Chapter 5 Invisible Targets

Erica POV

I woke up to quiet.

The kind of quiet that's too still to be comforting. The kind that lets your mind start imagining worst-case scenarios before your feet even touch the floor.

Tyler wasn't in the bed.

The spot next to me was still warm, and the scent of him-peppermint and musk and safety-clung to the blankets like an invisible shield. But the longer I sat there staring at the empty space, the more that feeling of safety cracked.

I sat up, wincing as my arm pulled at the stitches. Potato was curled in the corner of the room in a borrowed laundry basket, twitching in her sleep. I tugged Tyler's hoodie tighter around me and padded down the hallway barefoot, each step echoing too loudly in my ears.

His voice was low. Tense.

I stopped before the kitchen doorway, hiding just out of sight.

"No. I don't know who sent it."

Pause.

"Yes, I'm sure it's a threat."

Another pause.

"She doesn't know yet. I'm not telling her until I figure out who's behind it."

My breath caught. I pressed my back to the wall.

A threat?

Tyler was silent again, and then he said something that made my heart stutter.

"I don't care what the team thinks. If they come near her, they'll have to go through me."

I stepped into the kitchen.

Tyler turned instantly, the phone still pressed to his ear. His eyes widened slightly when he saw me. "I'll call you back," he muttered and hung up.

"Is there something I should know?" I asked.

He hesitated.

"Don't lie," I added. "Please."

He rubbed a hand over his jaw. "Someone sent a message this morning. Anonymous number. They know you're with me."

My stomach twisted. "What did it say?"

He hesitated again, but I gave him the look I reserved for professors who tried to mark down my essays without a reason.

He exhaled. "It said... you're marked. And that they're coming."

I sank into one of the kitchen chairs. "Marked?"

He nodded slowly. "It means someone's watching you. Watching us. And they want to make it known they don't approve."

"Approve of what?" My voice cracked. "I didn't do anything."

"It's not about what you did. It's about who you are. An unclaimed omega. Close to a high-profile alpha. It's enough to paint a target."

I swallowed hard. "Is this about you? Or me?"

"Both."

We sat in silence for a long beat.

Then I said, "So what do we do?"

He walked over, crouched in front of me, and took my hands gently. "We stay ahead of it. I'll talk to Coach Aster today, figure out who might've leaked anything. You stay here for now."

I blinked. "You want me to hide?"

"I want you safe."

My pride bristled. "I'm not fragile."

He smiled faintly. "No. You're not. But you're important."

The words settled on my skin like heat. I wanted to argue, to insist I could handle myself, but deep down I knew I wasn't equipped for this kind of chaos.

Books? Exams? Lectures? That was my battlefield.

But this threats, secrecy, dominance politics I was lost.

Tyler leaned forward, pressing his forehead to mine. "I won't let anything happen to you."

I nodded, even though fear was coiling tighter in my stomach with every passing second.

Later that morning, Alexis showed up at the flat with two bags of takeaway, a smug grin, and a very loud, "So this is what bonding looks like."

Tyler raised an eyebrow as he let her in. "You're brave, coming into an alpha's space like that."

"I'm not afraid of you," she shot back, dumping the food on the table. "Besides, you nearly knocked my best friend into a coma. I figure you owe me a few free meals."

He smirked. "Fair enough."

I gave her a look as I settled into the couch with my noodles. "Lex, this isn't a sleepover. There's stuff going on."

Her face sobered immediately. "I know. Tyler called me this morning."

I blinked. "What?"

"He said you were in danger. Said I needed to know what's going on in case something happened." She looked at me, serious for once. "Is that true? Are you really being threatened?"

I hesitated. Then nodded.

She sighed and dropped beside me. "Okay. Then we handle it. Together."

Tyler leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching us like we were some puzzle he hadn't quite figured out yet.

"I'm going to the arena," he said. "Talk to Aster. See who's poking around. You two don't leave. Lock the doors. Keep your phones on."

Alexis saluted him. "Sir, yes, sir."

He rolled his eyes and turned to me. "I'll be back soon."

I walked him to the door. Just before he stepped out, he turned and cupped my cheek.

"Don't be afraid, Erica."

I wasn't sure how to explain that I already was.

Alexis paced the living room while I picked at my food.

"I know that look," she muttered, eyeing me. "You're spiraling."

"I'm not."

"You are. It's written all over your face."

I set the container down and leaned back. "What if I'm dragging him down?"

"You're not."

"He's already on thin ice with the league. This? Us? My stupid heat instincts?" I shook my head. "It's too much."

She sat beside me, looping her arm through mine. "Erica, Tyler's a grown alpha. He made his choice. And you sweetheart you're not a burden. You're the only thing keeping him from slipping into that dark pit he's scared of."

I looked at her.

"You think I don't see it?" she said softly. "He's different with you. Calmer. Focused."

I swallowed. "I didn't ask for any of this."

"I know," she whispered. "But sometimes the universe doesn't ask what we want. It just shoves us toward what we need."

I didn't respond. I couldn't.

Because part of me already knew she was right.

When the knock came this time, it was softer.

But it was enough.

Alexis stood, cautiously peeking through the peephole. "It's just a guy in a hoodie. No idea who he is."

"Don't open it," I said.

But she was already unlocking the door.

"Alexis!"

She yanked it open.

The man didn't say a word. He simply stepped forward, shoved something into her hands, and walked away.

She looked down.

It was an envelope.

No address. No stamp.

Just one word on the front.

ERICA.

She closed the door and brought it over, both of us staring at it like it might explode.

"I'm opening it," I whispered.

"Erica-"

"I need to know."

I peeled the flap back slowly.

Inside was a single sheet of paper.

Typed.

"You're in over your head. He's not who you think he is. If you don't walk away, you'll regret it. This is your only warning."

No signature.

No name.

Just a threat.

Alexis looked at me. "What the actual?"

My hand shook as I read it again.

And again.

Was it a bluff? A scare tactic?

Or was it someone who actually knew something I didn't?

Tyler's words from earlier echoed in my head.

You're marked.

And suddenly, I felt it.

That invisible target painted right between my shoulder blades.

The door slammed open Tyler stormed in, eyes blazing, phone in one hand, fists clenched. "They just sent me something too," he growled. "A picture. Of you. Outside the café. Yesterday."

My blood turned to ice.

"They're watching you, Erica. They're not bluffing."