Chapter 2

The next morning, I slipped back into my routine. Driving my old, rattling car through the city, picking up passengers for a fare, that was how I made a living, because every cent I made at The Den went to Viktor.

I tried to push last night out of my mind. I told myself it didn’t happen.

But my thoughts kept drifting back, to the way he looked at me, the heat between us, the taste of his mouth.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter.

Focus, Liora. Just drive.

I turned up the radio, letting the music drown my thoughts.

I picked up a woman heading toward the palace district. She talked the entire ride, rambling about the Silvermoon Alpha heir, Elliot Silvercrest, the son of the ruling Alpha of House Silvercrest. Word was, his father was dying, and Elliot had returned from abroad to take over once the old Alpha passed. Now they were recruiting workers at the palace for the Prince’s quarters.

The job wasn’t meant for people like me. Omegas didn’t work in the palace.

By the time we reached the Silvercrest Palace, the place was already swarming with people gathered for the job interviews. The line stretched so far it looked endless.

I dropped my passenger off and laughed to myself. That world was a million miles away from mine.

Or so I thought.

---

About thirty minutes later, I realized my last passenger had left her phone in the back seat.

I cursed under my breath. I could’ve ignored it, but if she reported it missing, I would be the first to blame. So I turned around and went back to the palace.

The moment I stepped into the waiting hall, it felt like another world. People in elegant clothes, holding thick resumes, looking nervous. I asked someone where the interview was happening, and they pointed to a door. I stepped inside, and before I could explain, a tall woman with a clipboard walked up to me, looking me over like I was dirt on her shoes.

“Are you here for the interview?” she asked.

“I’m just returning...”

“You’ll have to wait your turn,” she cut in.

I blinked. “I’m not...”

The door opened again, and a man stepped in. The way he carried himself, and judging from how the woman with the clipboard slightly bowed her head, he must be the Alpha heir.

Elliot Silvercrest.

He wasn’t what I expected. He was younger, sharper, and damn, he was gorgeous. Dressed in dark casual wear that didn’t hide the power in his frame.

His silver eyes scanned the room… and then locked on me. For a moment, the future Alpha stared like he knew me, like he was surprised to see me.

And I felt it again, the same maddening pull I had felt last night with the masked stranger at the Den. My chest tightened, and before I could make sense of it, his voice cut through the silence.

“Helen, would you excuse us? I’ll do this interview alone.” His voice was firm and commanding.

The woman with the clipboard hesitated. “But sir, I’m here to assist...”

“Leave. Now.” He said it without ever looking away from me.

Helen pressed her lips together but didn’t argue. She turned and walked out, closing the door behind her.

I stood frozen, still clutching that stupid phone like it could protect me. He stared at me for a long moment, his gaze heavy and intimidating.

Finally, he spoke. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” His voice was low, dangerous.

“The stripper from the Den that I almost…” He shook his head once, like he could shake the memory out of existence, but his eyes locked on me and refused to let go.

The words knocked the breath from my lungs.

The masked man from the Den, the one whose touch still burned on my skin, the one I couldn’t remove from my mind, he was... the Alpha heir.

“What are you doing here?” he snarled.

Before I could find my voice, he was already closing the distance, with each step steady, controlled, and deliberate, and I stumbled back until the wall caught me. My heart was racing so hard I thought he could hear it.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came. Shame pressed heavy and suffocating on my chest. For the first time in my life, I wished I could disappear.

“You can’t possibly be here for the job. Omegas don’t work in the palace.” His eyes narrowed like he was trying to unravel the mystery behind me.

“What do you want?”

“I’m not… I don’t know what you mean.” My voice broke.

“Liar.”

He leaned down, close enough that his breath brushed my skin, close enough that the bond between us burned hot and wild. My knees nearly buckled under the weight of it.

“Listen carefully,” he bit out, every syllable sharp. “Whatever you think happened yesterday, whatever you think that was, it meant nothing. I had too many drinks, it was a mistake, and it will never happen again.”

His voice dropped, rough with anger, but underneath it I caught something else… “That… connection you think you felt with me… it’s fake. Do you understand? I am the future Alpha of this pack. I don’t fuck with your kind.”

The last words shredded through me. He stared one final time. “So, if you value your life, never let me see your face again. Stay away from me.”

And then he turned, storming out, the door slamming shut with a force that made me flinch.

For a moment, I couldn’t move. His words echoed through me, each one cutting deeper than claws. Hot tears blurred my vision, and I pressed my hand over my mouth to smother the sob rising in my throat. I couldn’t stop shaking. My wolf whimpered inside me, small and afraid, curling back into the shadows.

I wanted to disappear too.