Chapter 1

Late. Again.

I scrambled around the apartment, yanking Kaila’s shoes on with one hand while searching for my keys with the other. Kieran watched me with those emerald eyes—the exact shade of his father’s.

I snapped my eyes away before I could get pulled back into the past.

I glanced at my babies and reminded myself ,I’m not that weak omega they once knew. I have something to protect, something to fight for, and something to keep living for.

If I clocked in late one more time, Mrs. Walton had made it clear — no pay for three months. I didn’t have room to fail, not with two mouths besides mine to feed.

The pack house was unusually busy — maids rushing through the halls with their arms full of trays, guards stationed rigidly at every entrance. I slowed down, glancing around.

Something was wrong.

The maids weren’t just hurrying — they looked nervous, whispering among themselves whenever they thought no one was listening. Even the guards, normally relaxed enough to trade jokes by the door, stood stiff and silent, their eyes constantly scanning the halls.

I frowned.

What was going on?

I caught the arm of a passing maid before she could disappear around the corner.

“Hey, what’s happening? Why is everyone acting so strange?”

She glanced around before leaning in close, her voice dropping to barely more than a breath.

“An Alpha from another pack is coming.”

“So? Alphas visit all the time.”

“No, no. Not like this one.” She swallowed hard. “It’s the rumored Alpha. The one rumored to have killed his own twin sister. Scars all over him—some even say there’s a jagged one right across his cheek.” Her eyes darted toward the hall. “One wrong move could cost you your life.”

Then she was gone, her pace quickening as she disappeared back into the rush of the halls.

I stood there for a second, her words settling over me like a cold weight.

Killed his own sister. Scars. A jagged one across his cheek.

I shook my head. It’s just a rumor. Not my problem. I just needed to get through today, do my job, and go home with my babies.

Straightening my shoulders, I made my way toward the kitchen — and toward Mrs. Walton, who I still needed to check in with before the day officially started.

I found Mrs. Walton in the kitchen, already barking orders at the maids scrambling around her.

“There you are.” She didn’t even look up from the tray she was inspecting. “You’re on breakfast duty for the royal family today.”

My stomach dropped. “Me?”

“Don’t look so terrified.” She finally met my eyes, sharp and assessing. “You’ll help set everything up, then leave the dining room before they arrive. Once they’re seated, you’ll return with the other maids to serve breakfast.”

She paused, her gaze hardening.

“And when you do, keep your eyes down, especially around the Alpha. You do not look at him. Not once. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mrs. Walton.”

“Good. One mistake today and it won’t just be your job on the line.”

I swallowed hard and forced myself toward the dining room, the maid’s warning still echoing in my head.

Killed his own sister.

Who kills their own sister?

I moved through the dining room in a daze, setting the table with hands that weren’t quite steady. The question wouldn’t leave me alone.

What kind of monster—

“What if who killed his sister?”

I froze.

Mrs. Walton stood in the doorway, arms crossed, watching me with narrowed eyes. The words had slipped out before I even realized I’d spoken them aloud.

“N-nothing.” I forced my hands to keep moving, straightening a fork that didn’t need straightening. “Just thinking out loud.”

She studied me for a moment longer, then clearly decided she didn’t have time for it.

“Well, stop. Whatever you’re thinking about, it can wait.” She glanced around the room, her gaze sharpening further. “This has to be perfect. Do you understand me? Perfect.”

“Yes, Mrs. Walton.”

She gave one last look around the room before disappearing back down the hall, already snapping orders at someone else. 

I forced myself to focus, smoothing the tablecloth, adjusting the plates for the third time. Just get through this. Just get through today I said to myself. 

I was so lost in making everything perfect that I barely noticed anything around me. I didn’t hear the guard announce the arrival of the royal family until it was almost too late.

Panic shot through me. I had only seconds before they found me here.

I bolted for the side door, praying it wasn’t locked. It wasn’t. I slipped through it, my chest heaving as I pressed myself against the wall. Thank the goddess for that second door, I muttered under my breath, still catching my breath, my back pressed flat against the cold stone wall.

I walked toward the children’s room—the small room where workers could leave their kids during their shifts. I let myself have exactly three seconds of relief before reality caught up with me.

Three seconds. That’s all I had before it felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over me, a different kind of panic seizing my chest.

Whereare the twins?

My babies — they weren’t in the room.

Before the panic could fully take hold, the door creaked open. Kieran stood there, his small chest heaving, his emerald eyes wide with worry.

“Mama—” His voice cracked. “Kaila… She wanted to go see the garden. I told her to wait, but she ran off, and I couldn’t find her.”

My heart dropped straight through the floor.

“No no no… not now.”

Not when the royal family is around.

I turned to face Kieran. “Baby, don’t be scared. Just wait for mommy right here, hmmm.” With shaking hands, I cupped his cheeks, giving him a lingering kiss on his forehead.

I ran, my heart slamming against my rib cage with every step, praying to the Goddess that my baby was safe.

The garden was empty.

No footprints in the dirt, no giggling voice calling out for me, no flash of her dark hair between the hedges. Just silence — the kind that made my stomach twist into knots.

“Kaila?” My voice cracked. I called louder this time, panic bleeding into every syllable. “Kaila, baby, where are you?”