Chapter 2: “The Price of Silence”

Maya

By lunch, I'd managed to avoid most of the pack kids by hiding in the library. But eventually, I had to use the bathroom. I slipped into the girls' restroom, grateful for the quiet.

That's when I heard Allison's voice from one of the stalls.

"I know, right? Stephen has no idea. He thinks I'm this pure little mate material, but Marcus is just so much more... experienced."

My pen slipped from my fingers, clattering against the tile floor.

The talking stopped.

"Did you hear that?" Allison's friend whispered.

"Someone's listening." Allison's stall door banged open. "Come out, come out, little spy."

I tried to run, but Chelsea blocked the door. Allison emerged, her face twisted with rage.

"Maya fucking Rodriguez. Of course it's you."

"I didn't hear anything," I said quickly. "I was just.."

"Lying." Allison grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin. "You heard everything, didn't you? About me and Marcus?"

"No, I swear.."

"She's going to tell Stephen," Brittany said. "She'll ruin everything."

Allison smiled, but her eyes were ice cold. "No, she won't. Because she knows what happens to girls who can't keep their mouths shut."

They dragged me out of the bathroom, down the empty hallway toward the school pool. My heart hammered as I realized what they planned to do.

"Please," I begged as they forced me to the pool's edge. "I won't say anything. I swear on the pack bond."

"Too late for promises," Allison hissed.

Chelsea and Brittany grabbed my arms while Allison pushed my head toward the water. I struggled, but they were stronger. Pack daughters. Well-fed and trained.

The water was freezing as it hit my face. I held my breath as long as I could, but when they pulled me up, I was gasping, choking.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Stephen's voice cut through my panic like a blade. Allison immediately let go, and I collapsed beside the pool, coughing up chlorinated water.

"Stephen! Thank god you're here," Allison rushed to him. "Maya attacked me in the bathroom. We were just defending ourselves."

"Is that true?" Stephen looked down at me, his expression unreadable.

I wanted to tell him the truth. About his girlfriend and Marcus. About what she'd really been doing. But the words stuck in my throat as I met his eyes.

"I..." I coughed again, water still burning my lungs. "I just wanted to use the bathroom."

Stephen studied me for a long moment, then looked at his girlfriend. Something passed between them, some silent conversation I wasn't part of.

Finally, he reached down and pulled me to my feet.

"You owe me now," he said quietly, so only I could hear. "Remember that."

Then louder: "Everyone out. Now."

Allison shot me one last venomous look before following her friends from the pool area. Stephen lingered for a moment, watching me shiver in my wet clothes.

"Get cleaned up," he said. "And Maya? Stay out of places you don't belong."

Then he was gone, leaving me alone and dripping by the pool.

The final bell couldn't come fast enough. I gathered my still-damp things and headed for the exit, desperate to get home before Dad woke up from his hangover. Maybe I could barricade myself in my room until my birthday tomorrow. Maybe..

"Going somewhere, Maya?"

I froze. Karl Blackwood stood by the school's back entrance, blocking my path. Behind him, Elijah and Nathan emerged from the shadows.

"I need to get home," I said, backing toward the main doors. But they were there too, forming a circle around me.

"Actually," Nathan said, his voice deceptively calm, "you need to come with us."

"Why?" But I already knew. The way they looked at me, hungry, determined. Like predators who'd cornered their prey.

"Your father made some promises," Elijah explained. "Seems he didn't deliver last night. Marcus wasn't happy."

Karl stepped closer. "So we're here to collect."

I ran.

My feet pounded against the pavement as I sprinted toward home, but they were faster. Stronger. The sound of their pursuit echoed behind me, getting closer with each step.

I burst through our front door, slamming it behind me and throwing the deadbolt. But the lock was old, weak. It wouldn't hold for long.

"Dad!" I screamed, but the house was empty. Probably passed out somewhere in town.

Heavy fists pounded against the door. "Open up, Maya," Karl called. "We're not going anywhere."

The lock broke.

They filled our tiny living room like a thunderstorm, all broad shoulders and alpha presence. I pressed myself against the far wall, looking for another exit, but there was nowhere to run.

"Please," I whispered. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"No," Nathan agreed, almost gently. "But your father did. And you're how he's going to make it right."

"Tonight," Elijah added, "you're going to serve us. Just like you should have served Marcus."

Karl smiled, and it was nothing like his brother Stephen's cold dismissal. This was something darker. Hungrier.

"Don't worry," he said, taking a step forward. "We'll be gentle. At first."

The room seemed to shrink around me as they closed in. Tomorrow was supposed to be my birthday. My fre

edom. My new beginning.

But first, I had to survive tonight. And I was starting to wonder if I would..