CHAPTER 1

Maisie

“Look at the time you’re coming in!” my boss, Silver Cross, shouted at me so loudly that his spit landed on my face. The action irked me, but I had to remind myself that I was in the human world and this human was my boss. Even though I had enough strength as a werewolf to rip him to shreds, I exercised restraint. It was the only way I could survive in this world. 

Instead, I cleared my throat and apologised in a small voice, “I’m sorry, sir. My son was sick…” 

“Enough!” he screamed, “I am sick of your excuses. If you are late one more day, do not bother coming in at all.” 

I nodded pitifully, scurrying away to change into my work uniform to begin my day’s job. 

As I reached into my small locker in the broom closet, the tips of my fingers touched a smooth surface. I pulled it out and saw a picture of my son that I had framed a year ago. The picture brought a warm smile to my lips and made my heart sink at the same time. 

My son. 

He was the reason I was here. He was the reason I kept enduring insult after insult from my middle-aged, bear-bellied human boss in an upscale restaurant. I had to make ends meet to take care of him, and, more importantly, keep a low profile even here. 

I pulled my shirt over my head and exchanged my leggings for a short skirt that barely covered my derriere. 

“Hurry up!” I was interrupted by my coworker, Emily. 

I smiled and joined her outside as we made our way into the dining space where we served guests. 

But I stopped suddenly when I stepped foot inside. 

“What?” Emily prodded me, “You’re really asking for trouble today.” 

But Emily was a mere human so she could not smell what I did. 

The scent of wolves—powerful wolves that were far above my station. 

I took another step forward, trying not to allow the feeling of anxiety to spread through my chest. 

“May?” I heard Emily whisper beside me, “Is something wrong?” 

“No…” I shook my head, refusing to believe a particular scent that wafted across my nose, “It cannot be.” 

“What are you talking about?” she demanded from me. 

I smiled and shook my head, “nothing.” 

“You had better not fuck things up today for me,” she said, “we’re serving some VIP guests that tip really well.” 

Then she lowered her voice,” and I heard they tip extra well if you follow them to their room.” 

“Emily!” 

“What?” she shrugged her shoulders, “what’s so bad about making some extra money?” 

She sauntered away, leaving me by myself. 

I took a bold step forward and walked to the table closest to me. 

I flashed my smile which I had spent months perfecting, “Would you like to place an order now?” 

My eyes glanced around the table I had come to serve. They were all men and from the scent I picked up, the table was full of werewolves, and judging by the strong aura I could sense, I would assume they were all alphas. 

My heart began to pound fiercely. 

To think that I had spent years running from my kind only to run into them where I was convinced I would never find them. I had so many questions running through my mind. 

Who were they? 

What were they doing here? 

Had he sent them? 

Did he know? 

“You’re very pretty for a human,” one of the men laughed, baring his teeth at me as if trying to scare me. 

I smiled and tried to feign a naive look as I had absolutely no idea what he was implying. 

I had taken my potion this morning as I did every day since I had been on the run with my son. 

“You flatter me, sir,” I said with a tight-lipped smile. 

“I cannot see your teeth,” another said, “are you not trained to smile properly?” 

I was doing my best to exercise restraint even though my wolf snarled within me, threatening to burst out of my human form and shred the leering Alphas. 

‘Don’t cause any trouble,’ I said in my head. 

I could not afford to get caught here. 

To the Alphas, I continued to smile, hoping that they could not hear my heart pounding within me. 

“I will return when you are ready to place an order,” I said with a smile, turning my back because they had shown no interest in ordering food. I planned to ditch the table and tell Emily that the men seemed like the kind who might want some extra company. 

I felt instantly guilty for thinking about throwing Emily to these monsters, but I had to save myself and save my son. 

“Wait!” The voice stopped me from moving any further.

My heart stopped as did time because I recognised who that was. 

It belonged to Nigel Crawfords of the Lampshade pack. He was an Alpha known notoriously for marrying women who ended up dying mysteriously within six months of marriage. He was rumoured to be brutal with women and would infamously kill his maidservants for the slightest errors. 

I had avoided him when I lived as a werewolf, but he was here now in the human realm. 

What the hell was he doing here? What the hell were all these Alphas doing gathered here? 

Did they have business in the human world? 

Did they plan on bringing terror to this world? 

Did I end up running from them to end up trapped in their world again? 

“Did you not hear me?” Nigel asked. 

I turned to face him, but he beckoned for me to come closer. 

“I’m ready to place my order,” he said to me. 

“What would that be sir?” It was a struggle keeping the smile on my face and trying not to make my teeth chatter with fright. 

“You,” I was standing beside him, waiting for him to choose something from the rich menu. 

“Sir?” I expected this sort of behaviour from Nigel, but had he no shame really? 

Nigel dropped the menu in his hand and trained his gaze on me, “I said I want you.” 

I was still racking my brain for a response when I heard a loud smack and felt Nigel’s rough hands on my buttocks. 

The nerve of the scoundrel!

I was so startled by the action that I jumped back, trying to get away from Nigel. Here in the human world, there were laws against such types of harassment. But as I pulled back, the linen of the tablecloth caught underneath my feet and the vase placed in the middle of the table, fell down with a loud shattering noise, startling me even further. 

I felt the instant stares of everyone in the room on me. 

And the overwhelming aura in the room proved me right—the room was packed with Alphas and they were all staring at me. 

“LEAVE!” 

The cold voice behind me was a thousand times more chilling to my soul than being dunked in ice. 

It was him. 

The familiar scent I had made out earlier—it had been him. 

I turned around slowly to confirm my suspicion and a pair of steel grey eyes burned into my soul. 

Keith. 

The man I had run away from. 

“I SAID LEAVE.” 

I heard footsteps begin to shuffle the marble tile and the restaurant began to empty at his command. 

I turned sharply too, hoping that he had not recognised me. I was betting on the potion that hid my scent to make me unrecognisable to him but he grabbed my hand roughly and I knew that my running was over. 

His second hand lunged for my throat in a chokehold that threatened to take my life. 

He was staring directly into my eyes, his hot breath on my face, and with a smirk he said, “So you’re still alive.”