Chapter 1

One

LACY

Five Years Later

I sat cross-legged on my yoga mat as I stared out the window of my home gym.

The view from this window was my favorite. The horizon overlooking the beautiful ocean shore of Howl's Edge Island always calmed me.

For years, my routine consisted of waking up, working out in my gym, and then making a smoothie before I went into the studio to practice with the band.

It was a monotonous routine, but I liked the predictability of it.

Leaving the gym, I walked up the stairs to my kitchen. It was a lot of walking in my dream house after Electric Rose became successful. My home consisted of ten bedrooms and seven bathrooms with an infinity pool, gym, and theater.

I was proud of my accomplishments but also couldn't believe it at the same time.

Setting my freshly-made strawberry smoothie into the refrigerator- I washed the dishes, listening to the news reporter from Howl's Daily.

"This is the seventh omega missing in the string of cases. Authorities are still looking into the cause…"

It was terrible, and I felt bad for the missing omegas. Omegas always went missing, but it was becoming more commonplace.

Most would say my career as a successful singer wasn't safe with all the exposure I was getting, but nothing was going to scare me. After my heartbreak five years ago, I learned never to rely on a potential mate. I wanted to find my way in life without crawling back to my parents. Electric Rose had become a smashing success with the young crowd. They loved it, especially when Ty and I sang together as a duet. It was our trademark and livelihood now.

Drying my hands, I took a few sips of the cool, refreshing smoothie before heading to the shower and getting ready for work. I had taken a week-long vacation, and I was antsy to get back to releasing new songs and singing at our gigs.

My room had bejeweled walls covered from top to bottom, a fur pink rug on the floor, and my bed was covered in matching pillows and pink sheets.

A shelf full of mixed tapes and disks with a radio sitting on top sat in the corner of the room with a poster of my idol, Hayden Gray, above it. He was the most prominent singer of all time on Howl's Edge Island. There weren't many singers, and I was determined to be the first omega singer, which was the best decision I've ever made in my life. I didn't give a damn what anyone thought of me anymore.

My fathers disapproved of my choice for safety reasons and putting myself out there, but my mother was all for it, and I leaned into her support. My older half-brother, Gabe, didn't really care as long as I was happy and making money.

After showering, I picked out a pink skirt that stopped just above my thighs and a white shirt. Fluffing out my long hair, I wore a denim blazer over my shirt.

Finding my purse took forever, but I was finally ready.

My limo was waiting just outside the gate, and I knew my driver, Phil, was most likely annoyed at me right now. I was twenty minutes late to the studio, and I was rushing past the gates to the car. He was patiently holding the door open for me.

"Sorry I'm late as hell," I said, climbing inside the limo.

"That's quite alright," he said pleasantly. Then he went to the driver's side. My only view of him was the back of his head, covered in a halo of white hair. "I hope you had a pleasant morning?"

"I did. Did you hear the news about the omegas missing?"

"Yes, it's unfortunate for it to happen in this day and age," he said. "Perhaps, I think it's best you thought about hiring bodyguards?"

"Nope, don't need bodyguards," I said. After my incident with Jordan years ago, I've counted on only myself.

I've survived on my own, and I'll make it on my own .

At the studio, Ben and Ty were excited to have me back. They missed me with all the hugs and stories they had to tell. They were pretty much my second family, and I loved being around them, especially when I was feeling lonely.

"You took your sweet time on vacation," said Ben, shaking his head in disappointment. "What did you even do on vacation?"

"I spent time with my family," I said, smiling. I felt like my chosen career had spiraled out of control with fame and constant busy schedules. So it was nice to spend some downtime with my family.

"You have a ton of fan mail there," said Ty, running his hand over his black spiky hair. He wore the same torn black jeans and a plain black shirt with his silver chain. He and Ben were betas, which in the Howl's Edge society meant they didn't have a particular scent associated with them or extra abilities.

Omegas like myself were rare. We were able to produce alpha children if we mated an alpha. Not all the children would end up alpha, but there was a higher probability, and only alphas could shift into werewolf form at will.

Ty led me to the pile of fan mail on the shelf in our dimly lit studio. He pulled out envelopes, flowers, and gifts from my fans.

"Oh, you're right," I said. "That's a lot."

"The mailbox at the building was full," said Ty. "I had to grab them every day for you, but here it is."

I sifted through the envelopes and gifts with a smile. "It's great being back."

"We missed you," said Ty. "Electric Rose isn't the same without you."

"Aww," I said, noticing a small silver box wrapped in a bow. I pulled it open and saw a dead flower petal inside it. On top of it was a tiny scrap of paper, which was hard to read. I made out the words: Get ready, little Pinkie

Something about that didn't feel right at all.

"What's wrong?" asked Ty, walking over to my side and peeking at the letter in my hands. When he read the words, he shook his head. "Might be a weirdo. Throw it away, and let's start practicing the song ‘ Echoes of Tomorrow .' Full intensity."

"Okay," I said, quickly dumping it in the trash like it was a grenade. I didn't have a good feeling about that gift, and something was ominous about it.

When we finished recording our new song, I was glad at how amazing it turned out. As I sat in the limo, I couldn't wait to get home and relax before we sang tomorrow in front of a crowd after practicing for hours today. My phone vibrated, and I pulled it out, seeing that I had a missed voicemail.

It had come from an unknown number.

The voice on the other end was deep and disguised, but the words sent chills down my spine.

"Pinkie, why did you throw away the gift, my sweet?"

What. The. Fuck.

Frazzled, I deleted the message and sat still in the limo, breathing hard. The air conditioner hit my legs as I sat there freezing. No one but Ben and Ty were with me in that studio. Only they had seen the note. Had someone been watching me all day?

I was too scared to go home now.

"Phil, can you take me to Olivia's, please?"

"Sure," he said.

I dialed Olivia's number, and she answered on the first ring.

"Girl, wassup?" she answered, and I smiled at her familiar voice. She was so down-to-earth, and I needed her at this moment.

"Do you want to go shopping for Alana's baby shower?" I asked. Alana had twins, but now she was having a third baby with her pack. I was happy for her even though it sent little tendrils of envy through me. "It's this Sunday."

"Do I look like I have no life? Just kidding, I don't," said Olivia. "I'll get ready."

"Okay, I'm coming to pick you up."

Later, we were at the biggest mall on Howl's Edge, which was crowded today. Fall time was always busy as hell. I wore a large hat that I kept in the limo to disguise myself and sunglasses just in case fans mobbed me. I told Olivia everything about the odd gift and the creepy-as-fuck voicemail.

"You need to be careful," said Olivia, while sipping a strawberry icy drink.

"I know," I said. "It's so weird. I don't know how anyone could have seen me throw away the note."

"Do you think it was Ben or Ty playing a prank on you?" she asked.

"They would have called me soon after to laugh about it," I said, shaking my head as I sifted through baby clothes for girls. I held up a pair of overalls. "Do you think this is cute?"

"I love the matching purple onesie with it," said Olivia. "Let's get that and maybe a walker."

"I'm fucking scared to go home now," I said as we walked to the baby toys section. The bright colors filled the aisle, and mothers pushing strollers crowded them. I always actively avoided the baby section. It made me sad for some reason, reminding me of the pack life I'd dreamt about before meeting Jordan. I wanted a baby of my own. A pack of my own, but it wasn't time yet.

"Don't be scared," said Olivia. "If you have to, just hire a couple of bodyguards."

"Do you want to sleep over?"

"No," said Olivia quickly, and I rolled my eyes. "I like my own room and bed, sorry cousin. But you can stay at my house with your celebrity self."

"I'm not that scared," I said, even though I've slept at her house several times. Her mother was my aunt Jade. "But you're right. It could be a prank or something."

"Call the police," said Olivia. She was right about calling the authorities, but I didn't want to make a big deal out of it yet. Nothing too crazy had happened so far. Just creepy notes and voicemails.

But when I got home later that night, I knew for sure it wasn't just a prank. I stepped out of the limo, thanking Phil for taking me everywhere today. I walked past the gate towards my front door. My heart stopped at the sight waiting for me.

Dead pink roses were sitting at my doorstep. Someone had managed to get past my high-security gate.