There are only three left, and I send a silent thank you to the universe that I'm not too late.
The coffee maker gurgles to life as I start brewing a fresh cup. The familiar sounds and smells help ground me.
Coffee, cookies, the faint scent of old books that permeates every corner of this place.
This is my life.
Not handsome Alphas with maple-sweet scents who smile like they know something you don't.
I pour my coffee, add an obscene amount of cream and sugar because I like my coffee to taste like dessert, and finally sit down at the table. The chair creaks under me in a familiar way, and I take my first bite of cookie.
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Buttery and sweet with just the right amount of crunch around the edges.
I let out a long breath, feeling some of the chaotic energy drain away. This ismy life—working multiple part-time jobs, living in a tiny attic apartment, making people smile on TikTok,and stealing quiet moments with sugar cookies in bookshop break rooms.
It's not glamorous.
It's not what I imagined when I ran away from Kael and his pack.
But it's mine.
I built this from nothing, from the wreckage of who I used to be, and that counts for something.
That counts for everything.
I pull out my phone, opening TikTok to check the notifications from my live. The numbers are good—better than usual, actually.
Lots of new followers, comments still rolling in, people tagging their friends and sharing screenshots.
But there are other notifications too.
The kind I try to ignore but can't quite manage to delete.
“This is so cringe.”
“Why is she so desperate for attention?”
“Omega behavior lmaooo.”
I scroll past them quickly, looking for the positive ones. The people who said I made their day.
The Omegas who thanked me for the recommendations. The readers who felt seen.
You're so genuine it makes me smile
Thank you for always promoting omega stories!
Your energy is contagious
Focus on these. Focus on the good.
The negative comments don't matter…they're just noise.
But I can feel my smile starting to slip.
I try to hold it, to keep it bright and genuine, but there's this nagging voice in the back of my head that sounds suspiciously like Kael.
