The afternoon sun was a lie.
It baked the city in warm light, a perfect day for people with normal lives and simple problems. I walked through it feeling like a ghost. The chill from Room 721 had settled deep in my bones and refused to leave.
His wallet on the carpet. The sharp click of the lock. The frozen look on Falon Gray's face.
The memory played in my mind, not like a thought but like a physical sickness. My hands felt empty without the weight of that leather wallet. My ears still rang with that terrible silence after the door closed.
A bus roared past too close, and I jumped, my heart slamming against my ribs. The noise felt violent. The sunlight felt accusing. I was a secret walking in plain sight, and every passing face seemed to look right through me, like they knew.
I picked up my pace, my shoes making sharp sounds on the pavement. The Onyx Club wasn't home, but it was the only place I had. For the first time, its dark, familiar shadows promised a kind of safety. A place to hide.
The grand building finally appeared ahead. I slipped into the service alley, and just like that, the sunlight was gone. The air grew cool and still. Almost there.
The heavy metal door hissed shut behind me, cutting me off from the world. The air changed—filtered, scentless, cold. I moved through the back corridors, my footsteps too loud in the quiet. The mirrors lining the walls didn't feel glamorous anymore. They felt like a hundred watching eyes, each one showing a different version of my fear.
I didn't make it to my room.
"Riley."
Danny's voice. Low and tight, coming from the common room doorway.
I froze, my hand against the cool wall. I pulled my mask on before turning around.
He stood there, blocking the light. The usual kindness in his eyes was gone, replaced by something harder. "Where have you been? Finn's been looking for you everywhere. After the Volkan call, you just disappeared."
The air felt thick.
The secret burned in my throat, desperate to be let out. I saw him. I saw the Alpha.
I'm carrying a death sentence. For one weak moment, I wanted to tell him everything. To let him carry some of this weight.
But then I saw Billy's face in my mind. Telling Danny wouldn't make me safer. It would just drag him down with me.
I let my shoulders slump, putting on a show of exhaustion.
"It was Volkan," I lied, the words coming easily after so much practice.
"He had another one of his fake contracts. Another offer. I just... I needed to get out of here after. I'm tired, Danny. I'm so tired of being something they can just buy."
I watched his face change. The protective anger rose, pushing out the suspicion. He believed me. He always believed me.
He stepped closer, his voice dropping. "Okay. I'll deal with Finn. But next time, you take me with you. That's what I'm here for. That's my job."
Job. The word echoed between us, a reminder of the lines we couldn't cross.
I just nodded, playing my part, and continued down the hall.
I was just steps from my door when a senior security guard appeared.
"Miss Riley." His voice had no feeling in it. "Finn's orders. This is a security sweep. A Standard procedure after high-profile meetings. I need to check your room."
My heart stopped.
My room. Where my private phone was hidden. Where I kept the photo of Billy. Where all my real secrets lived.
This wasn't standard. This was a search. He sent them. He knows something.
I forced my hand to be steady as I turned the knob. The guard moved past me, his eyes scanning everything.
He didn't look at me like a person. I was just part of the room he needed to check.
He paused by my nightstand. His eyes locked on the small, locked box underneath it for just a second too long.
He knew about the box.
He didn't try to open it. He just looked back at me, his face blank. "All clear."
Then he was gone, his heavy footsteps fading down the hall.
I stood there, the door still open, feeling cold all over. They were looking for something specific. They were testing me.
I finally pushed the door shut, the click of the lock sounding hollow.
My legs gave out, and I slid down to the floor, my back against the door. The shaking started then, hard tremors I couldn't control.
I pulled my knees to my chest, making myself as small as possible.
His eyes. That terrifying calm.
A sob tried to fight its way out, but I swallowed it down. Slaves don't get the luxury of noisy breakdowns. Our pain has to be silent.
My eyes found the locked box under my bed. My only real space.
I crawled to it, my hands unsteady as I worked the combination.
Inside, next to the emergency cash, was a photograph.
Billy, age six, and me, squeezed into a photo booth. He had a gap in his smile where a tooth had fallen out. I had my arm wrapped around him, my face pressed against his hair, and I was really smiling.
Flashback
The fairground was loud and bright. The air smelled like candy apples and bus exhaust.
Billy sat on my shoulders, his small hands holding tight to my hair.
"Again, Mom! Make the horse go again!"
I was breathless when I finally collapsed on a bench, pulling him into my lap.
We were both laughing. He looked up at me, his warm brown eyes suddenly serious.
"This is the best day ever."
I kissed his forehead, my heart so full it hurt.
"This is just the beginning, my love. I promise you. Just the beginning."
The memory was a physical pain, so beautiful it threatened to tear me apart. That was the future I was fighting for. That was the reason for all of this.
I traced Billy's face in the photo with my finger. Slowly, the shaking in my hands began to calm. The cold fear in my chest started to warm, hardening into something new. Something strong.
This is my world. Right here in this picture. Everything else is just noise. I will bury what I saw today so deep it can never touch him.
I placed the photo back in the box carefully.
My movements were deliberate now, calm. I had made my choice. I would be silent. I would be small. I would be nothing, so that he could be everything.
The lock clicked shut, sealing my promise. Silence. Safety.
Then my personal phone buzzed on the floor beside me.
A message from Danny.
[System Alert] Storm detected from Northern Territories. Secure your position and await instructions.
My blood turned to ice. Northern Territories. The heart of Gray pack lands. Secure your position. It was a command. A threat. He was telling me to stand down. To wait for whatever was coming.
A second text came through seconds later.
Damn it. Ignore that. My new secure comms app is in beta. It's spamming my contacts list with dummy alerts. Deleting it now. Get some sleep.
A shaky breath ripped out of me. A glitch. Just a stupid technical glitch.
I put the phone down. I stood up. I told myself to breathe.
But the words of that first message were already burned into my mind.
Secure your position.
It didn't matter that it was a mistake buy i had already accepted the command.
The danger wasn't just out there anymore. It was in here, in my head.
The Alpha could come after me or he could not. But I'll have to stay silent about what I saw. To keep myself and my son safe.