Nora POV
I make it exactly twelve steps into the forest before I collapse.
My knees hit the dirt hard. I can't breathe. Can't think. The mate bond in my chest is screaming, dying, tearing itself apart from the inside.
Behind me, I hear Killian shouting. "Get back here! We're not done talking!"
Yes, we are. We're done with everything.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out with shaking hands. Three messages on my secret hacker line:
Ghost_Admin: You still there, Phantom?
Ghost_Admin: Got another job. $8 million. Easy work.
Ghost_Admin: You good?
No. I'm not good. I'm shattered into a million pieces.
But Phantom_N0va doesn't get to be broken. Phantom_N0va is the most dangerous hacker in the world. Governments fear her. Billionaires beg for her help. She doesn't cry in the forest because her family chose someone else.
I text back with steady fingers: Going dark for a while. Don't contact me unless it's life or death.
Ghost_Admin: Understood. Stay safe, Phantom.
Safe. What a joke.
I push myself up off the ground. My wolf is pacing inside my head, snarling and furious. She wants to go back there. She wants to fight Vanessa. Claim our daughter. Make Killian see what he's losing.
But I'm done fighting for people who don't want me.
I walk through the forest toward our house—no, his house. It was never really mine. I was just borrowing space in someone else's life.
The pack house is dark when I get there. Everyone's asleep. Good. I don't want witnesses for what I'm about to do.
I go straight to my hidden office—the room Killian thinks is just a "craft space" where I do "boring Luna things." He's never once come inside. Never asked what I do in here.
If he had, he would've seen the six computer monitors. The custom servers. The equipment worth half a million dollars that I bought with money I stole from criminals.
I sit down at my main computer and crack my knuckles.
Time to become a ghost.
My fingers fly across the keyboard. First, I erase myself from the pack's official records. Birth certificates, marriage license, Luna registration—gone. It's like I never existed.
Next, I transfer money. Seventeen million dollars split between twelve different offshore accounts. Untraceable. Anonymous. Mine.
Then I start the real work.
Killian's pack has enemies. Other Alphas who want his territory. Criminals who want his business connections. I've been protecting him from all of them for five years, stopping attacks before they even started.
Not anymore.
I disable every security system I built. Delete every firewall. Remove every protection. By tomorrow morning, Killian's pack will be completely vulnerable to anyone who wants to hurt them.
Let's see how long his "perfect" Vanessa can keep them safe.
My phone rings. Killian's name flashes on the screen.
I answer. "What."
"Where are you?" He sounds angry. "You can't just walk away from a conversation—"
"Watch me." I'm already typing, deleting more files. "Actually, you can't watch me. I deleted all the security cameras. You're blind now."
Silence on the other end.
"Nora." His voice changes. Gets dangerous. "What are you doing?"
"Leaving. Isn't that what you wanted? What Vanessa wanted? What my own daughter wanted?" My voice doesn't shake. I won't let it. "Congratulations. You got your wish."
"You can't leave. You're Luna. You have responsibilities—"
I laugh. It's a harsh, broken sound. "Luna? You just told me I was never really Luna. That I was adequate. A placeholder. So I'm doing you a favor. Now you can make Vanessa your real Luna."
"Nora, listen to me—"
"No. You listen." I stop typing. "For five years, I made myself small for you. Ugly for you. Stupid for you. I hid everything I was because you said that's what you needed. And you know what? It still wasn't enough."
"I didn't mean—"
"Yes, you did. You meant every word. You and Vanessa have been together for six years. SIX YEARS, Killian. You were cheating before we even got married."
More silence.
"And Mira." My voice finally cracks. "You let that woman steal my daughter. You taught my baby to call her Mommy. Do you have any idea what that feels like?"
"Mira will understand when she's older—"
"She'll understand that her father is a liar and a cheat? Great parenting."
I hear a sound in the background. Vanessa's voice, asking who's on the phone.
"Is she still there?" I ask. "Your true love?"
"Nora, just come back. We can discuss this like adults—"
"I'm done discussing. I'm done being reasonable. I'm done with all of it." My fingers start flying again. "By the way, you know that two million dollar deal you were about to close? With the tech company from Silver City? I just sent them evidence that you've been embezzling pack funds."
"WHAT?" Killian roars. "I haven't been embezzling—"
"I know. But the fake documents I created say you have. They look very real. Good luck explaining that to the Alpha Council."
"You can't do this—"
"I already did. Oh, and that encrypted file on your computer? The one with all your pack's secrets? I just sent a copy to your three biggest enemies. Merry Christmas."
I can hear him breathing hard. "You're insane."
"No. I'm awake. For the first time in five years, I'm finally awake." I look around my office—my secret space, my real life. "Goodbye, Killian. Enjoy your perfect family."
I hang up before he can respond.
Then I get to work on the final step.
I pull up the pack's financial accounts. Killian made me the backup administrator three years ago, thinking I was too stupid to do anything with the access.
Wrong.
I don't steal the money. I'm not a thief. But I do lock him out of his own accounts. Change every password. Make it so he can't access pack funds for at least seventy-two hours.
Let's see how loyal pack members are when paychecks don't arrive on time.
My phone buzzes again. This time it's a text from Elena—my hacker friend, the only person who knows both my identities.
Elena: I'm outside your house. Saw your distress signal. What happened?
I forgot I set up that system. If my heart rate stays elevated for more than thirty minutes, my watch automatically alerts Elena.
I text back: Everything happened. I need to disappear.
Elena: I've got my car. Pack a bag. You've got five minutes.
Five minutes to pack up five years of life.
I grab one duffel bag and throw in clothes—not the ugly cardigans, my real clothes that I kept hidden. My laptop. My backup hard drives with all my work. Money I keep in cash for emergencies.
I don't take photos. I don't take memories. I don't want any reminders of this place.
As I walk out the front door, I hear a car roaring up the driveway.
Killian's back.
"GO!" I scream to Elena. She's already pulling up in her black SUV.
I dive into the passenger seat just as Killian's car screeches to a stop. He jumps out, running toward us.
"NORA! STOP!"
Elena hits the gas. We peel out of the driveway, leaving Killian standing there in the darkness.
I don't look back.
"Where to?" Elena asks.
"Anywhere but here."
We drive in silence for ten minutes. Then Elena says quietly, "You okay?"
"No." The word comes out as a sob. "He had an affair. For six years. And Mira—my baby calls his mistress Mommy. She told me to leave. She wants me gone."
"Oh, honey." Elena's voice is soft. "I'm so sorry."
"I deleted everything. All his security. His files. I locked him out of the pack accounts. I sent fake evidence of crimes to his enemies." The words tumble out. "I destroyed him, Elena. I destroyed everything."
"Good," Elena says fiercely. "He deserved it."
My phone explodes with notifications. Text after text from Killian:
Where are you?
Come back NOW.
You've made a huge mistake.
I'll find you.
You can't hide from me.
I turn off my phone and throw it out the window.
"I need a new identity," I tell Elena. "New name. New life. Everything."
"I can do that." Elena glances at me. "But first, you need to know something."
"What?"
"While you were in there deleting files, I hacked Killian's laptop. Found something interesting."
My stomach drops. "What did you find?"
Elena pulls up to a red light and turns to look at me. Her face is serious.
"Vanessa's been using dark magic on you. Suppression spells. For at least three years. That's why your wolf has been so weak. Why you've been tired all the time. Why the mate bond barely worked."
Everything inside me goes cold. "What?"
"She's a witch, Nora. She's been poisoning you. Making you weak so she could take your place." Elena's eyes are blazing. "And there's more. Remember how you said you couldn't shift for the last two years? That the doctor said it was psychological?"
"Yes..."
"It wasn't psychological. She cursed you. Made it impossible for you to shift. Made you look weak in front of the pack."
My hands are shaking. "Killian knew?"
"I don't know. But the spell components were in your house. In your bathroom. The lotion you used every day? Cursed. The tea she gave you? Cursed. Everything."
Rage explodes inside me. Not just rage—power. Real power that I've never felt before.
The windows in Elena's car crack.
"Whoa!" Elena swerves. "Nora, your eyes—"
"What about them?"
She holds up her phone camera so I can see.
My eyes are glowing silver. Bright, ancient, powerful silver.
"That's not normal," Elena whispers. "Nora, what are you?"