Chapter Three

The air inside The Silver Moon Diner smelled of grease, wet wool, and cheap coffee. It was a shabby, low-ceilinged dive located in a neutral border town on the very edge of the Dern Pack's territory. The perfect place for rogue wolves, runaways, and low-tier betas to blend into the background.

I sat in a dark corner booth, my back pressed against the peeling vinyl seat. Beneath my heavy winter coat, Maya was tucked snugly against my chest in a fabric sling. I kept one hand protectively over her back, feeling the slow, comforting rhythm of her breathing. I had just finished feeding her a bottled formula I’d scavenged from a local pharmacy, and thankfully, she was fast asleep, utterly content.

My own body, however, was a wreck.

The black-market suppressants were still taking a brutal toll. My muscles felt like they were filled with lead, and a lingering, dull headache throbbed behind my eyes. Every time I breathed, the artificial, dull scent of a common Beta coated my throat, a constant reminder of the chemical mask I was forcing my wolf to wear. But as long as it kept the Ash Pack from tracking me and the Dern Pack from realizing I was an Omega, I would swallow the poison every single day.

I pulled out my worn leather wallet and emptied the remaining cash onto the sticky table.

Fifty-four dollars.

That was all I had left. Just fifty-four dollars to keep a newborn baby and myself fed, clothed, and sheltered. At this rate, we would be living on the freezing streets by the end of the week. And out in the open, the Ash Pack's scouts would find us in a heartbeat.

Desperate for any distraction, I stood up, cradling Maya securely, and walked toward the back of the diner near the restrooms. Beside the payphone hung a massive, cork bulletin board cluttered with overlapping flyers, yellowed newspaper clippings, and local classified ads. Shifter packs in border towns still used physical boards to post odd jobs, keeping their business off the human internet.

My eyes scanned the notices. Wranglers wanted for the northern border. Lumberjacks needed. Dishwasher wanted,no questions asked.

None of them offered lodging. I couldn't work a shift-based job and leave Maya alone in some freezing motel room. I needed something with housing.

Then, a crisp, white flyer pinned near the top caught my eye. Unlike the crumpled, grease-stained notes surrounding it, this one was printed on high-quality paper. The elegant emblem of the Dern Pack,three interlocking silver wolves,was embossed at the very top.

My heart skipped a beat. I stepped closer, my eyes darting across the text.

IMMEDIATE OPENING, LIVE-IN HOUSEKEEPER & NANNY

The Dern Alpha Estate is seeking a highly organized, discreet, and reliable individual for an immediate, live-in position.

Duties include estate upkeep, meal preparation, and full-time nanny care for the Alpha family’s younger sister, Chloe, and her newborn infant. Chloe has returned to the estate to prepare for her high-stakes medical board exams and requires dedicated assistance so she can study without distraction.

Generous salary, private living quarters, and full pack protection provided.

Applicants must present themselves at the main estate gates for interviews.

I stared at the paper, my breath hitching in my throat.

A live-in nanny and housekeeper. It was perfect. It was everything I needed,lodging, money, and a way to keep Maya right by my side under the guise of caring for another baby.

But as the full reality of the posting sank in, a cold spike of fear pierced my chest.

The Dern Alpha Estate. That wasn't just any packhouse. It was the private, heavily guarded sanctuary of the three Alpha brothers. Sky, River, and Tanner. The very men I was hiding from. The very men who ruled this territory with unquestioned authority.

To walk into that estate as a runaway Omega hiding a secret baby was nothing short of a suicide mission.

If my suppressants failed for even a single second, the concentrated Alphas' pheromones in that house would trigger my wolf. They would realize I was an Omega, find Maya, and unravel my entire web of lies. If they discovered I was the brother of the deceased Ash Pack Luna, it could trigger a territorial war.

But... I looked down, gently touching the soft fabric covering Maya’s head. It’s the only way.

Ruby had died before she could tell me which brother was the father. If I stayed out here on the streets, Spencer would eventually find us and kill her. But if I was inside the estate, living under their very noses, I could observe them. I could watch how they reacted to Maya, search for any clue, and find her biological father. Once I found him, I could appeal to his protective instincts, reveal the truth, and secure a life of safety for my niece.

It was an insane gamble. A dance on the edge of a razor blade.

But looking at the elegant silver crest of the Dern Pack, I knew I didn't have a choice. For Ruby. For Maya.

I reached up, my hand trembling slightly as I ripped the flyer off the corkboard and shoved it deep into my coat pocket.

I was going to the Alpha Estate.