The Cliffside Secret

The waves crashed below, their rhythm pounding in sync with my pulse.

I hugged my knees against my chest, perched dangerously close to the cliff’s edge.

The night air was cold, but I barely felt it.

Naomi’s scent reached her before the sound of

footsteps.

Warm, familiar, comforting.

“I knew I’d find you here.”

I didn’t lift my head. “Go back to the party, Naomi.

You don’t need to babysit me.”

My best friend sat down beside me without hesitation, pulling her hoodie tighter against the chill.

“Babysit? Please. Someone has to keep you from

throwing Becca into the ocean.”

Despite myself, I let out a sharp laugh that quickly

dissolved into a sob.

I pressed the heel of my hand against her eyes.

“She was with him. I saw it. She wanted me to see it." Naomi’s jaw tightened.

“Becca’s poison. Everyone

knows it. And Ayden? He’s an idiot. You deserve better than both of them.”

The words should have helped, but they didn’t.

A hollow ache spread through my chest, heavier than the stone beneath me.

“Maybe they’re right,” she whispered.

“Maybe I don’t belong here. Not really.”

Naomi turned sharply, her eyes flashing golden with flecks of silver in the moonlight.

“Don’t you dare say that. You’re a part of Shadow Mountain Pack. You’re my sister. I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”

While Naomi isn't my blood, she’s the closest thing I have to family.

I trust her with all of my heart.

I swallowed hard, staring down at the restless ocean below.

It churned and foamed, as if it, too, was waiting

for my answer.

Before I could speak, a low growl rolled from the

shadows behind us.

Damien stepped into the moonlight, his presence filling the cliffside like a storm cloud.

His dark hair was tousled, his sharp jaw set with anger.

“Ayden won’t be showing his face for a while,” he said flatly.

“I made sure of it.”

Maya’s head snapped up. “Alpha Damien—what did you

do?”

“Nothing permanent,” he muttered, though his voice

carried the edge of barely restrained violence. “But no

one disrespects my pack that way. Or my wolves.” His

gaze flicked to her then, steady and unyielding.

Heat rushed through my chest, equal parts gratitude and

confusion. Damien had always been a

force—untouchable, commanding—but the way he was

looking at me now felt… different.

Naomi cleared her throat pointedly, breaking the silence.

“Well, as much as I’d love to sit here and watch the

Alpha brood dramatically at the moon, Maya needs rest.

Come on, sister. Let’s get you home.”

I hesitated, casting one last glance at the ocean. The

waves were still calling, louder than ever, like a secret

only I could hear.

I rose to my feet, forcing myself to walk back toward the

warmth of the pack house. But in my heart, one truth

echoed with every step.

I didn’t just belong to the wolves.

Something deeper—something older—was waiting for me in the water.