Chapter 3

ERIN

"Hold still," Maya commanded, her fingers working the blonde dye through my dark hair. "Unless you want to end up looking like a zebra."

We were in the apartment above the brewery, and the chemical smell was making my morning sickness worse. I gripped the edges of the sink, fighting the urge to throw up.

"You okay?" Maya asked, pausing.

"Just peachy," I managed, then immediately regretted the sarcasm. "Sorry. The smell is just..."

"Getting to you? Yeah, pregnancy nose is no joke. Here." She grabbed a towel and handed it to me. "Breathe through this."

It helped a little. As she continued working, I caught my reflection in the mirror. The woman staring back already looked different. Hollow cheeks from not eating properly, dark circles under my eyes, and now with blonde hair processing, I barely recognized myself.

Good. That was the whole point.

"So," Maya said casually, "want to tell me about the father? Besides him being an ass, I mean."

I almost laughed. "Marty Blackstone. Alpha of Shadowcrest pack. Thirty years old, inherited the position from his father five years ago. Strong, ruthless, and completely obsessed with bloodlines and pack hierarchy."

"Sounds like a real prince," Maya said dryly.

"He wasn't always like that," I admitted, then wondered why I was defending him. "When we first met, he was different. Gentler. He used to bring me wildflowers and stay up all night talking about our dreams for the future."

"What changed?"

"The other Alphas started pressuring him. Said he needed a proper Luna, not some orphan with no lineage. He held out for a while, but..." I shrugged. "Power changes people."

Maya was quiet for a moment, focusing on covering every strand. "You're not an orphan, though. Not really."

I looked at her sharply. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, someone gave birth to you. Someone with wolf blood strong enough that you survived whatever happened when you were five. That's not nothing."

"But I don't remember—"

"Doesn't matter. The blood remembers, even if you don't." She checked her watch. "Twenty more minutes, then we rinse."

A knock at the door made us both freeze.

"Stay here," Maya whispered, wiping her hands on a towel.

Through the thin walls, I heard her footsteps, the door opening, then a deep voice that made my blood run cold.

"Ma'am, I'm Marcus Reed from Shadowcrest pack. I'm looking for someone, and I have reason to believe she might have come here seeking employment."

Not just any enforcer. Marcus was Marty's beta, his second in command. If he was here personally, this was serious.

"I already told your men earlier, I haven't seen anyone matching that description," Maya said, sounding bored.

"I'd like to look around, if you don't mind."

"I do mind, actually. This is neutral territory, Mr. Reed. You have no authority here."

"I have the authority of Alpha Blackstone—"

"Who has no jurisdiction in Silver Ridge." Maya's voice turned sharp. "Now, unless you're here to order a beer, I suggest you leave."

There was a long pause. I held my breath, my wolf clawing to get out, to run, to fight, to do something other than hide in a bathroom with dye in my hair.

"This isn't over," Marcus said finally.

"It is for today," Maya replied. "Have a nice afternoon."

The door closed. I heard Maya's footsteps coming back, but I was already sliding down the wall, my legs too shaky to hold me.

"Hey, hey," Maya said, catching me before I hit the floor. "You're okay. He's gone."

"He won't stop," I whispered. "Marcus is like a bloodhound. Once he's on a trail, he doesn't give up."

"Then we make sure there's no trail to follow." She helped me sit on the closed toilet lid. "Tomorrow, you're not Erin anymore. You're not even Emma. You're... Sarah. Sarah Mitchell, from the Eastwood pack. They disbanded three years ago after a fire, records are sketchy. Perfect cover."

"But what if—"

"No what-ifs," Maya interrupted. "You're going to survive this. That baby is going to survive this. And one day, when you're ready, you're going to be stronger than Marty Blackstone ever imagined possible."

I wanted to believe her. God, I wanted to believe her so badly.

The timer went off for my hair. As Maya rinsed the dye out, I watched the dark water swirl down the drain, taking pieces of my old self with it. When she finally toweled my hair dry and I looked in the mirror, a stranger stared back. Blonde, hollow-eyed, but somehow... fiercer.

"There she is," Maya said softly. "Sarah Mitchell. Survivor."

A crash from downstairs made us both jump.

"Stay here," Maya ordered, but this time I followed her to the door, peering out.

The brewery below was in chaos. Tables overturned, glasses shattered, and in the middle of it all, Marcus Reed holding one of my coworkers by the throat.

"I know she's here!" he snarled. "I can smell her!"

No. I couldn't let innocent people get hurt because of me. I started forward, but Maya caught my arm.

"Don't you dare," she hissed. "You go down there, and everything we've done is for nothing."

"But—"

"Trust me."

She pulled out her phone, hit a button, and said simply, "Code Red."

Within seconds, the brewery doors burst open. But instead of more of Marcus's men, wolves I didn't recognize poured in. Big ones. Dangerous ones. All wearing the same leather jackets with a silver ridge emblem.

"You're causing trouble in our territory," the biggest one said to Marcus. He had silver hair despite looking maybe forty, and power radiated from him in waves. An Alpha.

Marcus released my coworker, who scrambled away. "This is pack business—"

"No," the Alpha said. "This is Silver Ridge business. And you're no longer welcome here."

"You're harboring a fugitive—"

"I'm harboring no one. But even if I was, that's my right as Alpha of neutral territory." He stepped closer to Marcus. "Leave. Now. Don't come back."

For a moment, I thought Marcus would fight. His wolf was close to the surface, his eyes flashing amber. But even he wasn't stupid enough to take on an entire pack alone.

"This isn't over," he said. "Alpha Blackstone will hear about this."

"I'm counting on it," the silver-haired Alpha replied. "Tell Marty that Silver Ridge remains neutral. But neutral doesn't mean weak."

Marcus left, but not before his eyes swept the brewery one more time. For a heart-stopping moment, I swore he looked right at the spot where I was hiding.

Then he was gone.

"Who was that?" I whispered to Maya.

"Alpha Connor," she said. "My mate. And the reason Silver Ridge is the safest place for people like you."

I stared at her. "Your mate is the Alpha?"

"Surprise," she said with a small smile. "I told you, honey. You're under my protection. And that means you're under his too."

But even as relief flooded through me, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was far from over. Marcus had found me once. He'd find me again.

And next time, he might not come alone.