CHAPTER FOUR

Emily’s voice was the first steady thing I heard that night. “Selena, where are you?” she asked, and somehow the sound of her helped me breathe.

Emily was my closest friend. She’d been by my side through small worries and huge humiliations. In the pack house she was the one who slipped me warm tea when everyone else watched from a distance. She was also the only person who had ever seen Kourtney clearly. Emily knew what Kourtney really was, and she never pretended otherwise. That made her more than a friend. She was my anchor.

“At home,” I whispered, pushing myself upright. The room felt too quiet. “Emily… Kourtney is back.”

There was a pause. Then Emily’s voice sharpened. “Oh. Damian’s ex? I heard rumors. Is she causing trouble?”

I let out a small, bitter laugh. “He’s letting her move in. Her and her son. Into our home.”

“No.” The single word came like a gasp over the line. “That can’t be. Sel, that’s insane. But—wait. I need to tell you something too.”

My stomach dropped. “What is it?”

“I think I just saw Damian… at the Vault Bar. With a woman.”

My heart stopped. “No… he said he’d talk to me tonight. He should be home—”

A message alert cut me off. My hand shook as I opened it.

The photo hit like a blade. Damian’s arm wrapped around a woman’s waist. The woman’s hair was a bright, deliberate gold. Kourtney’s short hair flashed under the bar lights like a taunt. Her smile was the same crooked smile I had known since childhood. It was the smile she wore when she had won. Damian’s face was close to hers. Their cheeks almost touched. You could feel the private space between them collapse.

I tasted bile. My body reacted before my mind could catch up.

“Selena?” Emily’s voice trembled. “Was it—was it her?”

I forced the word out. “Yes. It was Kourtney.”

There was a long silence. Then Emily exhaled. “Sel… I’m so sorry. I’m here. But—wait, why do you sound so weak? Are you sick?”

I hesitated, then pressed a hand to my stomach. “Emily… I haven’t told anyone yet. Not even Damian. I’m pregnant.”

Her gasp came sharp through the phone. “Pregnant? Oh, Sel…!” Her voice cracked with worry. “What are you going to do now? You can’t let them hurt you or the baby. You need to think carefully.”

My throat tightened. Tears blurred my vision. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with Damian. But this child—” I pressed harder against my belly, whispering as if the baby could hear me— “I will protect my child, no matter what. Even if I lose everything else.”

Emily went quiet, but I heard her breathing hard. “Promise me you’ll be careful, Sel. Promise me you won’t let Kourtney or Madam Rose push you to the edge. For you, and for your baby.”

“I promise.”

We said our goodbyes softly. Her kindness stayed with me even as the line clicked off. The house felt like a cave when the call ended. The walls seemed to close in.

Was Damian already with her? Had he been lying? Was he going to welcome her back as if nothing had ever changed? The questions came in a rush. Fear and fury mixed inside me. I pressed my palms over my face.

“No,” I whispered to myself. “I won’t live under the same roof as them. I won’t let them destroy me.”

I slid my hand to my belly. My child moved faintly beneath my palm. The small kick galvanized me. This was bigger than humiliation. This was real life inside me. I had to protect it.

The television hummed in the background. I hadn’t even noticed when the interview began. Then a face filled the screen. The face I had not expected to see.

He was older now. Not old, just older in a way that made him more dangerous. His jaw was harder. The lines at his eyes gave him weight. Broad shoulders cut a clean line under his suit. He looked like someone who had carried burdens and become stronger for them. His hair was darker at the temples. The camera lingered on his hands—solid, capable hands. He moved carefully. He did not waste space. He was bigger than the man in my memory. He filled the frame with a quiet power.

My chest tightened. I knew that face instantly.

Him.

Silver-claw pack, that was the deadliest rouge pack ever. Aiden and I used to be really good friends back when I was still with the old witch that taught me her skills. I met him when I went into the woods to gather herbs one day and I saw him wrestle a bear with his bare hands. He was only a teenager then. We became friends, best of friends but we lost contact after I was adopted.

I knew Aiden had it in him to be a great person, he possessed an unmatched power and also healing abilities. The day I was supposed to leave, he had given me a piece of paper and asked to always keep in touch. The years took its toll and I totally forgot about him. Thank the moon goddess that I actually saved his number when I was saving contacts on my phone that year. 

Without thinking, I grabbed my phone and hit his number. The phone rang once. Twice. Then a deep voice answered.

“Hello.”

I could barely speak. “Hi… it’s been a long time, but… I need your help.”

There was a pause long enough to wonder if I should hang up.

Then his voice returned, slow and steady. “So you finally remembered your old friend?”