For a while, I managed. But the last year and a half? That’s when things got worse. Kayla couldn’t give Damien an heir. He stayed silent for almost three years after claiming her. Then came the town hall. He stood in front of the pack and announced, “I’ll be looking for a qualified pack member to bear my child. Someone who will provide an heir I can be proud of.” My stomach turned. I knew exactly what he meant the second his eyes locked on me. I wasn’t the only one who noticed, Kayla looked ready to combust. I didn’t want him. I never have. Never will. He’s arrogant, selfish, and everything I despise in a man. But he didn’t say “she-wolf.” He said “pack member.” That was intentional. That was me. I made my decision right then, I was going to leave. Somehow, I would get us out. I woke up from that nightmare, heart racing, drenched in sweat like I had just run for my life. That dream wasn’t the worst I had ever had, but it was the turning point. The moment everything shifted. I can handle hard work. I survived broken bones and never missed a shift. I took it as penance for the crime of being born. My mother, a witch. My father, a wolf. A union the pack believed never should have existed. There was no arguing with people who thought you shouldn’t even be alive. --- FLASHBACK I had been in the laundry room when it happened. The kitchen shared the back wall with the laundry area but had a separate entrance to keep the space clear. Damien’s office sat on the opposite side. When kitchen staff argued, I could hear them through the vents, if the machines were off. But I had never heard anything from Damien’s office. Not until that day. My sisters and I were still grieving. Our parents had died just last month. They went out for their usual date night in town and never returned. The police told us the next morning that their car had been found in a ravine. They were holding hands when they were discovered, still in love, even in death. Moving on felt impossible, but Damien made it necessary. He brought in a replacement Beta the very next day. Trey had been to our pack many times before, usually flying in. Damien always picked him up from the airport. Together or apart, they drew attention. Damien had that classic Alpha look, dark brown hair, deep blue eyes, a strong jaw. Trey had brown hair, longer on top and shaved on the sides, with soft brown eyes that didn’t match the cruelty behind them. Neither of them was kind. They trained relentlessly, and their physiques proved it. Broad shoulders, hard abs, like they were carved from stone. Kayla’s mark didn’t slow Damien down one bit. He and Trey fed off each other’s egos, and their body count. It would have seemed like a coincidence if you didn’t look too closely. But Trey arrived with everything he owned packed in a U-Haul driven by a friend, plus his own truck stuffed full. It should have been impossible to load and drive that far so fast. But I wasn’t thinking clearly, we were still mourning. And Damien forced us out of our home the same night we were told our parents were dead. He gave it to Trey the next day. Trey was thrilled. He was the second son of a Beta in his old pack, he would never have rank there. Now, at twenty-four, he was Damien’s new Beta. His older brother got the position back home, and Trey saw this as his shot. I shouldn’t have been at the packhouse that night, it was after hours, but work had run late. I was finishing up, checking machines, cleaning lint traps when I heard them talking. “You moved in?” Damien asked. “Yeah. Had help, so it was fast. They left about an hour ago. Thanks for the call, being Beta here is a huge step up. I hated knowing I would be nothing back home just because I was a second-born. You’re lucky, man. Only child,” Trey said. I rolled my eyes and started to leave. Then Damien said something that stopped me cold. “I made the girls move out so you could move in. Thought having them closer would make things easier. Kayla’s going out of town next weekend with her friends. I’m going to get Maya to agree to be with me while she’s gone. Our kids will be beautiful.” Trey sounded surprised. “You’ve had a thing for her for six years. She doesn’t want you, man. Let it go.” I felt a flicker of relief, maybe Trey had a shred of decency. But Damien crushed it in an instant. “I’ve already tasted most of the unmated she-wolves here. I’m done with the easy ones. I only want Maya. And I’ve gone too far to stop now. Getting rid of Beta Jace and his mate, that’s done. And Trey, don’t forget, it was your idea. Zach and I just made it happen. You’re in this as much as we are. Don’t back out now. If you don’t help, we won’t help you claim Meliza. I’m Alpha. I can command Lauren and her to accept you and Zach. Their parents got in the way. They wouldn’t budge. So I removed them. I’m the Alpha. No one stops me.” Did I hear that right? He killed our parents. They planned it. All so they could force us into being their mates? My stomach lurched. I stumbled to the sink and threw up. Then I rinsed my mouth and went back to the vent. I needed to hear everything. We had to make a plan. Because I will not let Damien control us. Not now. Not ever. Chapter 5: The Sacrifice for Possession Damien's POV “Lauren was made for me. I can’t wait to mark and mate her. She’ll be a great Gamma female. There’s no stronger she-wolf in our pack. I can’t wait to make her mine,” Zach said confidently. I always knew he was the one who picked her for the job, as he had wanted Lauren for a long time. She was a powerful fighter, even stronger than him. He couldn’t overpower her. He came from Gamma blood, while Lauren had Alpha blood in her, with a Beta rank. That was the second reason Zach hadn’t stepped forward to try and force her. The shame of being beaten by a woman would have infuriated him. But the main reason was our fear of her father, Jace. None of us were confident we could beat him in a fair fight. Even my father had always deferred to Beta Jace too often over the years. My father was weak as an Alpha. I handled Beta Jace cleanly, without a scratch on me. Any respect I had for my father is gone. I did what he couldn’t, and I don’t regret it. Besides, Jace had hurt Maya. He wasn’t cruel to her, but he allowed the pack to grow more aggressive toward her these last five years. I had to agree to make Kayla my Luna just to get her to ease up on Maya. I only slept with Kayla because she was always there, throwing herself at me. I never had to seek company, she constantly put herself in front of me. She thought she was some kind of prize. She wasn’t. She was well-used before I touched her, but her father was Gamma. He pushed me to accept her, and Kayla was attractive. She was a ranked she-wolf. But I only wanted Maya, and I couldn’t have her. All three of Beta Jace’ daughters were off-limits to me and everyone else. He wanted his daughters to find their true mates, not settle as someone’s chosen. I knew what had happened to him that made him feel that way. Still, I had already marked and mated Kayla. Beta Jace knew I wanted Maya, but had the nerve to tell me, “You made your bed, now lie in it.” So I waited. When it became clear Kayla couldn’t bear children after three years passed, I waited another year before making my announcement to the pack. Maya understood the message immediately. Sadly, so did her father. He came to my office the next day to warn me off. That was his biggest mistake. He had no right to tell me, his Alpha, what to do. He signed his death warrant that day. I made sure to get rid of both him and his mate. I needed the girls isolated. The pack wouldn’t help them. That made them easier to control. I had already called Trey the week before, told him to pack up and head here, even before the bodies were found. Trey had given me the idea during our last talk. We came up with the perfect plan. I knew their routine. They never hid where they were going. I was certain they wouldn’t return. I sent Zach to follow them into the city. It would have drawn too much attention if I went myself. No one would question Zach, and if they did, I would handle it. We were all in this together to get our dream girls. I had been obsessed with Maya for longer than six years. Trey and Zach just didn’t know because I kept it to myself. I was thirteen when I realized I liked her, and she was only eleven. I didn’t care about the rumors. I knew Beta Jace had fallen for a witch. It was taboo, but that didn’t matter. Maya was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She was what I deserved as a mate. Maya was the proof of their love. Looking at her over the years must have been hard for Helen. Still, she wasn’t a bad stepmother. The pack’s hatred toward Maya didn’t matter to me. I loved her from sixteen, and those feelings only grew. Being near her was like heaven, though rare. So I started bullying her from time to time. I regret that. I know others followed my lead, and things got worse. Everyone began targeting her more. They believed she was less than them, all because her mother was a witch. Maya wasn’t. Her mother left when she was young, and she never trained. I never felt power in her. She was defenseless, like a human. She stayed safe only because no one wanted to anger her father. That changed when she turned eighteen and didn’t get her wolf. I felt awful for her. Life got worse fast. Jace wasn’t openly cruel, but he stopped defending her, and the pack noticed. Her sisters did defend her, though. Anyone who hurt Maya got it right back from them. The pack learned that Maya might not have Jace’s protection, but she had her sisters'. Only Kayla and her friends kept bullying her, probably because of the pillow talk after sex. I never wanted Kayla. I used her to get her off Maya’s back. Kayla knew how I felt about Maya. Her threat to kill Maya wasn’t idle. She pointed out that no one in the pack liked Maya, and one “accident” could end her. I did what I had to do to protect her. A few mean words and the occasional shove were better than what Kayla had in mind. When Kayla became Luna, she calmed down briefly. Her jealousy toward Maya was intense. I avoided Maya and let Kayla assign demeaning jobs to keep the peace. Then, one morning, I realized the truth; Kayla was afraid of Lauren. That’s why she really backed off. When I confronted her, Kayla laughed in my face. That moment was eye-opening. I had thought I sacrificed for Maya, but Kayla had only stopped because of Lauren. After that, things spiraled. I couldn’t stand Kayla anymore. I stopped sleeping with her. I didn’t want her bearing my heirs. I always wanted Maya to be the mother of my pups. She was half-werewolf, and even without phasing, I knew she would give me strong pups. But Maya couldn’t stand me. She didn’t want me. And I had already made my announcement. She knew exactly what I meant. She would be the one to bear the pack’s heirs. I was sure everything would fall into place once she had my pups. A few words from me would soften her. I told Kayla if she ever hurt Maya, she wouldn’t live out the week. I meant every word. I would kill her myself. No one would take Maya from me. I would risk the entire pack for her. “Damien, what’s up with you, man? You completely zoned out,” Zach said. “I was just thinking about Kayla. Your sister is a possessive bitch. I only made her Luna because I knew Beta Jace would never let me claim Maya. I thought giving her what she wanted would calm her down. It didn’t. She relaxed for a while, but she’s been fuming since I announced I would choose a pack member to bear my pups,” I said. “You knew who she was before you accepted her. She’s a royal bitch to everyone, including me and Dad. She only likes her two friends and Mom. Once I mate with Lauren, I’ll stay far from Kayla. You should have left the pack and found a different Luna. Kayla will never leave any woman alone. She uses the pack funds like they’re her own. She’ll bleed us dry and leave when it’s gone. You knew that before you marked her,” Zach scoffed. “I know how she is. If I have to, I’ll have her moved permanently to the cells. I’m not fighting her forever. I’m the Alpha. What I want matters most. Maya will learn to love me. Once she gives me a pup or two, she’ll feel something for me. If not, she’ll live in her gilded cage, in a special room where I’ll make sure she stays pregnant until she understands how much I’ve done for her,” I told Zach. Trey and Zach both nodded. I meant what I said. I couldn’t kill Kayla, it would hurt because of our bond. But I would find a way to reject her and break it. Then I would decide her fate. If she’s draining pack funds, the others would support me putting her to death. That money isn’t hers to waste. I’m letting it go this time only because I need time alone with Maya. A few days to win her over. But if she refuses to come willingly, that’s fine too. The decision is no longer hers. It’s mine. And what I want, I get. Chapter 6: Escape Maya's POV We dropped the SUV about ten miles from the bus station and took an Uber the rest of the way. We had to, because my leg felt like it was on fire. I couldn’t run well, not at all. I was the weak link, and I knew it. I slowed them down. I hated that I was the reason we couldn’t move faster. I hoped we could catch some sleep on the bus, not real sleep, just brief moments of rest. We had been running on fumes all week, stealing naps when we could. We took turns keeping watch. Every mile we put between us and the Blackwood Pack made the tension in our bodies ease just a little. Lauren has a brilliant mind. A strategist and planner, she leaves nothing to chance. She came up with this escape plan fast, and she didn’t disappoint. But I remember how scared I was to tell them what I had overheard Damien and Trey discussing. I didn’t want to believe it myself. -------- I knocked on their door, my stomach full of dread. Would they believe what I was about to say? Or would they regret ever trying to protect me? They knew something was wrong from the look on my face. I made them go into the bathroom and turn on the sink and shower, just in case someone was listening. The tears in my eyes must have told them everything. They didn’t speak, just listened. I worried they thought I was lying, until Lauren finally said, “That explains so much. Zach has been acting bold lately. I couldn’t figure out why. Now I get it. Damien is a trash Alpha, and Kayla’s one of the worst Lunas I’ve ever known. They actually killed our parents… Just to try and claim us? What kind of sick monsters think that’s okay?” She was furious. I knew that look, she wanted blood. But instead of reacting, I saw her working through it, building a plan in her head. That thoughtful expression of hers always meant she was solving something. From that point on, she was in charge, and I started to believe we might actually make it out. “I can’t believe Trey won’t back off,” Meliza added. “He doesn’t care what I want. He ignores everything I say. I can’t believe they killed our parents to try and force us into mating with them. They’re disgusting.” “At least you’d be claimed,” I muttered. “Damien just wants to use me as a breeder. I can’t even imagine him touching me. It makes my skin crawl. We need to get out before Kayla leaves for her shopping trip. That’s when he’ll try something.” They saw how much it hurt me to say that, and they hugged me tightly. We all had something threatening to destroy us. They wanted to steal our futures, force us into lives we never chose. It made me sick. I had it wrong, though. My sisters had it worse. Once they were claimed, they would feel every betrayal. These men weren’t loyal, they just wanted what they couldn’t have. Once they got us, they would move on. And my sisters would feel that pain every time. That was a fate worse than mine. As for me, Damien had already marked Kayla. When he came to me, it would hurt her. She wouldn’t blame him, she would blame me. She would never stay locked up forever. Once she got out, I would be her first target. We had to get out. “Give me two days,” Lauren said. “Act like everything is fine. We meet again then. No one can know.” She figured out the plan in less than a day. We even left the SUV in a place where someone might steal it, buying us time. We didn’t want anyone hurt, but distance was our only hope. She picked a region with several packs. She didn’t call ahead, she said it would be harder to turn us away if we were standing at their gates. She had one pack in mind, though. A strong one, more progressive. She wouldn’t say which, afraid someone was listening. Her plan was flawless. She bought burner phones, had us leave ours behind. She wanted zero traces. We all had roles. I originally volunteered to get the money and documents from the safe. But once I mentioned it was too risky for Meliza to be caught there if Trey returned, they agreed. I’m the oldest. It should be me protecting them. I just wish I had some training, something to help us. He would rather I be wolfless than acknowledge my witch blood. He was ashamed of it. Disappointed in me after I didn’t shift. I think he loved me… but I can’t remember the last time he said it. I overheard him say it to my sisters. Twice he saw me there, listening. He never said it to me. Never tried to fix it. It broke me a little more each time. Lying in bed now, tears fill my eyes. He’s gone. That can’t be fixed. I just want to sleep. We leave tomorrow. I feel like a burden. But they won’t leave me behind. I’m grateful they still want me. I can’t imagine what Damien would do if I stayed. That wouldn’t be a life worth living. As I lie in bed, I swear to the Goddess, I will protect them someday. I’ll get stronger. I won’t be helpless anymore. I’ll find someone who can help me train. I want to be just as strong as my sisters. I believe, deep down, life will finally begin once we escape this pack.

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