Chapter 2

The next morning, I went to town to buy some bread and milk.

When I got back to my cottage, I saw a crowd gathered around my front door from a distance.

Lisa Johnson was standing on the porch with her arms crossed, waiting for me.

My belongings—my cups, my room decor, my photo frames—were scattered all over the lawn, smashed into pieces.

My laptop lay in the dirt, its screen completely shattered.

"You’re back?" Lisa saw me and tilted her chin up. "Perfect. Saves me the trouble of looking for you."

"The Alpha has agreed. You are banished from the Pack. Clean up your trash and get out of Crimson Springs by the end of the day."

I didn't even look at her. I knelt down and sifted through the wreckage.

"Where is the folder?"

I looked up and asked.

Lisa laughed mockingly.

"You seriously have the nerve to ask for that folder? An outsider holding our Pack’s financial records is proof enough that you’re a spy!"

"I’ve already destroyed those records. Consider this a warning to you and whatever Pack is backing you. Next time, it won't be this simple!"

Without waiting for me to reply, she spun around and walked away.

Three minutes later, she sent me a video on Snapchat.

In the video, she pulled the documents out of the folder and ripped them to shreds, page by page.

"That's what you get for being a spy. Go back to your Pack and tell them you failed."

I didn't bother explaining.

I cleaned up the trash on the lawn and carried what was left of my things back inside.

Just as I sat down, my phone buzzed. Someone had tagged me on the Pack’s local Snapchat story.

I clicked on it. It was a post from Lisa.

[There’s a spy from another Pack in Crimson Springs, but I’ve already exposed her. Everyone stay alert! Don't let outsiders take advantage of us!]

The post was already trending, and the comments were blowing up.

[Oh my god, a spy? Who is it?]

[No wonder I’ve seen a strange face wandering around town lately.]

[Great job, Lisa! We need to throw people like her out!]

Lisa replied in the comments with fake modesty:

[Don't worry, everyone. I’ve handled it. She won't be a threat to our Pack anymore.]

I closed the app and sighed.

Seeing a message from Alpha Brown from ten minutes ago asking how I was settling in, I texted him back.

[Alpha Brown, your people just kicked me out.]

[I guess the training program is on hold.]

[Let me know how you want to handle this.]

My phone rang instantly. Alpha Brown was calling me in a panic.

"Jessica, I am so sorry! I’m already on my way back. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Please, give me a chance to fix this. I promise I’ll give you a satisfying answer, okay?"

Hearing his sincerity, I agreed.

"Alright, Alpha Brown. We'll talk when you get here. Don't disappoint me."