Chapter 4

The bus moved steadily through the dark streets, carrying me farther away from everything I had ever known.

I sat beside the window with my small bag pressed against my feet. I hadn't said a word since we left the terminal.

Honestly, I didn't know what to say.

My entire life had changed in less than a day.

That morning, I had been Nina Whitmoor, daughter of an Alpha, sister to Cecilia, and the future Luna of the Silver Fang Pack.

Now I was an outcast with nowhere to go.

I looked down at my hands.

They were still trembling.

I closed my eyes and tried to breathe.

Damien's face appeared in my mind again.

The way he had looked at me during the ceremony.

The coldness in his eyes.

Then his voice.

I reject you, Nina Whitmoor, as my mate.

My chest tightened.

I quickly opened my eyes.

I didn't want to think about him.

Not anymore.

But forgetting someone I had loved for years wasn't something I could simply decide to do.

A quiet sigh came from beside me.

I turned toward the woman I had helped.

Liana had pulled her hood back over her head, but she no longer looked frightened. She sat calmly, her eyes fixed on the road ahead.

There was something different about her now.

At the terminal, she had looked like someone desperately trying to escape.

Now she looked completely in control.

I studied her for a moment before finally speaking.

“Are they still following us?”

She glanced at me.

“I don't think so.”

“You don't think so?”

A faint smile touched her lips.

“If they were, we'd know by now.”

I nodded slowly.

Silence returned.

I looked through the window again.

The city lights were becoming fewer and farther between.

“Where are you going?” Liana asked.

I shrugged.

“I don't know.”

She turned toward me.

“You bought a ticket without knowing where you were going?”

“I just wanted to leave.”

There was no point pretending otherwise.

She seemed to understand.

“You ran away from home.”

I lowered my gaze.

“I was thrown out.”

Something changed in her expression.

Not pity.

Something closer to curiosity.

“By your family?”

“My father.”

She didn't ask what I had done.

That surprised me.

Most people would have.

Instead, she simply asked, “Why?”

I swallowed.

“Because my mate rejected me.”

Liana's eyes narrowed slightly.

“Your mate?”

I nodded.

“He rejected me tonight.”

“And that's why your father threw you out?”

“It's more complicated than that.”

I didn't want to tell a stranger everything.

Especially not the part about Cecilia.

The betrayal was still too fresh.

Liana seemed to notice my hesitation.

“You don't have to explain.”

“Thank you.”

She leaned back against her seat.

For a few minutes, neither of us spoke.

Then she looked at me again.

“What were you thinking when you helped me?”

I frowned.

“What?”

“At the terminal.”

I remembered the moment.

The frightened woman running toward me.

The men chasing her.

I hadn't known who she was.

I hadn't even known whether helping her would put me in danger.

I had simply reacted.

“I don't know,” I admitted. “You looked scared.”

“That was enough?”

“Yes.”

Liana studied me quietly.

Then she smiled.

“You're strange.”

I almost laughed.

“I've been called worse.”

Her smile grew.

For the first time that night, something inside me loosened.

It wasn't happiness.

Not yet.

But it was the first moment I hadn't felt completely alone.

The bus continued down the highway.

Eventually, Liana reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of water.

She held it toward me.

“You should drink.”

I accepted it.

“Thank you.”

“You haven't stopped shaking since you sat down.”

I looked at my hands again.

She was right.

I took a small sip.

“It's been a terrible day.”

“I can see that.”

I gave her a tired smile.

“You have no idea.”

“No,” she said quietly. “I probably don't.”

There was something about the way she said it that made me look at her.

For a second, our eyes met.

Then she looked away.

“You'll be alright,” she said.

I almost laughed.

It was such a simple statement.

Yet I desperately wanted to believe it.

“I hope you're right.”

“I usually am.”

That made me smile.

Barely.

But it was a smile.

Hours passed.

Eventually, the bus stopped at a small roadside station.

Most of the passengers remained seated, but a few stepped outside to stretch their legs.

Liana stood.

“Come with me.”

I hesitated.

“Why?”

“Because you look like you haven't eaten all day.”

I opened my mouth to argue.

Then my stomach betrayed me with a quiet growl.

Liana raised an eyebrow.

I looked away, embarrassed.

“Fine.”

We stepped off the bus together.

The night air was cooler than before.

I followed her toward a small shop beside the station.

She bought two sandwiches and handed one to me.

I stared at it.

“You don't have to—”

“Eat.”

Her tone was firm enough that I immediately obeyed.

The first bite nearly made me realize how hungry I actually was.

Liana watched me for a moment.

“You really weren't planning to eat, were you?”

“I wasn't thinking about food.”

“What were you thinking about?”

I stopped chewing.

Everything.

My father.

Cecilia.

Damien.

The life I'd lost.

I looked down at the sandwich.

“Nothing good.”

Liana didn't push.

She simply nodded.

When we returned to the bus, I noticed something strange.

The driver seemed to recognize Liana.

He greeted her respectfully before she took her seat.

I looked at her.

“Who are you?”

She paused.

Then she gave me an unreadable smile.

“I told you.”

“Your name isn't an answer.”

She laughed softly.

“No. I suppose it isn't.”

The bus started moving again.

I waited.

Eventually, she turned toward me.

“My name is Liana Rivers.”

The surname meant something.

I knew it.

I had heard it before.

My father had mentioned the Rivers family during council meetings.

They were wealthy.

Powerful.

Influential.

But that couldn't be the same Liana.

Could it?

My eyes widened.

“You're that Liana Rivers?”

Her expression became amused.

“Apparently.”

I stared at her.

Liana Rivers wasn't simply some wealthy woman.

Her family had connections across several territories, and their influence extended beyond pack politics.

People respected them.

Some feared them.

And I had just helped her escape from armed men.

I suddenly felt nervous.

“Why were those men chasing you?”

Her smile disappeared.

“That's a long story.”

“Are you in danger?”

She looked toward the window.

“Perhaps.”

That answer did nothing to calm me.

After a moment, she turned back.

“But don't worry. You don't have anything to do with it.”

I wasn't convinced.

“They saw me helping you.”

“They won't come after you.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I'll make sure they don't.”

There was something in her voice that made me believe her.

Not because she sounded reassuring.

Because she sounded certain.

The bus fell quiet around us.

I leaned my head against the window.

For the first time since leaving home, my eyes began to grow heavy.

Before I fell asleep, I heard Liana speak softly.

“Nina.”

I opened my eyes.

“Yes?”

“You said you were thrown out.”

“Yes.”

“Where will you go when we arrive?”

I stared at the darkness outside.

“I don't know.”

She was quiet for a moment.

Then she said something that would change my life.

“You can come with me.”

I turned toward her.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

I stared at her in disbelief.

“Why would you help me?”

Liana looked at me for a long moment.

“Because tonight, when you had every reason to think only about yourself, you chose to help a stranger.”

She paused.

“I don't forget people who show courage when it matters.”

I didn't know what to say.

After everything that had happened, someone was offering me a place to go.

Not because of my father's name.

Not because of my rank.

Not because I was someone's mate.

Simply because I had helped her.

My eyes burned.

I quickly looked away.

“Thank you.”

Liana leaned back in her seat.

“Don't thank me yet.”

I looked at her.

“Why?”

A small smile appeared on her face.

“Because if you come with me, your life is going to change.”

I looked out the window again.

For the first time that night, I wondered if that change could be something good.

I didn't know it yet.

But the woman sitting beside me wasn't simply giving me somewhere to stay.

She was opening the door to a world I had never imagined.

And somewhere beyond that door was the person I was destined to become.

Not the weak omega everyone had rejected.

Not Alpha Gabe's unwanted daughter.

Not Damien Wolfe's discarded mate.

Someone else.

Someone stronger.

Someone they would one day regret underestimating.