Unseen, I dart through the pack house like a shadow, then slip behind some heavy drapes.
Alpha Marco will never look for me here.
The drapes hang alongside an entranceway near the end of a hall, overlapping the opening just enough that if someone comes looking for me, all I need to do is slide around the corner unseen.
Then exit that room into a different hall.
My hiding place also happens to be down the hall from the alpha’s office, pretty clever if I do say so myself. After all, when people run and hide, they usually try to get as far away as possible.
Just like I’ll be doing soon. But for now…
I allow myself a small smile. For now, I’ll stay invisible. After all, I’ve practically made it into an art form.
One I’ve been practicing a long time.
I dress in baggy clothes. I keep my eyes downcast, letting my long, white-blonde hair hang over my face, and I slouch so no one will notice how tall I am. I blend into my surroundings and barely speak unless spoken to.
Being invisible is easier than being present. It allows me to sit quietly somewhere and listen to what others are saying and planning. It keeps me one step ahead of the others in the pack.
And it’s how I know Leandré is coming today.
Last time that monster visited Half Moon Pack, Alpha Marco locked me in my room—one of the only times he took note of my presence. I won’t let that happen again.
But not my only one.
She even has the ability to hide her scent, something I’ve never heard of another wolf being able to do. She says it’s for my protection, another type of invisibility.
She takes no bullshit and gives no cares, but even though it’s been getting harder, she refuses to shift in front of anyone. Sadie doesn’t feel the pack deserves her or me, and she says when the time is right, they’ll know.
In the meantime, I’ll keep pretending I’m wolfless. Fortunately, Sadie enables me to have the extra hearing and speed necessary to move about without others even realizing I’m there.
Thank Goddess. It’s become my only source of fun in the last couple of y—
I press myself flatter against the wall, and Sadie growls inside my head. But when a scent reaches my nose, we both relax a little.
I’m not allowed to train—even though I do so privately, using human videos—and I’m not allowed to participate in pack functions like parties, balls, and get-togethers. Luna Diana won’t allow it. She doesn’t want to see me, doesn’t even want to think about me.
Unless she’s assigning me the worst chores she can think of, of course—like polishing the silver (though that didn’t work out the way she wanted, thanks to Sadie).
When I inquired if the pack would help pay my college tuition, Alpha Marco told me pack funds would not be used to send low-rank wolves to college. That he wouldn’t waste money on an omega that’s only good for domestic work.
What he doesn’t know is, a prestigious tech school in New York state has offered me a full-ride scholarship. Only one person knows—Mr. Marshall, my computer science teacher.
He was the one who encouraged me to apply to tech colleges and some of the more elite universities, assuring me that with my grades, class rank, and drive, I’d get accepted into a human school with no problem.
And when I told him the alpha wouldn’t pay and might not let me go, he reminded me I wasn’t a member of the alpha’s pack.
“Neither is your mother,” he said. “Technically, you’re a member of the Silver Crest Pack.”
So I applied. Mr. Marshall let me use his address, and the acceptance letters poured in. But the one from Rochester was the one that offered everything—tuition, room and board, books. I immediately sent in the paperwork.
It’ll get me far away from here, miles away from this pack and my father.
Graduation and my eighteenth birthday are only a week away, and I’m giving myself the gift of a big, fat dramatic goodbye—to all of it!
But in the meantime, I’ll keep my head down, keep my voice down, and keep tight control of my emotions. We can’t risk anyone learning about Sadie. Alpha Marco would never let me go if he knew.
And with what I suspect about his buddy Leandré…
It’s more important than ever that I get out of here.
