Chapter 1 The First Hurdle

Maya's POV

"What the hell are you doing in here?" an angry voice snapped from behind me. I cursed silently. Not having my wolf meant no early warning that he was coming back. A heads-up would have been helpful. By then, I had already stuffed the money and documents from the hidden safe into my duffle bag. Thankfully, he never knew there had been nearly fifty grand stashed here when he moved in. The safe was shut, locked, and hidden beneath the rug again. He had no idea what I had come for, and I had no intention of telling him.

That money belonged to my family. I was reclaiming what was rightfully my sisters' and mine. "I just wanted to visit my parents again," I said, rising slowly to face him. "I still miss them."

"Did you forget this isn't your home anymore?" he shot back. "Do you usually break into houses? I didn't give you permission to be here. And I know damn well the place was locked when I left. So how exactly did you get in?" His voice rose with each question as he scanned the room, searching for signs of damage or disturbance. I held up my hand, the key dangling from my keychain. "With this. I just wanted to say goodbye to my father one last time. That's why I was in his office. I didn't touch anything of yours. I won't come back. Here's my key," I said evenly.

"Your father didn't want you here anymore. Even I know that, and I'm still new to the pack," Trey sneered. "Once it was clear you were wolfless, nobody wanted you. You're a drain on resources. You eat our food and offer nothing in return. Don't pretend you don't know you're useless. What you need is a man willing to protect you, if you can even find one. "You're the lowest of the low in this pack. The only thing you've got going for you is your looks. I wouldn't mind a quick taste, but I sure as hell wouldn't claim you. Still, since you were so nice to walk right in, no one has to know."

He stepped toward me. I immediately took a large step back and moved to the other side of my father's desk. "No, thank you, Trey. I'm not interested in you. I'll leave my spare key right here on the desk. I'm leaving now," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the disgust crawling under my skin. His eyes roamed over me, and I felt sick. I needed to get out, and fast.

"I know Damien wants you, but one little taste won't hurt," Trey said, stalking closer. I kept the desk between us, inching toward the door. As I turned to bolt through it, I felt his claw slash into my left calf. Pain exploded down my leg as I screamed and collapsed, his grip locking me in place. I could feel the damage Trey was doing to my leg, tearing through muscle and tendon as he pinned me down. He crept closer with a sick smirk.

"I don't care what you want, witch," he spat. "I just want a little taste to tide me over, until Damien 's done with you or knocks you up. Then I'll get my turn," he said, raising a clawed finger and slicing through the fabric of my shirt and bra.

He was so focused on me he didn't notice my sister until it was too late. Lauren slammed her fist into the side of his head, knocking him out cold. He collapsed on top of me, his claws retracting as unconsciousness took him. Together, we shoved his body aside, and she pulled me to my feet, helping me out to our parents' SUV.

It was real now. The plan was in motion. We were either escaping... or being dragged into lives with men we despised.

Lauren opened the back door, flipped the seat forward, and helped me lie down in the third row. Meliza, my other sister, was already hidden, curled up on the floorboard of the second row. If we got caught, she and Lauren would have to fight. I was no help now, exactly why I volunteered to grab the money.

I knew Trey had a meeting this morning with Gamma Zach and Alpha Damien . He must have returned early, probably forgotten something. Damien loved hearing himself talk; his meetings never lasted just five minutes.

I refused to consider this might be a setup. I peeled off the ruined bra and shirt, replacing them with a clean T-shirt from my duffle. I wouldn't risk being exposed if this went wrong, I wanted to be ready. We had to go. I would rather die than live under Damien 's control.

Fear gripped me as we approached the pack gate. My heart thundered. Meliza and I stayed silent as Lauren rolled down the window to greet the guard. "Hey Dan, can you open the gate for me? I need to pick up a package for the Luna," Lauren said casually. "Sure, Lauren," he replied, walking over to open both sides of the gate.

The pack had money, why hadn't they upgraded this ancient gate? We looked embarrassingly low-tech.

"See you when you get back, Lauren. Be safe," Dan called. "Thanks, Dan. Take care, I'll see you soon," she replied, rolling up the window as we pulled forward.

This was it, the moment of truth. She drove slowly, not drawing attention. I watched through the gap in the seat; she kept one eye on the rearview mirror. None of us breathed until she said, "The gate is closed." She had been worried Dan might scent Meliza, since she was a wolf, or pick up on my bleeding. Luckily, Lauren was trusted and well-liked by everyone.

We had cleared the first hurdle, but we weren't safe yet. Someone would come looking for Trey soon. When they did, they would know we were gone. We had not even rejected the pack yet. Lauren said to wait thirty minutes before doing it, enough time to put distance between us and them. Doing it now might only alert them faster.

"Meliza, grab a piece of paper and write this down," Lauren ordered. Meliza sat up and began jotting everything Lauren said. Though Lauren was the middle child, she had always been our protector. She rattled off a list of medical supplies, and Meliza scribbled it all down. To strangers,

Lauren might seem cold and harsh. But we knew better, she was loving, fierce, and loyal. Right now, she was in what I called battle mode. She wouldn't relax until we were safe. She would walk through fire for us, and I was grateful. If we survived this, it would be because of her. Right now, I only trusted my sisters.

"Meliza, tear the list in half so we can split up and get everything faster. Grab some money from Maya, we'll need at least a hundred dollars to cover it all. Take your half of the list, and I'll take mine. We'll meet at the register," Lauren instructed as she pulled into a local store.

"Maya, once I stop, I'll flip the seat forward so you can try to climb into the back. I know you're in a lot of pain. If you can't manage it, we'll help you when we get back. I'm so sorry you got hurt, but Meliza will treat and wrap your leg while I drive. We've got to move quickly, they will come after us," she added, her voice tight with urgency.

After parking, Lauren flipped the seat forward for me, then gently brushed a hand through my hair. "I love you, Maya. Everything's going to be okay. I just can't relax until I know we're all safe. We still need to fill up the SUV, and we need to hit the road fast." Then she closed the door and hurried into the store.

I was drenched in sweat from the pain, but I wouldn't let it stop me. Sometimes, I wished I had a wolf. If I did, she would have already started healing the wound, maybe even dulled the agony. I hated that my younger sisters had to rescue me. I wasn't weak, but I felt like I was. As the oldest, I was supposed to protect them, not the other way around. But I couldn't. I was a hybrid, half wolf, half witch. My mother left me behind. My father was the Beta of our pack, the Blackwood Pack.

Lauren and Meliza returned quickly. Meliza opened the door, flipped the seat back, and climbed in to tend to my injury. Lauren pulled the SUV up to a gas station and went inside to pay. She came back with a small bag of snacks and drinks for us.

Once Meliza finished wrapping my leg, she climbed into the front passenger seat. "Lie down, Maya. We'll drive a couple hundred miles before we ditch this SUV. I don't want them tracking us by it," Lauren said as she started the engine. I lay down, exhaustion pressing in. My leg throbbed with each heartbeat, but I let my eyes drift shut. Sleep came fitfully, my mind praying to the Goddess that we would make it to the next phase of our escape.