Chapter 3

Alaria:

Four years later…

“Mommy, look!”

A little hand tugged at the hem of my coat as I hung the laundry on the line. I turned to see her standing barefoot in the grass, silver leaves from the nearby alder trees tangled in her curls.

Anastasia.

My little angel, the one person who kept me strong through everything that I went through.

She pointed proudly at the messy crown of daisies she’d twisted together and placed unevenly on her head. “I made it myself! And I made sure not to break any of the flowers. I tried my best to tie them all carefully and I did not lose the petals.”

I smiled despite the tight knot that lived constantly in my chest. “You did a beautiful job, sweetheart. You look like a little forest queen. But Mommy told you not to go too far. The daisies are far off the garden. Please next time come to me before you do so.”

“Yes, Mommy.” She said, and I smiled.

“Now what is our forest queen planning to do?” I asked, teasing her.

She giggled, spinning in place as her wild brown curls bounced around her cheeks. “I am a forest queen with muddy toes! But as my first plan, I'm going to make you a crown too. You are going to be the queen of the world.”

I laughed softly, hanging the last damp sheet on the line and brushing my hands clean on my apron. “Yes, a very messy queen. The Queen of the world is not going to like muddy toes, is she? Come here, let me clean you up before lunch. I made your favorite… lasagna.”

She squealed and I laughed as I took her hand in mine, wanting to take her inside.

We had carved a life out of nothing. I did not even know how I managed, stripped out of everything, my title, my name and all that. I knew I had to start from scratch, but I was willing to do it for my child. I was willing to do it.

I rented cottage at the edge of the human border, hidden just enough from both pack and rogue territory. No one asked questions, and I never gave answers. Humans were easier to deal with. As long as you had a job to pay for the rent, it made-up for it. They just went quiet.

I’d gone by the name Alara Vale ever since I disappeared from Blackridge.

It was the one way to keep myself and my daughter safe. And the one way to stay away from the eyes of those who deemed themselves our enemies.

No one here knew who I really was. No one knew where I came from. No one knew my story. I barely made any friends. I chose to keep it this way.

And no one knew who my daughter’s father was. This was the most important thing.

Nasia was mine.

Only mine.

And I had kept her safe. Until now.

I was not going to allow him to come and ruin everything that I built, not after he chose to ruin everything that we had to break them, me, as if all of it was nothing.

But lately something has changed. Though I did not understand what it was, I knew that something was different.

The scent in the air wasn’t right.

The howls at night carried too far.

And today, for the first time in months, I hadn’t heard the birds sing.

Not one.

“Mommy,” Nasia whispered suddenly, tugging at my sleeve. “Someone’s watching.”

The sound of a low growl came from a distance. My eyes hardened.

But my heart dropped.

I didn’t even ask where she had seen them, my instincts snapped into place. I scooped her into my arms, ducking into the cottage, slamming the door behind us. My breaths came too fast. Too loud.

“Go to your hiding spot,” I said sharply, kneeling and holding her face in my hands. “Right now. Just like we practiced, okay? Do not make a sound, okay?”

Her eyes, wide with fear, nodded once.

She bolted for the trapdoor behind the wood stove, the one we kept unlocked just in case.

Just in case became right now.

I grabbed the dagger from under the floorboard and stepped back from the window. My heart pounded as I heard footsteps crunching leaves outside. Not one pair. Not two.

Several.

Wolves.

A growl sounded, low, guttural, and near the back wall.

They were surrounding us.

Rogues.

I tightened my grip on the blade. My heart racing against my rib cage with each passing moment.

This cottage wasn’t fortified. I had no pack. No backup. Just me, and the child I swore I would die to protect. And I was going to do everything in my power to keep her safe.

Glass shattered.

I spun toward the back window just as a wolf launched itself through, its teeth bared and red eyes locked on me.

I barely dodged in time, the blade slicing across its shoulder. It howled, knocking over the kitchen table as it crashed into the chairs.

Another one burst through the front door.

I kicked the overturned table toward it, buying myself seconds.

I didn’t need to win. I just needed to stall. To give Nasia time to stay hidden. To…

Pain exploded in my side as claws ripped into my ribs. I screamed, falling back against the counter.

The first rogue stalked forward, blood dripping from its mouth.

And just as it lunged for my throat…

A howl pierced the air.

A different howl.

Commanding. Furious. Alpha.

The rogues froze.

Then came the sound of paws, massive ones, tearing through the brush. A black wolf collided with the rogue in front of me, sending it flying into the wall with a sickening crack.

Another flash of fur, another growl, another body slammed to the floor.

And then silence.

I blinked through the blood in my eyes, gasping. My vision blurred, and I could barely stay upright.

The black wolf turned toward me. Its eyes locked with mine, dark, stormy gray.

I knew those eyes.

Even in wolf form, I knew.

Liam.