Chapter 1

Daisy Louise Harmony Thompson POV (Name given as part of Witness Protection program)

“Hi, welcome to Sneakz Burger Emporium. I’m Daisy. How can I help you today?” I spoke through the mic of the drive-through headset.

“Ah yeah, can I please have one of your Sneakz Classic Sizzle Steak Burgers?” A woman’s voice came back through the headset's earpiece.

“Sure can. Which sauce would you like on your Sneakz Classic Steak Burger?” I replied.

“Ah, now that’s tough, as I’ve never been here before. What would you recommend?” The woman spoke again.

“Although it does depend on your personal preferences, if it were for myself, I would most likely go for Uncle Mateo’s Secret Sauce. However, this sauce has three versions: light and tangy, mild, and hot. Any of these can make the burger taste different. Since it's your first time here, I recommend you try the light and tangy.” I reply.

That’s when a male voice chimes in through the mic, “What’s the Volcanic Sauce like?”

I had groaned internally, knowing all too well where this was heading because it was hardly ever sold to anyone. Besides, it’s more suited to were-beast over humans, not to say that can’t handle it. It's just that they are more likely to end up hospitalised from the Volcanic Sauce and then try to blame us for selling it to them even though we go out of our way to warn customers against it beforehand.

This is also because, in some rare cases, the sauce can be fatal to humans, and a family tried to sue the company over it. However, all of our drive-through conversations are recorded for training and customer quality processes, and the warning is written on the top right-hand corner of the drive-through menu to cover us in those moments.

I had to do my best to compose myself for the very conversation that was about to happen. I knew I had to explain why I hadn’t suggested the Volcanic Sauce as a potential option; I was ready to face-palm, knowing how this would go.

“Sir, the Volcanic Sauce option wouldn’t be a choice that I would generally suggest to anyone…” I paused to what humans would call to take a breath, but I used the second to sniff the air, and I looked back at Uncle Mateo, who was doing the same thing; as I looked at him, I could tell he couldn’t smell anything that suggested that the male voice had come from a were-creature of any species. Still, some use masking sprays to hide their scent for one reason: common for wolves on the run or who had to be hidden like me. As I began again, “… as it isn’t for the faint of heart and has been known to hospitalise and even can be fatal to people in rare cases. Reasons vary from case to case, but most range from being too spicy for the person's digestive system to having an allergic reaction due to one or more of the ingredients that make up the sauce. I would advise against trying that one, but if you were to go for it, I would have to advise the kitchen to only put a small amount of the Volcanic Sauce on the burger for your safety. Or the other option is that we could put it into a container on the side so that you can test your tolerance first. Then, you can add it to the burger as you see fit. This is only a recommendation at the end of the day, as I don’t know how well you tolerate spicy foods normally, so at the end of the day, it's your call.” I replied softly and tried to let out the breath I was holding, knowing it wouldn’t come out until I knew his answer.

I wasn’t sure if it would be my lucky day, but the woman’s voice made a weird noise and said, “Ah, give us a moment, deary. We need to think about what sauce to use for a second.”

“No worries at all. Let me know when you're ready to finish making your order,” I said once more before turning off the mic on the end of my headset. The breath that I was holding only half came out, as it seemed to know that this wasn’t the end of the conversation regarding the Volcanic Sauce; however, for the moment, there was at least a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel—well, I can only hope there was.

For some unknown reason, our warning about the sauce was like some weird dare to try it and disregard the warnings completely, like the cartoons I had seen growing up in the human world, where there is a warning label not to push the red button. Still, the cartoon character feels compelled to push it to discover what will happen if they do, which usually means 99% doom to everything around them.

I could have sworn I heard a growl from a were-beast coming from the other end of the headset. I know the growl didn’t come from the woman in the car, as it wasn’t a female growl. Also, humans don’t growl, and I could smell her as a human, so it was easy to rule her out.

‘Nah, can’t be. Come on, you're just hearing things. You are still on edge after that rogue wolf came into the diner three weeks ago and said weird things about your late father’s old pack and something regarding a rogue Alpha, rogue king, or something along those lines.’ I tried to swallow my thoughts and feelings, but I subconsciously took my wolf pendant between my thumb and index fingers. Something I was told never to do, as someone might work out who I am and what the pendant meant.

Luckily, that rogue wolf was high on ice, so once Uncle Mateo’s security restrained him and removed him from prying eyes, Alpha Logan Hunter’s men came and took him. He went to Alpha Logan’s Moon Hunters pack, as it was the closest pack to the human territory to where this Burger joint stands, which rogues should know better if they were hunters, let alone go near unless they were clean and on their best manners. Especially one that boards on another pack’s territory.

I had to breathe, calm, and compose myself, but when I looked at Uncle Mateo’s face, I knew I wasn’t hearing things. His wolf, Sneakz, was trying to get out and deal with the situation; after all, he had been my protector for as long as I could remember. I also had to hand over the headset to another female staff member and head into the stockroom, which hid a special safe room in case the wolf was there for me.

But now, other members of Uncle Mateo’s security had also been quick to move, and one of them was a female trained to work as a staff member who was the one to take my place in these situations.

Her name is Millie. She looks and sounds similar to me, so most people hardly notice, but she knows just what to say if, by some chance, they do realise the difference. However, a were-beast most likely will, but the differences are barely noticeable to a human.

That’s when the front doorbell went off; as customers entered the door, it was none other than Alpha Maison without his twin brother, Alpha Jackson and their Alpha unit. Great, that's one more problem we don’t need right now. Alpha Maison is the eldest of Alpha Logan’s sons, and since both Maison and Jackson are twins, they are the heirs of the pack that I happen to have to live in with my adoptive human parents and Uncle Mateo. Which is meant to be for my protection, so I have been told by just about everyone. I wondered if my day could worsen when I noticed Maison watching me. His unit must have seen it because they began to make fun of him. This allowed me to get to my safe room in the diner, where I was closely followed by one of Uncle Mateo’s guards.

“GROWL,” roared from outside of the diner.

‘What the hell is going on? Has someone found me?’ The thought that ran through me, along with fear, seemed to get Maison’s attention. I have no idea why, though he hated me for some reason. ‘No, it's nothing. He probably also heard growls from outside, which got his attention.’

My safe room also had cameras and an audio, so I knew what was happening outside. This was so my guard, and I knew if and when it was safe to come out, and if the shit hit the fan, we were to take the hidden passage back to Alpha Logan’s pack from a panel only I knew about besides Alpha Logan and Uncle Mateo.

Although Uncle Mateo trusted his guards, he knew he could only trust them to a point. Each of them had been a rogue at some point in their lives, either exiled, on the run or even just liked living independently from pack life for one reason or another.

Also, Uncle Mateo knew that those who had been a rogue from one point in their life were easier to turn for the right price if it meant they could live another day. Like most humans, rogues could be easily swayed by money, or for some rogues, being offered a chance to join a pack after exile would be more than enough to get them to do something they normally wouldn’t do.

That is not to say that rogues aren’t nice people. Most generally are nice people; they have had a hard life, either growing up or after being kicked out of their old pack. And for many of them, it isn’t their fault. However, that’s all hearsay, as we rarely get the whole story from either party for varying reasons.

Alpha Maison and his Alpha unit took their seats, pretending nothing was happening. However, it wasn’t unusual to hear growls this close to the Moon Diamond pack; regardless, this was considered human territory.

I stood at the main counter as Mille had taken the drive-thru headset just in case. Alpha Maison watched me from his seat at the diner. His Beta Dean noticed, giving me a smirk that could only mean one thing: I was going to get yet another round of the stray is in town comments.

Delta Carter and Gamma Tristan seemed to be up for their usual banter.

Beta Dean noticed Maison watching me as usual. “Dude, if I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were attracted to that weirdo, " he teased.

That’s when Jackson strolled into the diner. His face looked grim, but he was otherwise uninterested in the situation going on outside. That wasn’t a big surprise. He walked over to the counter to be served.

“Alpha Jackson, what can I get for you today?” I asked, just trying to do my job, not that it made a difference, I won’t be fired. As Uncle Mateo owned the burger joint, I could have just gone upstairs to our apartment; he wouldn’t have cared.

I stood there waiting for the usual smirk of disgust to appear on Jackson’s face at the sight of me, but to my surprise, it wasn’t there today.

“I’ll have my usual, the Smokehouse Burger. Make it double today, and add grilled onions, tomato, and double bacon. In the combo with the curly fries and my usual coffee, black, two sugars, thank you, Daisy.” Jackson said in a way quite different from how any of them ever spoke to me.

“Sure, no problem eating in today with your brother and your unit?” I asked.

“Yup, usual table,” he stated flatly.

“No problem at all, that will be $25 today, Alpha Jackson. Are the others eating in as well? I can have their usuals sent to the table as well? They can pay when they're ready to leave.” I said, wondering if I would just be stared at all day for no reason.

“Yeah, that should be great, I’m sure, you remember their usuals. I’ll tell them to pay once I make it to the table.” Jackson replied.

As Jackson left to join his brother and his friends at their table, I entered the orders into the system, each with their names on it in separate orders so they could pay for their own when the time came.

Maison: Truffle Delight Burger with pineapple added, double bacon with fries, and his coffee Hazelnut Dream with three shots of coffee. Total $36.

Dean: The Robinson Burger, no onion or tomato, with curly fries, his usual six shots of black coffee, no cream or sugar, total $28.

Carter: The Steele is in a quadruple with added pickles and Volcanic Sauce. He has no fries; it's just his Hot Chocolate with one shot of coffee. The total is $39.

Tristan has a hot and Spicy Grilled Chicken Burger with Volcanic Sauce. He does not have fries, but he has a Strawberry Milkshake rather than coffee. The total is $20.

As I finished ringing up their orders, Uncle Mateo came to me and whispered into my ear, “Clock off, Daisy and head upstairs. I’m giving you the rest of the day off.”

I nodded. Samantha had just clocked on and would take over at the front counter. “Hey Sam, thanks for taking over. I'd better head back upstairs to Uncle Mateo’s and my apartment to work on my university assessments since he's giving me the rest of the day off. The rest of the Alpha Unit table will pay once they're done. I’ve left their payment pending for you. See you tomorrow? Thanks, hun.”

“No problem, see you tomorrow. I don’t know how you do it sometimes: work here five days a week, go to university three days a week, study by night, work on new recipes for this place, and still find time for your other hobbies. I wish I had the energy that you do,” Samantha giggled, knowing all too well the Alpha heirs and their Unit were watching us.

“I think most days I’m just running on adrenaline, knowing that one day I'll be able to do something most will be happy with, able to leave the area I’ve had job scouts trying to get me to move overseas already,” I said, not to hurt Sam. I knew that wasn’t possible, but she’s been one of the ones who helped me keep pushing forward on the days I felt like I was drowning.

"Overseas? That's amazing!" Sam's eyes widened with genuine excitement. "Which country?"

I forced a smile, knowing it was just another fabrication to maintain my cover. "London has a few openings. Nothing concrete yet."

As I turned to leave, I caught Maison's intense stare from across the room. His grey eyes tracked my movement with the focus of a predator, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Jackson nudged his brother, breaking the uncomfortable moment.

I slipped through the "Employees Only" door and climbed the narrow staircase to our apartment above the restaurant. The familiar scent of wolfsbane and protective herbs greeted me—Uncle Mateo's special blend to mask our true scents from any particularly gifted trackers.

Once inside, I locked the three deadbolts and activated the security system with my fingerprint. The system beeped softly, confirming that the perimeter was secure. Only then did I allow my carefully constructed human persona to fall away.

My shoulders slumped as I kicked off my shoes and collapsed onto our worn leather couch. I rubbed my pendant between my fingers, a habit Uncle Mateo constantly warned me against. The silver felt warm against my skin, almost alive. Sometimes I swore it pulsed with my heartbeat.

I pulled my laptop from my bag and opened it, pretending to work on my university assignments in case anyone was watching through the windows. In reality, I opened a private browser and typed: "Rogue Alpha sightings."

The search returned nothing useful—just the usual conspiracy theories and werewolf fiction. Whatever the ice-high rogue had been rambling about three weeks ago hadn't made it to the internet. That could be good or bad.

My phone buzzed with a text from Uncle Mateo: "Stay put. Hunters outside. Not just Maison's unit."

My stomach clenched. Hunters outside usually meant one thing—someone had picked up a scent they weren't supposed to. I moved to the window and carefully peered through the blinds.

Sure enough, three black SUVs had pulled up alongside the diner. Men in tactical gear emerged, their movements precise and coordinated. They weren't carrying visible weapons—they never did in public—but I knew what was concealed beneath their jackets. Silver-tipped ammunition, wolfsbane grenades, and restraints designed to hold even the strongest Alpha.

I watched as Alpha Maison exited the diner, his posture rigid as he approached what appeared to be the leader of the new arrivals. Even from this distance, I could see the tension in his shoulders. Whatever was happening, it wasn't a friendly visit.

Jackson followed his brother, his usual disinterested expression replaced with something more calculating. He positioned himself slightly behind Maison, scanning the perimeter with practised efficiency.

My phone buzzed again: "They're looking for the growler from the drive-thru. Stay hidden."

I typed back: "Who was it?"

As I sent that message, the sounds of fighting broke out, making me jump back quickly, grabbing things that I would need to take with me if I had to get into the safe room. I wasn’t silly; I knew that this wasn’t going to end well. What I didn’t see was the Alpha Heirs Unit; they should be fighting alongside their Alphas.

Gun shots ran out next, things outside must have gotten worse. Now was the time to use the passage to the safe room and the escape passage to the packhouse, if there ever was one.

I raced to the hidden panel in the apartment's hallway, my fingers trembling as I pressed the sequence Uncle Mateo had drilled into me since childhood. Three taps at the top, two in the middle, and a long press at the bottom. The wall slid open with a soft hydraulic hiss, revealing the narrow passage that would lead me to safety.

More gunshots echoed outside, followed by the unmistakable sound of a werewolf's roar. Not the warning growl from earlier this was a battle cry, primal and fierce. In response, my wolf stirred beneath my skin, clawing to break free after years of suppression.

"Not now," I whispered, pressing my hand against my chest where the pendant lay. "Stay down."

The safe room was smaller than my bedroom—just enough space for a cot, a small bathroom, and a monitoring station with feeds from every camera in and around the restaurant. I dropped my emergency bag on the floor and immediately went to the screens.

What I saw made my blood run cold.

The parking lot had become a battlefield. Three bodies, human hunters from the looks of their tactical gear, lay motionless on the asphalt. Maison stood in his half-shifted form, fangs bared and claws extended, facing off against a massive werewolf I didn't recognise. This wasn't just any rogue—the creature stood nearly eight feet tall, its fur an unnatural shade of silver that seemed to shimmer under the afternoon sun.

Jackson was nowhere to be seen, but Dean, Carter, and Tristan formed a defensive perimeter around the diner's entrance. Uncle Mateo was at the door, ushering terrified customers toward the back exit.

My phone buzzed again. Uncle Mateo: "Rogue Alpha from North Territory. He's looking for you."

My heart hammered against my ribs. The North Territory was supposed to be under tight control after the rebellion five years ago, the same rebellion that had claimed my father's life and sent me into hiding.

I zoomed in on the silver wolf. There was something familiar about him, something in the way he moved that triggered a distant memory. I'd seen him before, but where?

The wolf lunged at Maison, who barely dodged the attack. Even with his Alpha strength, Maison was outmatched. This rogue was older, stronger, and fighting with the desperation of someone with nothing to lose.

A blur of movement caught my eye on another screen. Jackson had circled around the building and was approaching from behind, fully shifted into his wolf form, sleek black fur with grey markings around his muzzle. He was coordinating with his brother without a word spoken between them.

I should have looked away. I should have focused on preparing the escape tunnel. Instead, I watched transfixed as the twins executed a flawless pincer attack on the rogue Alpha. Jackson struck first, clamping his jaws around the rogue's hind leg while Maison went for the throat. For a moment, I thought they had him.

Then everything went wrong.

The silver wolf howled—not in pain but in triumph. His body convulsed, and a wave of power rolled off him like a physical force. Both Hunter twins were thrown backward as if hit by an invisible wall. Maison slammed into one of the SUVs, the metal crunching under the impact. Jackson crashed through the diner's front window in a shower of glass.

"No," I whispered, my fingers pressed against the monitor.

The silver wolf stood tall, seemingly uninjured despite the twins' attack. His head swivelled toward the diner, then up, directly at the apartment windows. At my window.

He knew I was here.

"Found you, little diamond," his voice rumbled through my mind, clear as if he were standing beside me.

I stumbled back from the monitors, my legs suddenly weak. That voice. I knew that voice from somewhere deep in my forgotten childhood.

A telepathic link. Only the strongest Alphas could establish one with those outside their pack; even fewer could do so with someone they'd never met. But I wasn't a stranger to him, was I?

The emergency phone on the wall rang. I grabbed it with trembling hands.

"Daisy, get out now." Uncle Mateo's voice was strained, and the sounds of fighting were in the background. "Take the tunnel all the way to the packhouse. Don't stop, don't look back."

"Who is he, Mateo? He spoke to me—in my head."

A pause. "That's impossible unless—" He cursed. "He's Kieran Asher. Your father's Beta."

The name hit me like a physical blow. Kieran Asher had been my father's right hand, his most trusted advisor and friend. He was supposed to have died in the same attack that killed my parents.

"He's supposed to be dead," I whispered.

"So are you," Uncle Mateo replied grimly. "Now go. I'll hold him off."

The line went dead.

I grabbed my emergency bag and punched in the code for the escape tunnel. The back wall of the safe room slid open, revealing a narrow passageway lit by dim emergency lights. As I stepped inside, I heard the unmistakable sound of something massive crashing through the ceiling of the apartment above.

He was inside.

I ran. The tunnel stretched before me, curving slightly to the right as it descended beneath the streets of the town. The air grew cooler and damp, the walls narrowing until my shoulders nearly brushed both sides. My enhanced vision cut through the darkness easily, but my human side still felt the primal fear of being underground, trapped.

Behind me, I heard a distant roar of frustration. He'd found the safe room, but not the tunnel entrance. Not yet.

I pushed myself harder, my lungs burning as I sprinted through the passage. Uncle Mateo, please be safe. I made it to the passage exit just in time. Alpha Logan was waiting alongside 20 of his strongest warriors, but if his own sons couldn’t beat him, what were they going to do?

Alpha Logan's piercing amber eyes locked with mine as I emerged from the tunnel. His face, weathered by decades of leadership, betrayed no emotion, but the tension in his massive frame told me everything I needed to know.

"Get behind us," he commanded, his voice carrying the unmistakable weight of an Alpha order. Even though I wasn't officially part of his pack, my wolf responded instinctively, urging me to obey.

I scrambled to his side as his warriors formed a protective semicircle around us. They were all in partial shift – claws extended, eyes glowing, teeth elongated – ready to transform fully at a moment's notice.

"Your uncle?" Logan asked, his gaze never leaving the tunnel entrance.

"Still at the diner. He was..." My voice cracked. "He said he'd hold Kieran off."

A muscle twitched in Logan's jaw. "Mateo always was too loyal for his own good."

One of the warriors stepped forward – a woman with steel-grey hair pulled into a tight braid. "Alpha, the twins?"

"Still alive," Logan replied. "Injured, but they'll heal."

Relief flooded through me, surprising in its intensity. I barely knew Maison and Jackson, and what little interaction we'd had wasn't exactly friendly. Yet the thought of them being seriously hurt because of me...

A distant howl echoed through the tunnel, followed by the sound of racing footsteps. Logan pushed me further behind him.

"Elena," he barked to the grey-haired woman, "take Daisy to the sanctuary. The rest of you, with me."

"No," I protested, digging my heels in when Elena tried to pull me away. "I can't just leave! Uncle Mateo is still—"

"This isn't a debate, Daisy," Logan growled. "If Kieran gets his hands on you, everything your father died for means nothing."

The words hit me like a physical blow. What did he mean, everything my father died for? I thought my father was killed in a territory dispute – at least that's what Uncle Mateo had always told me.

Before I could demand answers, a deafening roar erupted from the tunnel. The silver wolf – Kieran – burst through the opening, his massive form somehow even larger than it had appeared on the monitors. Blood matted his fur in several places, but he moved with terrifying speed and precision.

"GO!" Logan shouted, his body contorting as he shifted into his wolf form – a massive russet beast with battle scars crisscrossing his flank.

Elena didn't give me a choice this time. She grabbed my arm with supernatural strength and dragged me toward a reinforced door set into the stone wall behind us. The sounds of snarling, tearing, and bodies colliding echoed behind us as Logan's warriors engaged Kieran.

"Wait!" I twisted in her grip, catching one last glimpse of the battle. Why won’t anyone tell me what is going on?

Logan's warriors fought with synchronised precision, but Kieran moved like nothing I'd ever seen—a silver blur cutting through their ranks with brutal efficiency. Three warriors fell in quick succession, blood spraying across the stone walls.

"Don't look," Elena hissed, finally pulling me through the reinforced door and slamming it shut behind us. Multiple locks engaged automatically with a series of metallic clicks.

We stood in a narrow corridor illuminated by recessed lighting. The walls appeared to be normal concrete, but I recognised the faint shimmer of silver dust mixed into the material, designed to contain even the strongest werewolf.

"What is this place?" I asked, struggling to catch my breath.

"The sanctuary," Elena replied, already moving down the corridor. "Keep up."

I followed her through a labyrinth of identical hallways, my mind racing. "Who is Kieran Asher really? Uncle Mateo said he was my father's Beta, but—"

"Not now." Elena's voice left no room for argument. "Those doors won't hold him for long."

As if on cue, a tremendous boom echoed through the corridor behind us, followed by the screeching sound of metal tearing. Elena cursed under her breath and broke into a run.

We emerged into a circular chamber with a domed ceiling. Runes I didn't recognise were carved into every surface, glowing faintly blue. In the centre stood a raised platform with what looked like a stone altar.

"Step onto the platform," Elena instructed, moving to a control panel embedded in the wall.

I hesitated. "What is this? I'm not doing anything until someone explains what's happening."

Elena's eyes flashed gold with impatience. "Your father built this chamber to protect you if Kieran ever returned. That's all you need to know right now."

"My father built..." I stared at the runes, suddenly recognising some of the symbols from my pendant. "Why would he need to protect me from his own Beta? What aren't you telling me?"

Another crash reverberated through the sanctuary, closer this time. Elena abandoned the control panel and physically pushed me onto the platform.

"Because Kieran isn't just after you," she growled, her patience clearly at an end. "He's after what's inside you."

Before I could ask what she meant, the platform beneath my feet began to glow. The runes on the walls brightened in response, and a humming energy filled the air. My pendant grew hot against my skin, nearly burning.

"What's happening?" I gasped, trying to step off the platform, but an invisible barrier held me in place.

Elena backed away, her expression grim. "The only thing that can save you now. I'm sorry, Daisy, but it's time for Star to wake up."

A searing pain shot through my chest, radiating outward until every nerve ending felt like it was on fire. I screamed, clutching at my pendant as it burned brighter. What was going on, and why is someone calling me Marabelle, not Daisy? Its like these memories aren’t mine but yet they are.

The name echoed in my mind like a forgotten melody. Marabelle. Not Daisy. Marabelle Daisy Graystone.