Chapter 4: The Escape 2

Aria's POV.

The blue sedan started on the third try. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely grip the steering wheel.

I pulled out of the staff parking lot and drove down the long driveway. The Grant mansion got smaller and smaller in my rearview mirror.

I kept expecting alarms to sound. Guards to chase me. Something.

But nothing happened.

I made it to the main road and kept driving.

I had no plan. No destination. I just drove.

The sky was starting to lighten when I finally pulled over at a rest stop. I was three hours away from Grant territory now. Far enough that they wouldn’t sense me immediately.

I got out of the car and threw up in the bushes.

Morning sickness, or stress? Probably both.

When the nausea passed, I sat on a bench and pulled out my phone. I should have thrown it away—they could track it. But I needed it just a little longer.

I opened my banking app and checked my account. $3,247. That was all I had to my name.

It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough to raise twins.

But it would have to be.

I pulled out the divorce papers and a pen. My hand hovered over the signature line.

Once I signed that, it was really over. I would no longer be Aria Grant. I would just be… Aria Mitchell again. The hybrid nobody wanted.

No.

I wasn’t that girl anymore. That girl had died the moment Kyril handed me those papers.

I signed my name firmly and took a picture of the signed documents. I would mail them back later, but for then, the photo was proof. It was done.

My phone buzzed with a text. Unknown number.

Is this Aria Mitchell?

I hesitated, then typed: Who is this?

A friend. Clara gave me your number. I can help you disappear if you want to truly stay hidden. They’re going to come looking for you.

My heart raced. How did this person know Clara? Was this a trap?

Another text: My name is Maya Heng. I help people in your situation—wolves who need to escape bad packs, bad mates. I have a safe place in Silvermoon District. Neutral territory. No pack can touch you there.

Silvermoon District. I had heard of it. The neutral zone where pack politics didn’t apply.

Why would you help me?

Because I’ve been where you are. And because Clara saved my sister once. I owe her. Meet me at the address I’m sending. Come alone.

An address popped up. It was another four hours’ drive.

It could have been a trap. It could have been the stupidest thing I had ever done.

But what choice did I have?

I got back in the car and started driving.

Silvermoon District was nothing like I had expected.

It was a bustling city with skyscrapers and busy streets. Humans and werewolves mixed freely there, though the humans didn’t know what walked among them.

I found the address Maya had sent—a modest apartment building in a quiet neighborhood.

I was about to knock when the door opened.

A small Asian woman with a pixie cut stood there. She was maybe five feet tall and looked like a strong wind could blow her over. But her eyes were sharp and assessing.

“Aria Mitchell?” she asked.

I nodded.

“You look like hell. Come in.”

The apartment was small but clean. It smelled like jasmine tea and old books.

Maya gestured to the couch. “Sit. I’ll make tea.”

“I don’t understand,” I said, not sitting. “Why are you helping me?”

“Because Clara called in a favor. And because…” she looked at me seriously, “...you’re pregnant, aren’t you?”

I instinctively covered my stomach. “How did you—”

“I can smell it. Faint, but there. And the way you keep touching your belly is a dead giveaway.” Maya moved to the kitchen. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. That’s your secret to keep.”

I sank onto the couch, suddenly exhausted.

Maya brought me tea and sat across from me. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to stay here for a few days while I set up a new identity for you. New name, new paperwork, everything. Then I’ll help you find a place to live and a job.”

“I can’t afford…”

“Clara already paid me. Years ago, I told her if she ever needed anything, I’d help. This is me keeping that promise.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks. I was so tired of crying, but I couldn’t stop.

“You’re safe now,” Maya said gently. “Whatever you ran from, it can’t touch you here. Silvermoon is neutral territory. Even an Alpha can’t break those rules without starting a war.”

“He won’t come looking for me anyway,” I said bitterly. “He’s getting married next month.”

“Then he’s an idiot.” Maya’s voice was matter-of-fact. “And you’re better off without him.”

I wanted to believe that. I really did.

“What about the babies?” I whispered. “I have no money, no job, no…”

“We’ll figure it out. One step at a time.” Maya squeezed my hand. “You’re not alone anymore. Okay?”

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

“Now,” Maya stood up, “you need to sleep. You look like you’re about to pass out. There’s a bedroom down the hall. It’s small, but it’s yours for as long as you need it.”

“Thank you,” I managed to say.

“Don’t thank me yet. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”

I stumbled to the bedroom and collapsed on the bed fully clothed.

For the first time in three years, I felt safe.

I fell asleep with my hands on my stomach, protecting the two tiny lives growing inside me.

I woke up to my phone ringing.

It was dark outside. How long had I been asleep?

I checked the caller ID. Unknown number. But something told me to answer.

“Hello?”

“Aria.” Kyril’s voice sent ice through my veins. “Where are you?”

“How did you get this number?”

“I have my ways. Where. Are. You.”

“That’s not your concern anymore.”

“Like hell it isn’t. You disappeared in the middle of the night. You could be dead somewhere…”

“Would you care if I was?”

“Kyril, I signed the papers. You’re getting what you wanted. Just... leave me alone.”

“My mother told me something interesting today,” he said, his voice dangerous. “She told me she thinks you might be pregnant. Is that true?”

My blood turned to ice.

How did she know? How could she possibly know?

“I’m not,” I lied. “She’s paranoid.”

“Aria…”

“I’m not pregnant!” I was yelling now. “Even if I was, it wouldn’t matter. You’re having a baby with Sienna. You’re marrying her. What the hell would you do with another child? With my child?”

“If you were pregnant,” he said slowly, “I’d have a right to know.”

“You gave up all your rights when you handed me divorce papers.” My voice broke. “You gave up your rights when you chose her over me. When you made me feel like nothing for three years.”

“I never meant—”

“Goodbye, Kyril.”

I hung up.

Then I turned off my phone, pulled out the SIM card, and broke it in half.

He couldn’t find me. He couldn’t take my babies.

I wouldn’t let him.