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“Thank you,” I say.

He nods before walking back down my stairs. I watch him as he heads back in the direction of town. When he is fully out of my sight, I let out a deep breath before turning to go back in the house.

A noise toward the trees catches my attention. Stepping back out onto the porch, I look in the direction of the sound. Coming out of the tree line is the big Beta. His eyes land on me, a frown immediately appears on his face.

“Are you here to spy on me?” I ask.

His growl carries even from this distance. “We’re neighbors now.” He smirks.

I look at the empty cabin across from mine. Shaking my head, I should have known this was going to happen.

“How nice,” I grit out. “Good night.” I go to walk back in my house when his words stop me.

“You’re not welcome here, leech. The moment I can show my Luna the vile creature that you are, I’ll kill you. You are on borrowed time.”

I swallow my retort and the irk I get from being threatened. Instead of responding to the Beta, I walk into my borrowed home and shut the door.

chapter Four

Warm Welcome

Michaela

Slipping into the bathroom, I shut the door behind me. After doing my morning routine, I pull out the new burner phone I picked up on the way here.

After getting Marley situated last night, I stayed up the entire night keeping watch. Finding out the Beta was living across the road didn’t sit well with me. I don’t trust these wolves. Yes, they let us stay, but I can tell they are not happy about it. And anywhere my little sister lays her head has to be safe. If that means I don’t sleep so I can stay up and watch her, then that’s what I’ll do.

Dialing the one number I know by heart; I wait for the person to answer.

“I was expecting your call last night,” Tech says as soon as he answers. “I thought your new furry friends had eaten you.”

Rolling my eyes, I lean against the bathroom sink.

“Trust me, they wanted to.”

“Let me guess, there were no welcome parties for you?”

I chuckle. “More like a lynching.”

“What are you going to do?”

I glance down at the cuffs around my wrist. “Despite how they feel, this is the best place for me. I just need time to figure out my next step.”

Tech is silent for a moment. Even though he wasn’t raised in our world, he possesses an extensive knowledge of it. He’s known what he was since he was one-year-old. The moment he was old enough, I made him study everything he could about our kind. I didn’t want him out in this world unaware.

“You can’t hide out there forever.”

“I know that,” I sigh. “As soon as I can figure out my next plan, I will move on.”

“Tell me again, how bad would it be if he discovers what you know?”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I say. “Imagine Thanos with all the infinity stones. Or Darth Vader with a fully functioning death star.”

“Oooh, so world ending?”

“Pretty much.”

“Alright, what do you need from me?”