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.

Even in human form, his presence was as commanding as that of his wolf. His gaze burned into mine, a mix of relief and frustration swirling in his amber eyes.

“We need to move,” his touch sent a jolt through me.

We sprinted away from the rogue’s lifeless body, his grip firm but not painful. As we ran, memories of the past flooded my mind, unbidden but vivid.

I remember us running through the forests of the Redwolf pack, our wolves chasing each other, rolling in the grass, and stealing kisses under the canopy of trees.

We’d dreamt of a future together. When my father arranged my marriage to someone else, Harry begged me to run away with him and to cross into another pack’s territory. I wanted to but the fear of my father’s influence held me back. I rejected him. Then he came to my wedding to ask me to live with humans, but I said no for the second time.

*He’s here again for the third time* my wolf said excitedly.

When we were finally far enough from the rogue’s scent, Harry slowed, his breath coming in short bursts.

I leaned against a wall, trying to steady my racing heart. Then it hit me.

“The bakery!” I panic. “ Oh no! No!”

“Seriously? You were nearly killed, and you’re worried about your damn job?” Harry said, annoyed.

I stared at him as if he was crazy. “Of course, I am! I live in the human world now, Harry. They don’t care about rogues or werewolves. All they’ll see is a destroyed storefront and blame me. And who’s going to pay for it?”

His jaw clenched. “You’re unbelievable.” He stepped closer, and continued, “You’ve been hiding here, pretending to be one of them, and now you’re more concerned about a paycheck than the fact that a rogue almost tore you apart.”

I bristled at his tone. “I’ve built a life here, Harry. You don’t get to judge me for surviving the only way I know how.”

“Why are you living in the human world, Princess?” he asked again, emphasizing the last word.

The way he said the title laced with sarcasm, sent a surge of anger through me.

I hated that word. Without thinking, I tried to smack him across the face but Harry didn’t flinch and held my fist. His gaze darkened into mine.

I turned to run, to put distance between us, but I should have known better.

In seconds, he was on me, his speed and strength overwhelming. He caught my wrist, spinning me around and pinning me against the brick wall of a narrow alley.

His body was too close, and the heat radiating off him was suffocating. His hands were firm on my wrist above my head, holding me in place without hurting me.

“Let me go,” I growled.

“I have limited patience,” he said, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down my spine. “And right now, your scent is sending my wolf insane.”

I shoved Harry with both hands, to have enough space between us and clear my head.

My wolf, however, wasn’t cooperating. Her tail wagged due to the excitement of being close to Harry.

I took a deep breath and straightened my posture. “I’m in the human world because I needed to get away from pack life. I needed peace, Harry.” I stopped short of mentioning the twins. They had to stay hidden, even from him.

He studied me. “I get it. You’ve been through a lot today. Come with me. I have other matters to attend to.”

I shook my head firmly. “I can’t. I need to report what happened at the bakery. If I don’t, my boss will assume I have something to do with the attack.”

Harry’s expression darkened. “You are coming with me.”

With that, Harry grabbed my body and threw me over his shoulders like I didn’t weight anything.

“Harry! Put me down!” I yelled, pounding my fists against his back.

He ignored me completely, striding down the empty street toward a sleek black car parked at the curb. He dumped me into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. Defeated, I crossed my arms and glared at him as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

The ride was tense, neither of us speaking. When we pulled up to a massive wrought-iron gate, intricately designed with twisting vines, my breath caught seeing a sprawling vintage mansion.

“Is this your house?” I blurted out, unable to hide my surprise. “I knew you were rich, but this? It’s as big as the pack house.”

“How did you know I'm rich?” He wondered.

I bit my lower lip and didn't answer. It would be too embarrassing to say that I read the magazine article about him.

When we stopped in front of the grand entrance, he finally spoke. “Get out.”

I bristled at his tone but complied, following him into the house.

The inside was just as impressive as the exterior—high ceilings, ornate chandeliers, and walls lined with art that screamed wealth.

“Where are we going?” I asked as he led me up a winding staircase and down a long corridor.

“To my office,” he said curtly.

When we entered, a young woman rushed over to Harry. Her concern was obvious. “Are you okay? We heard about the rogue attack.”

Harry passed by her before she could even touch his skin, which made me raise an eyebrow.

“What's the news about the rogue attacks in the city?” He asked the other people in the room.

They started discussing packs, territories, and conspiracies that made my head spin.

“Uh, what is happening?” I voiced it out loud instead of just asking my wolf.

Before Harry could answer, several other people in the room turned to look at me. Their conversations stopped, and an uncomfortable silence filled the space.

I offered an awkward smile, feeling completely out of place. “Uh, hi. I'm not sure why I'm here though.”

No one responded. Their eyes flicked between me and Harry.

Harry stepped forward, his voice steady but commanding, like an Alpha. “Everyone, this is Elina Hale.” He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.

Gasps, murmurs, and a few outright scowls rippled through the room.

I stiffened. Clearly, my father’s reputation had followed me even here.

“Harry,” I said, stepping forward, “maybe this was a mistake. I should go—”

“No,” he cut me off. “You’re staying.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but the determined look in his eyes stopped me. He wasn’t going to let this go.

“You all have a job to do,” Harry addressed the room. “Focus on that and leave the rest to me.”

Reluctantly, the group dispersed, though not without a few lingering glances in my direction. The young woman who had rushed to Harry earlier lingered for a moment before giving me a curt nod and leaving.

When the door finally closed behind them, I turned to Harry. “What was that?”

He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling deeply. “Necessary. They need to know who you are.”

“Why? So they can hate me like everyone else does?”

“They don’t hate you. They’re cautious, that’s all,” he explained.

“Cautious?” I laughed bitterly. “Harry, I’m the daughter of an Alpha who rules with fear and manipulation. They think I’m just like him.”

“But you’re not,” he said firmly, stepping closer.

I hate how his eyes looked at me intensely.

“That rogue today wasn’t random, Elina,” he said worriedly.

“What do you mean?”

He hesitated as if weighing how much to tell me. “Rogues have been moving through the city for weeks. Organized, and coordinated. They’re not just passing through—they’re looking for someone.”

A cold chill ran down my spine after hearing that. “You think they’re looking for me?”

Before he could answer, the door burst open, and the young woman from earlier rushed in, her face pale.

“Harry,” she said urgently, “we’ve got a situation.”

“What is it?” He asked, his voice immediately sharp.

“Another rogue attack in the city,” she said. “This one’s bigger, meaner. It’s heading straight for the school.”

The twins!

I almost blurted those words out, but I bit my lips so hard not to spill the secret.

Harry’s jaw tightened, and he turned to me. “Stay here.”

“Like hell, I will,” I shot back. Not when there’s a possibility that my twins are in danger.

“Elina—”

“I’m an Alpha’s daughter, Harry. I think you forgot how strong I could be.”

Harry looked at me for a long time and suddenly walked out of the door. I followed him and then he turned back at me.

“I’m sorry Elina. You’re staying here. That’s an order.” After saying that, he pushed me away from the door and locked it.

“Harry! No!!!” I shouted and pounded the door, trying to twist the knob open. But it won’t budge. I kept calling for help, but who would even dare to go against Harry’s orders?

I was packing back and forth when I saw the window across the room. I took a deep breath and adjusted my distance from it.

“I guess I need to pay for another broken window,” I muttered and jumped through the window while I underwent a werewolf transformation.