Alina
He didn’t pressure me.
That was what stayed in my mind the most afterward. The Alpha of Fallendawn Pack had simply placed a small card into my hand that night during the gathering—thick black cardstock with a single number written in clean silver ink.
“One call,” he said in a steady voice. “And I’ll pull you out of that cage you still call a pack.”
At first, I almost pushed back.
Nightfall had been my home for years. I knew its halls by heart, the timing of footsteps in its corridors, the routines of its people. I had served its pack, cleaned its floors, and somewhere along the way, I had also loved its Alpha with everything I had.
But then I stood there and watched Alpha Soren laugh beside Evelina, casually calling me a maid in front of other Alphas, and the word cage stopped sounding exaggerated.
It started sounding truthful.
Still, I didn’t reach out right away.
Leaving quietly would have been too simple. Too forgiving. Too neat for people who had already rewritten my life without asking.
If I walked away, Alpha Soren, Evelina, and Gideon would simply continue as if I had never mattered. They would reshape the story, erase me in private, and let me fade into something spoken about only in passing.
I refused that ending.
If I was going to leave, it would not be as something discarded and forgotten.
The next morning, I returned to the courthouse and filed an appeal against Gideon. The clerk behind the counter looked genuinely surprised to see me again, especially with the bandage still wrapped around my head.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked carefully.
“Yes,” I said evenly. “I have more statements to submit.”
What I didn’t say was that I no longer believed the court would save me.
After that, I began collecting everything I could.
Messages between Soren and Evelina. His promise to end things with me. His admission that he only ever saw her reflected in me. The so-called “plan” to keep me away from Fallendawn. Even security footage from inside the packhouse that proved what he had been hiding. I had slipped in quietly to retrieve it all, despite only the Alpha being permitted access to that room.
Five years of deception, compressed into files and screenshots.
I duplicated everything—cloud storage, a hidden drive, even an email draft waiting to be sent.
If they planned to erase me, I would make sure I left evidence behind.
Two days before his birthday, I went to his office.
He barely looked up from the documents spread across his desk.
“Alpha,” I said softly, “your birthday is in two days. Are you planning anything?”
He leaned back in his chair. “We’re flying out with the senior officials. It’s more of a strategic trip than a celebration.”
“And me?” I asked.
“You’re coming,” he answered without hesitation. “Everything’s already arranged.”
Of course it was.
“I have something special prepared for you,” I added, my fingers tightening slightly around my phone in my pocket.
If he noticed the edge in my voice, he didn’t show it.
Instead, his expression shifted slightly. “Gideon said he saw you speaking with Alpha Ryker at the gathering. The Fallendawn Alpha.” His tone sharpened. “Did he say anything to you?”
So they were watching me.
I kept my voice steady. “He only greeted me.”
Soren studied me for a long moment.
“Good,” he said at last. “Don’t speak to him again.”
Then he stood and crossed the space between us. Before I could step back, he pulled me into his arms.
“I haven’t been giving you much attention lately, have I?” he murmured near my ear. “I’ve just been busy dealing with our guests. But you’re still my priority, Mel.”
His voice was gentle. Familiar. Almost comforting.
If I hadn’t seen the messages. If I hadn’t read the plan. If I hadn’t watched him defend Gideon without hesitation in court.
I might have believed him again.
I might have fallen for it all over.
“I know,” I said quietly, forcing a small smile. “It’s fine, Alpha. I understand.”
I looked up at him.
“I understand.”
The day of his birthday arrived with an unusual buzz throughout the packhouse. Luggage rolled across polished floors, warriors talked excitedly about foreign trips, and officials discussed schedules as though it were some grand occasion.
It looked like celebration.
It felt like departure.
I had already decided.
At the driveway, a line of vehicles waited to take us to the airport.
I walked toward Soren’s usual car. Evelina slipped inside first, naturally taking the front passenger seat beside him.
I moved toward the back—then stopped.
A massive teddy bear occupied most of the seat. On the other side, a white cat rested inside a carrier.
Evelina turned toward me with a soft smile.
“I can’t sleep without my teddy,” she said lightly. “And I couldn’t leave my cat behind.”
Her gaze flicked over me. “Why don’t you ride with my brother instead?”
My body went cold.
Gideon leaned against the second car nearby, watching silently with a faint, unreadable smile.
I forced calm into my voice. “That’s alright. I already booked a cab earlier. I have a few things to handle on the way.”
Evelina blinked, slightly taken aback.
“Oh,” she said, then smiled again. “Just don’t be late. You wouldn’t want to miss everything.”
Miss everything. I almost laughed at the irony.
The cab arrived minutes later. As it pulled away from the packhouse, I didn’t look back even once.
Halfway to the airport, I made a call.
“Sun News,” a man answered briskly.
“I have a story,” I said quietly. “About the Alpha of Nightfall Pack.”
There was a pause. Then interest sharpened his tone.
“I’m listening.”
I told him everything—the engagement, the betrayal, the messages, the courtroom testimony, Gideon’s actions, the cover-up.
“I have proof,” I added. “Screenshots. Documents. Everything.”
He exhaled slowly. “This is big,” he admitted. “Send it. We’ll verify it. If it holds, we’ll publish before midnight.”
Before midnight. That was enough.
After I hung up, my phone rang again immediately.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Are you ready?” The voice was calm, deep.
Alpha Ryker.
I looked out the window as the airport came into view.
“Yes,” I replied.
“Good,” he said. “My people are waiting for you.”
At the airport, the group gathered near the gate—laughter, excitement, photos, celebration.
Alpha Soren stood relaxed, Evelina holding onto his arm like she already belonged there.
When it was almost time to board, I spoke.
“I’ll use the restroom,” I said.
Evelina smiled sweetly. “Be quick. Don’t miss the flight.”
She had no idea.
I walked away calmly. But instead of turning toward the restroom, I went the other direction entirely.
Different terminal. Different airline. Different destination.
My hands shook slightly as I checked in for the Fallendawn flight.
When I finally received my boarding pass, my phone began vibrating nonstop.
Soren’s name flashed again and again.
Messages followed immediately.
Where are you?
Boarding is starting.
Alina, answer me.
I turned the phone off.
Then I pulled out the SIM card, dropped it into a nearby trash bin, and replaced it with the new one given by Alpha Ryker’s assistant.
A clean cut.
Once I settled into my seat on the plane bound for Fallendawn territory, I finally allowed myself to breathe.
The cabin lights dimmed as the aircraft prepared for takeoff. My new phone buzzed softly.
I answered.
“I’m already on the plane,” I said quietly.
Alpha Ryker’s voice was steady. “Good.”
I looked out at the runway lights stretching into the dark.
“This time,” I murmured, “they’re probably enjoying themselves without me.”
A faint smile touched my lips.
“But tonight… they’ll learn what it costs.”
