Chapter 2

"You're telling me she's been screwing him this whole time?" Joshua, my big brother, paced across my bedroom, running his hands through his dark hair.

I sat on my bed, still in shock. The past hour had been a blur—running from the palace, calling Joshua, watching his face crumble when I told him about Sofia.

"Not just that." My voice sounded hollow. "She's been feeding him information. How to steal my birthright, how to break me."

Joshua stopped pacing, his eyes flashing gold—a sign his wolf was close to the surface. "I'll kill him."

"Get in line," I muttered, my own wolf growling in agreement.

Joshua knelt in front of me, taking my hands. "What are you going to do? The wedding's tomorrow."

"There won't be a wedding."

"Emma..." Joshua's voice softened. "You know what this means. The alliance—"

"I know exactly what it means." I pulled my hands away. "War with the humans. Donovan's father is planning to use our syndicate's connections to strike first. But I won't be the weapon they use."

Joshua's eyes narrowed. "Where will you go? Aldrich controls most territories now. You'd be a fugitive."

A smile stretched across my face. "The one place a girl would never go. The place Donovan would never think to look for me."

It took him a moment, but when realization hit, his eyes widened. "The Alpha Academy? Have you lost your mind?"

"I'm going to do what no woman has ever done. I'm going to survive the Academy."

"They'll kill you if they find out," Joshua said, voice tight with worry.

"If they find out." I stood up. "I need to get ready."

Joshua watched me for a long moment before sighing. "If anyone could pull this off, it's you." He pulled out his phone. "I'll call Marcus. He can get you papers, a new identity."

"I need to be invisible," I said. "Nobody."

"I'll make sure of it." He paused at the door. "Pack what you need. I'll be back with help."

...

Two hours later, my bedroom had transformed into command central. My cousin Marcus had arrived with papers and a new identity, along with his girlfriend Lily and her sister Ava, both carrying large duffel bags.

"Operation 'Make Emma a Boy' is now in session," Lily announced, unzipping her bag to reveal a treasure trove of supplies.

Marcus spread the forged documents across my desk. "Meet Ari Blackwood, son of Alpha Terrance Blackwood from the Lunar Vale Pack."

"Lunar Vale?" I asked, scanning the papers. "I've never heard of it."

"Exactly," Marcus grinned. "Small, remote pack in the northern territories. Barely registers on anyone's radar. You'll be invisible."

Joshua examined the papers. "Backstory?"

"First time leaving the pack. Father wanted you to get training at the Academy to strengthen ties with other packs," Marcus explained. "Simple, believable, boring."

"Perfect," I nodded.

"Now for the fun part," Ava said, opening scissors with a dramatic snip. "That hair has to go."

My hand instinctively went to my long dark hair. I'd never cut it before.

Do it, my wolf urged. Hair grows back. Freedom doesn't.

I nodded and sat down.

For the next several hours, they transformed me. Ava cut my hair into a short, tousled style that framed my face differently. Lily wrapped bandages tightly around my chest, flattening my curves.

"Try these." Marcus handed me clothes—loose shirts, baggy pants, boots.

"Walk like you own the place," Joshua instructed as I practiced a masculine stride around my room. "Not that swagger—more... yeah, like that. Shoulders back."

"Voice deeper," Lily reminded me. "From here." She tapped my chest.

"Like this?" I dropped my voice an octave.

"Better, but relax it. You sound like you're in a bad action movie."

We worked through the night, drilling me on all aspects of my new identity, testing me with questions about my fake pack, creating muscle memory for my new mannerisms.

At 2 AM, I wrote a letter to my father, explaining nothing, just apologizing for my absence. I sealed it and handed it to Joshua.

"Give this to him tomorrow, after I'm gone," I said. "He can't know where I'm going."

"He'll be disappointed," Joshua warned.

"He's always disappointed in me," I replied, masking the hurt with a shrug. "This time, I'm making my own path."

At 3 AM, we said our goodbyes. Joshua hugged me tightly.

"I'll arrive at the Academy on schedule," he whispered. "Two days after your wedding date. We need to stick to the plan so no one suspects anything."

I nodded against his shoulder. "Be careful around Donovan."

"You too, little sister." He pulled back, looking at me in my disguise. "You look like a completely different person."

"That's the idea." I didn’t wait for him to say anything else. I turned around and picked up my bag. I pause to look back at my room.

Everything familiar: my room, my brother, the house I’d grown up in… suddenly felt like a place I didn’t belong to anymore. I wasn’t Emma Vittori, the girl getting married tomorrow. I wasn’t anyone’s bride. I was a name on fake documents, wearing someone else’s story like armor. When I turned away and slung the bag over my shoulder, it hit me that I wasn’t just running. I was walking into something worse. A place that didn’t want me. A place built to chew up alphas and spit out kings. And I was going in as a nobody, a girl dressed like a boy, with no backup, and a secret that could get me killed before breakfast.

Tomorrow, Donovan would stand at the altar, waiting to marry the girl he thought he’d broken. I’d be halfway across the nation by then, stepping into the Alpha Academy—the same place he’s supposed to train for his crown. I’ll be right under his nose. We’ll meet again. Not as lovers. But on the battlefield he was dumb enough to think I’d never reach. And when we do, I’ll look him in the eye, and I’ll show him exactly what happens when you try to destroy a Vittori. I won’t be the girl who loved him. I’ll be the girl who came to ruin him.