Five years have passed since I left the Redwolf pack. I'm living among humans, hiding from the Alpha, and everything that tied me to my old life.
I lived with my twins in a modest apartment on the outskirts of the city. The chaos of the pack was behind me, replaced by the simple rhythms of human life. Humans were different—fragile, yes, but also kind in ways that wolves rarely were. There were no fights over Alpha duties, no political manipulation, and no looming fear of rogue attacks.
I worked as a baker in a large, bustling bakery downtown. It was far from the life I’d imagined for myself, but that was the point. If the Alpha or anyone from the pack ever came looking for me, they’d never think to find me here, rolling dough and decorating cakes.
It was a quiet existence, but I felt more alive.
I had just finished tidying up the kitchen when I spotted a magazine left on the counter by my babysitter. The headline boasted about the city’s richest man, and curiosity got the better of me. I picked it up, flipping to the cover story.
My heart stopped.
*Mate!* My wolf screamed excitedly.
Harry’s face stared back at me. Older, sharper, but unmistakably him. He had a new name now—Harrison Gold, a tycoon in the human world.
Of course, he’d changed his name. Just like me, he’d severed all ties to the pack, shutting the mind link and disappearing without a trace.
I flipped through the pages, scanning the article for details. The man in the glossy photos wasn’t just the Harry I had known. He was larger than life, powerful, and untouchable.
“Mommy, why are you smiling?”
I jumped, startled by the tiny arms wrapping around my waist. My twins, their bright eyes full of curiosity, stared up at me.
“Nothing, my loves,” I said, bent down to kiss their foreheads. “Just remembering something silly.”
“Who are you looking at?” The other one asked, looking at Harry's photo as well.
“Oh, nothing in particular. I was just checking this magazine Jasmine left,” I said.
But my mind was spinning. They had no idea that the man on the cover wasn’t just some stranger. He was their father.
I wanted to tell them. My wolf growled softly, urging me to share the truth. But I couldn’t. What Harry and I had was beautiful once, but it ended the moment I chose to walk away and choose to be politically married to David, but that didn't end well either.
I tried to forget about him and move on with my life.
The next day, I arrived at the bakery before sunrise. The streets were still dark. I enjoyed these quiet hours, the solitude of kneading dough and the hum of ovens warming up.
But something felt... Off.
A strange sound pricked my ears—soft, rapid footsteps, almost like dogs running. I paused, glancing toward the glass wall at the front of the bakery. It was normal to see dogs in the city, but something about the noise set my nerves on the edge.
Before I could think further, the bakery's window glass shattered.
I froze as a hulking form lunged through the broken pieces. Its yellow eyes glowed, and its saliva dripped from its snarling jaws.
“Rogue,” I whispered, my instincts flaring.
It growled, stalking toward me with feral intensity. My wolf clawed at me, desperate to fight, but I couldn’t shift—not here, not with human cameras everywhere.
So, I ran.
The rogue gave chase, its heavy paws pounding against the pavement as I darted through the narrow alleyways behind the bakery. I had to find a safe place to shift, somewhere hidden from human eyes.
Finally, I reached a secluded corner and let my wolf take over. My body contorted, the familiar sensation of fur and claws replacing my human form. I turned to face the rogue, ready for a fight.
It lunged at me, faster and more aggressively than I anticipated. I barely dodged its snapping jaws. It lunged again, and this time I wasn’t fast enough. I braced myself for the bite, for the pain that would surely follow.
But it never came.
Instead, the rogue crumpled to the ground, a long silver tube embedded in its side. I stared in shock as the beast stopped moving.
Then I smelled it.
That scent.
Familiar, intoxicating, and impossible to forget.
I turned, my heart racing, and there he was.
Harry—no, Harrison Gold—stood a few feet away, his stance protective, the silver weapon still clutched in his hand. His eyes locked on mine, and for a moment, it was as if the five years apart had never happened.
