The smell of cinnamon and yeast pulled me out of a deep sleep.

I blinked my eyes open. For a moment I did not know where I was. The ceiling was painted a soft lavender color. There were glow in the dark stars stuck to the plaster. A string of fairy lights twinkled above the window.

It was not the cold sterile servants quarters. It was warm. It smelled like a home.

I sat up slowly. I was on a pull out couch in the middle of a cluttered but cozy living room. A thick knitted blanket was wrapped around my shoulders.

"Morning sunshine," a voice called out.

I looked toward the kitchenette. Zoe was standing there wearing a silk robe with a tiger print. She was dancing slightly to music playing from her phone while she waited for the coffee pot to fill.

"Zoe," I croaked. My voice was thick with sleep. "What time is it?"

"Ten in the morning," she said cheerfully. "I let you sleep in. Sal knows you are starting the late shift today."

She walked over and handed me a mug. It had a cartoon cat on it that said Purrfect.

"Drink," she ordered. "It is herbal tea. Ginger and honey. Good for the stomach."

I took the mug. The warmth seeped into my cold hands. "Thank you. For everything. I do not know how to repay you."

Zoe waved a hand dismissively. "You can repay me by not passing out on my floor again. And by helping me eat the pastries Mrs. Higgins sent up."

She pointed to a pink box on the small coffee table.

"Mrs. Higgins?"

"The landlady," Zoe said. "She owns the bakery downstairs. She is basically my grandma. She adopts every stray cat and person who walks into this building."

Just then there was a rhythmic knocking on the front door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Come in!" Zoe yelled.

The door swung open. A young man walked in. He looked to be about twenty two. He had messy sandy blonde hair and kind brown eyes behind wire rimmed glasses. He wore scrubs that were a soft blue color.

"I smelled coffee," he said with a grin. He held up a carton of orange juice. "I come bearing gifts."

Zoe rolled her eyes but she was smiling. "Aria this is Liam. He lives in 4B. He is a nursing student and a general nuisance."

Liam laughed and set the juice on the counter. He looked at me and his expression softened.

"Hi," he said gently. "You must be the runaway Zoe texted me about."

I stiffened. "I am not..."

"Relax," Liam said. He sat in the armchair opposite me. "Zoe attracts strays. I was one of them two years ago when I moved here from Ohio. You are safe here."

His voice was calm and steady. It did not have the aggressive growl of the Alpha males I was used to. He was human. He felt safe.

"I am Aria," I said.

"Nice to meet you Aria," Liam said. He looked at me with a clinical eye. "Zoe said you got sick at work yesterday. How are you feeling?"

"Better," I lied.

As if to punish me for the lie my stomach gave a violent lurch. The smell of the coffee brewing was suddenly too strong. It was too acidic.

I slammed the mug down on the table and clamped a hand over my mouth.

"Bathroom," Zoe pointed. "Second door on the left."

I scrambled off the couch and ran. I barely made it to the toilet before my stomach emptied itself. I heaved until my throat burned.

I heard footsteps behind me. I expected Zoe. But it was Liam who knelt beside me. He gathered my hair back from my face with gentle hands.

"Breathe," he instructed softly. "In through the nose. Out through the mouth."

I did as he said. The nausea slowly receded leaving me shaking and weak.

Liam reached over and flushed the toilet for me. He wet a washcloth in the sink and handed it to me.

"Thanks," I whispered. I wiped my face. I felt humiliated.

"Do not be embarrassed," Liam said. "I am training to be a nurse. I have seen way worse than a little morning sickness."

I froze. The washcloth stopped halfway to my mouth.

"What did you say?" I asked.

Liam looked at me. His brown eyes were kind but serious. He sat back on his heels.

"Morning sickness," he repeated. "Nausea triggered by strong smells. Dizziness. Fatigue. And looking at your face you have the mask of pregnancy."

"No," I said quickly. "I am just tired. I have not eaten well."

Liam shook his head gently. "Aria I checked your pulse when I helped you up. It is racing. And Zoe told me you fainted yesterday. When was your last cycle?"

I opened my mouth to argue but the words died in my throat.

I counted back the weeks in my head.

The party. The heat. The blackout.

It had been six weeks.

My hand drifted to my stomach. The flutter. I had felt it twice now.

"It is not possible," I whispered. "I am... I am alone."

Zoe appeared in the doorway. She was not dancing anymore. Her face was serious. She held a small white box in her hand.

"I ran down to the pharmacy while you were sleeping," she said quietly. "I had a feeling."

She held out the box. It was a pregnancy test.

I stared at it. It looked like a weapon.

"Take it," Zoe said. "Better to know."

I took the box with trembling fingers. Liam and Zoe exchanged a look then they both stood up.

"We will be right outside," Liam said. "Take your time."

They closed the door.

I was alone in the small tiled bathroom. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.

I opened the box. I followed the instructions.

The three minutes I waited were the longest of my life. I sat on the edge of the bathtub and stared at the white plastic stick sitting on the counter.

If it was positive my life was over. I was a teenager with no money and no home.

If it was positive I was carrying the child of the man who rejected me.

If it was positive I was carrying the heir to the Blood Moon Pack.

Damon had said he wanted a strong heir. He had said I was too weak to give him one.

I looked at the timer on my phone.

Zero.

I stood up. My legs felt like jelly. I walked to the counter and looked down.

Two pink lines.

They were bright. They were undeniable.

Positive.

The world tilted on its axis. I gripped the edge of the sink to keep from falling.

I was pregnant.

I was going to be a mother.

A sob tore from my throat. It was not a happy sound. It was a sound of pure terror.

The door opened instantly. Zoe and Liam were there.

They did not need to ask. They saw my face.

Zoe rushed forward and pulled me into a fierce hug. I buried my face in her shoulder and wept.

"It is okay," Zoe whispered fiercely. "We got you. You are not doing this alone."

Liam joined us. He placed a warm hand on my back.

"We will figure it out," he said. "There are clinics. There are programs."

I pulled back and looked at them. These two strangers who had known me for less than twenty four hours were showing me more love than my pack had shown me in years.

"I cannot go back," I choked out. "If the father finds out... he will take the baby. Or he will hurt us."

Zoe's eyes flashed with a dangerous light. She looked like a lioness protecting a cub.

"Then he never finds out," she stated firmly. "You are Aria now. Just Aria. The past does not exist."

Liam nodded. "We will help you hide. We will help you get medical care under the radar. I have friends at the free clinic who do not ask for ID."

I looked down at my stomach. I placed my hand over the tiny spark of life growing inside me.

Damon had rejected me. He had thrown me away.

But this baby? This baby was mine.

I wiped my tears. A new strength surged through me. It was the same cold fire I had felt in the Alpha's office.

"Okay," I said. My voice was shaky but sure. "I am keeping it."

Zoe smiled. It was a brilliant smile that lit up the room. "Then we are going to need more shifts at the diner. Babies are expensive."

Liam adjusted his glasses. "I will start bringing you vitamins. And protein shakes. You are too thin."

I looked between them. A waitress with purple hair and a nursing student with kind eyes.

They were not wolves. They were not powerful. They were not rich.

But standing there in that tiny bathroom I realized something profound.

I did not need a pack of wolves to survive.

I had found my own pack.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Zoe squeezed my hand. "Welcome to the family Aria."

I took a deep breath. The scent of cinnamon and friendship filled my lungs.

I was pregnant. I was broke. I was a runaway.

But for the first time in my life I was not alone.

The weeks bled into one another.

My life became a blur of grease and steam and exhaustion. I woke up at five in the morning. I vomited in the bathroom of Zoe's apartment. I drank the ginger tea Liam forced on me. I walked to the diner. I scrubbed plates until my hands were raw. I walked home. I slept.

It was a grueling routine. It was the hardest I had ever worked in my life. And I had been a servant for years.

But I loved it.

I loved it because nobody here cared about my bloodline. Nobody cared that I could not shift into a wolf. To Sal I was just the girl who kept his dishes clean. To the customers I was just a shadow in the kitchen doorway.

I was free.

"Order up!" Sal yelled. He slapped a plate of pancakes onto the metal counter. "Aria quit daydreaming and run these to table four. Zoe is busy with the coffee machine."

"On it," I said.

I wiped my hands on my apron and grabbed the plate. The smell of the maple syrup made my stomach turn slightly but I was getting better at hiding it.

I was ten weeks pregnant now.

I had no baby bump yet. I was still too thin from years of malnutrition. But I could feel the changes. My sense of smell was sharper. My emotions were like a live wire. And I was constantly hungry.

I walked out into the dining area. It was Saturday morning and the place was packed. The air was loud with the clatter of silverware and the hum of conversation.

I set the pancakes down in front of a trucker who winked at me. I offered a polite smile and turned to leave.

That was when I saw it.

There was a small television mounted in the corner of the diner above the pie display case. It was usually tuned to the local sports channel or the weather report.

Today it was on the national news.

The bold red banner across the bottom of the screen caught my eye.

BREAKING NEWS: BLACKWOOD TECH MERGER & ROYAL ENGAGEMENT.

My blood froze in my veins. The world around me seemed to stop. The noise of the diner faded into a buzzing silence.

I stared at the screen.

There he was.

Damon stood at a podium. He was surrounded by flashing cameras and microphones. He looked devastatingly handsome. He wore a charcoal grey suit that fit his broad shoulders perfectly. His hair was styled back. He looked powerful. He looked like the King he was born to be.

But his eyes were cold.

"We are entering a new era," Damon said into the microphones. His voice played tinny and small through the diner speakers but it still sent a shiver down my spine. "Blackwood Tech is acquiring Silva Corp to expand our reach into the global market. And to ensure stability for our shareholders I am pleased to announce my personal union."

He stepped aside.

Tiffany stepped into the frame.

She looked perfect. She wore a white designer dress that hugged her curves. Her blonde hair was arranged in intricate waves. She linked her arm through Damon's and beamed at the cameras.

She held up her left hand. A diamond the size of a grape glittered under the lights.

"I am thrilled to stand beside Alpha Damon," Tiffany purred. "We will lead the Blood Moon Pack into a golden age."

The camera zoomed in on Damon. He did not smile. He looked like a statue carved from ice.

"The wedding will take place in six months," Damon stated. "Thank you."

The image cut back to the news anchor.

I stood frozen in the middle of the diner aisle. The tray in my hand trembled.

He had done it.

He had actually done it.

It had been less than three months since he rejected me. He had moved on. He had replaced me with the very woman who had tormented me for years. He was going to marry her. He was going to make her his Luna.

A sharp pain sliced through my chest. It was not the mate bond this time. It was pure heartbreak.

Part of me had stupidly hoped. I had hoped that maybe he would realize his mistake. I had hoped he would wake up one morning and miss the scent of vanilla and rain.

But he did not miss me. He was building an empire.

"Aria?"

Zoe's voice broke through my trance. She was standing next to me. She followed my gaze to the TV screen.

Her eyes narrowed. She saw the headline. She saw the man in the suit.

She looked back at me. She saw the tears swimming in my eyes that I refused to let fall.

"Is that him?" she whispered. Her voice was low and dangerous.

I could not speak. I just nodded once.

Zoe's grip on her coffee pot tightened until her knuckles turned white.

"That absolute trash," she hissed. "Look at him. He looks like a plastic ken doll."

"He is the Alpha," I whispered. "He is powerful."

"He is a fool," Zoe corrected. "He traded a diamond for a piece of glass."

She stepped in front of me to block my view of the screen.

"Go to the back," she ordered gently. "I will cover your tables. Go splash water on your face."

I fled.

I ran back into the safety of the kitchen. I leaned against the cool metal of the refrigerator and slid down to the floor. I pulled my knees to my chest.

He was getting married.

He was going to have other children. Legitimate heirs. Children who would be celebrated and loved. Children who would inherit his company and his pack.

My hand drifted to my stomach.

"I am sorry," I whispered to the tiny life inside me. "I am so sorry you are a secret."

The back door opened. Liam walked in. He was wearing his blue scrubs and carrying his backpack. He stopped when he saw me on the floor.

He did not ask what was wrong. He must have seen the news or talked to Zoe.

He walked over and sat down next to me on the dirty kitchen floor. He did not care about the grease.

"He does not deserve you," Liam said quietly.

"He is marrying her," I choked out. "He is happy."

"He did not look happy," Liam said. He adjusted his glasses. "I study psychology as part of my nursing rotation. I saw his body language Aria. His jaw was clenched. His hands were in fists. That is not a happy man. That is a man doing a duty."

"It does not matter," I said. "He made his choice."

"Yes," Liam agreed. "He did. And now you have to make yours."

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a bottle of prenatal vitamins and a protein bar.

"You have a daughter to think about," Liam said.

I looked at him. "A daughter? How do you know?"

Liam smiled. It was a gentle smile. "Call it a nurse's intuition. Or maybe I just know that the universe owes you a strong female warrior after everything you have been through."

He opened the water bottle he had brought and handed it to me.

"Drink," he commanded. "Cry for five more minutes. Then get up. You are not a victim anymore Aria. You are a mother."

The word settled over me like a shield.

Mother.

I took a sip of the water. The cold liquid shocked my system. I took a deep breath.

Liam was right. Damon had made his choice. He chose money. He chose status. He chose the easy path.

I looked at the vitamins in Liam's hand. I looked at the kitchen door where Zoe was fighting for me.

I had chosen the hard path.

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. I stood up. My legs were shaky but they held me.

"I am okay," I said.

Liam stood up too. He patted my shoulder. "You are more than okay. You are a survivor."

I smoothed down my apron. I checked my reflection in the stainless steel fridge. My eyes were red but my jaw was set.

I was done crying over Damon Blackwood.

He wanted a perfect Luna? Fine. Let him have Tiffany. Let them be miserable in their castle of glass.

I was going to build something real.

"Liam?" I asked as he turned to leave.

"Yeah?"

"If it is a girl," I said softly. "I want to name her Nova."

Liam smiled. "Nova. Like an exploding star. Bright and powerful."

"Exactly," I said.

"I love it," he said. "Now get back to work before Sal has a heart attack."

I walked back out onto the floor. I ignored the TV screen. I ignored the murmurs of the customers talking about the royal wedding.

I picked up a fresh pot of coffee.

I had tables to serve. I had money to make.

I had a daughter to raise.

And one day when she was old enough and strong enough we would make the world tremble.

The seasons changed outside the window of Zoe's apartment.

The leaves turned orange and then brown. The air grew crisp and cold. The first snow of winter dusted the city streets.

Inside the apartment my world was growing in a different way.

I stood in front of the full length mirror in the hallway. I lifted my oversized grey hoodie.

Seven months.

My stomach had popped almost overnight. It was a tight and round curve that protruded defiantly from my small frame. I traced the stretch marks that were starting to form on my hips. They were silver lines of lightning.

"You are getting huge," Zoe said as she walked by with a basket of laundry. She paused and smiled. "And I mean that in the most beautiful way possible."

I dropped the hem of my hoodie quickly. "I look like a whale. A whale that cannot tie her own shoes."

Zoe laughed. She set the basket down and came over to me. She placed a hand on my belly.

"You look like a mother," she said softly. "How is the little bean doing today?"

As if on cue a sharp kick landed against Zoe's palm.

"Whoa," Zoe gasped. She pulled her hand back. "That was not a kick. That was a karate chop. Are you sure you are not carrying a ninja in there?"

I rubbed the spot where the baby had struck. "She is strong. Sometimes I think she is trying to claw her way out early."

The baby was more than strong. She was relentless. Her movements were not the gentle flutters the pregnancy books described. They were powerful surges. Sometimes I worried she would bruise my ribs from the inside. It was a constant reminder of her bloodline. She had the blood of an Alpha Prime running through her veins.

"We need to go," Liam called from the living room. "Dr. Patel is squeezing us in before his lunch break."

I grabbed my coat. "I am coming."

Liam had been a savior. He knew that I could not go to a regular hospital. Without a social security number or insurance I would be flagged in the system. And if they ran a blood test they would see the genetic markers of a wolf. That would trigger an alert to the local packs.

So Liam had found Dr. Patel.

Dr. Patel ran a clinic in the basement of a laundromat three towns over. He lost his medical license years ago for treating supernatural creatures off the books. He was expensive but he was discreet.

We took the subway. I kept my head down and my hood up. Paranoia was my constant companion these days. Every time I saw a black luxury car my heart stopped. Every time I saw a man with broad shoulders and dark hair I held my breath.

Damon was everywhere.

He was on the magazine covers at the newsstand. Alpha of the Year.

He was on the news screens in the subway station. Blackwood Tech Stocks Soar.

He looked happy in the photos. He looked powerful. He looked like a man who had everything he wanted.

I placed a protective hand over my stomach. He had everything except this.

We arrived at the laundromat. The air smelled of detergent and steam. We walked past the rows of washing machines to the back door marked Employees Only.

Liam knocked three times.

The door opened. Dr. Patel stood there. He was a short man with thinning hair and kind eyes.

"Ah," he said. "The mystery patient. Come in."

The exam room was small but clean. It had an old ultrasound machine in the corner that looked like it belonged in a museum.

I climbed onto the paper covered table. Liam stood by my head holding my hand.

"How are we feeling?" Dr. Patel asked as he squeezed cold gel onto my stomach.

"Tired," I admitted. "Hungry. And she moves a lot. It hurts sometimes."

Dr. Patel nodded. He pressed the wand against my skin.

The screen flickered to life. It was grainy and black and white. But there she was.

The sound of the heartbeat filled the room.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

It was fast. It was strong. It sounded like a galloping horse.

Dr. Patel frowned. He adjusted the dials on the machine. He pressed the wand harder.

"Is something wrong?" panic spiked in my chest. "Is she okay?"

"She is fine," Dr. Patel said slowly. "Her heart rate is excellent. Her size is perfect."

He paused. He looked at me over the rim of his glasses.

"But I have delivered many babies Aria. Human babies. Wolf babies. Even a few fae."

My breath hitched. I had never told him what I was. I had just said I was running from a bad situation.

"What are you saying?" Liam asked. His voice was protective.

"I am saying," Dr. Patel said quietly. "That this baby has an energy signature I have never seen before. The machine is picking up interference. Look."

He pointed to the screen. The edges of the image were distorting. Static lines waved across the black background.

"She is affecting the electronics," Dr. Patel whispered. "She is very powerful Aria. Who is the father?"

I froze. The room felt suddenly cold.

"He is nobody," I lied. "Just a guy I met at a party."

Dr. Patel did not look convinced. He wiped the gel off my stomach and handed me a towel.

"Be careful," he warned. "A child with this much power will not be easy to hide. When she is born her scent will be strong. If there are packs nearby they will smell a new Alpha."

My blood ran cold.

I had not thought of that. I had been so focused on hiding myself I forgot that wolf babies had a scent.

"Is there anything we can do?" Liam asked.

"Sage," Dr. Patel said. "Burn sage. It masks the scent. And keep her away from other shifters until she learns to control it."

We left the clinic in silence.

The ride home was tense. I stared out the subway window at the dark tunnels.

"Do not worry," Liam said softly. "We will buy all the sage in the city. We will make the apartment smell like a hippie commune."

I tried to smile but it did not reach my eyes.

The fear was a cold knot in my stomach.

I was carrying a beacon. As soon as she was born she would be a lighthouse calling out to every wolf in the city.

We got back to the apartment just as the sun was setting. Zoe was working the late shift at the diner so the place was empty.

I sat on the couch and picked up the knitting needles I had bought from a thrift store. I was making a blanket. It was clumsy work but it kept my hands busy.

I clicked the needles together.

Click. Click. Click.

Suddenly a pain ripped through my lower back. It was sharp and hot. I gasped and dropped the needles.

"Aria?" Liam asked from the kitchen. "You okay?"

"Just a cramp," I gritted out.

I tried to stand up to stretch it out.

Another pain hit me. This one wrapped around my stomach like a vice. It squeezed the air from my lungs.

I doubled over and clutched the back of the couch.

"Liam," I gasped.

He was there in a second. He looked at my face. He looked at the puddle of water forming on the floor beneath my feet.

My water had broken.

"It is too early," I whispered. Panic clawed at my throat. "I am only seven months. She is not ready."

Liam looked at his watch. He went into nurse mode.

"She is ready," he said calmly. "Wolf pregnancies are shorter than human ones. I read about it. Seven months is full term for a high level wolf."

Another contraction hit me. I screamed. It felt like my body was being torn apart.

"We have to go back to the clinic," I cried.

"No time," Liam said. He scooped me up in his arms. He carried me toward the bedroom. "The contractions are two minutes apart. You are having this baby right now."

"Here?" I sobbed. "I cannot do it here. I need drugs. I need a doctor."

Liam laid me down on the bed. He grabbed clean towels from the closet.

"You have me," he said firmly. "And you are strong. You are the strongest person I know."

I gripped the sheets. The pain was blinding. It was a ring of fire that consumed my entire world.

"Zoe," I gasped. "Call Zoe."

"I texted her," Liam said. "She is running home."

I screamed again as my body convulsed.

In the distance through the haze of pain I heard a sound.

It was a howl.

It was far away. It came from the direction of the city park. But it was distinct. A wolf was howling at the moon.

And then another joined in. And another.

They were answering a call.

"Liam," I whispered terrified. "They hear us. They know."

"Focus on me," Liam commanded. He held my hand. "Look at me Aria. Push."

I pushed.

I pushed for my life. I pushed for my daughter. I pushed against the world that had rejected me.

I did not know it then but Dr. Patel was right.

The baby coming into the world was not just a child. She was a storm.

And the first thing she would do was break the silence I had fought so hard to keep.