Claimed By The Packless Alpha

04 Way Out 2

Sienna’s POV

Maya sat back and took a deep breath.

“You need to tell Alpha Darius and Nolan,” she said.

I stared at her like she had slapped me.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“I cannot do that,” I said quickly. “Darius will reject me, and my family will kill me.”

“You have no choice,” Maya said. “The mark and scent are there. It will be worse if they find out on the day of the joining. And the whole virgin thing will count against you too.”

I winced. There it was. The virgin lie. A lie that had felt harmless when it was just sitting quietly in the corner of my life. Now it had grown teeth.

“You need to flip the narrative,” Maya said.

I looked at her. “What do you mean?”

She hesitated. “I mean… you need to explain it in a way that gives you some protection.”

The idea came slowly at first. Then it formed properly, ugly and desperate.

“What if I tell them we went out and I got drunk, then I went to throw up at the back of The Velvet Moon Club, and this random man took advantage of me, claimed me, and left?”

Maya stared at me. Then she shook her head.

“They are not stupid.”

My stomach sank.

“Why would this random man single you out from all the women in the club and even go as far as claiming you?” Maya asked. “It already sounds like a lie.”

I wiped my face, thinking fast.

“He isn’t random,” I said slowly. “His name is Kael. I did not bother to get his last name, but he had been bothering me for a while, and I kept turning him down. It was his way of getting revenge.”

Maya went still. I could see her mind working. Nyla also went quiet, which meant even my wolf was watching me cross a dangerous line.

‘This is a very ugly road,’ Nyla said softly.

“I know,” I whispered inside.

Maya folded her arms. “It might fly.”

Hope sparked in me.

“But,” she added, and I hated that word immediately, “what about the part where Nolan called me and I told him you were sleeping because of a headache?”

I understood her concern. If Nolan found out she had lied, he could punish her. Darius could deal with her family for trying to sabotage me. My mess could ruin Maya too.

“No,” I said quickly. “I had a scarf and jacket because it was chilly. You did not see the mark. When we got to your house, I complained about a headache and passed out on the bed.”

Maya studied me for a moment. Then she nodded slowly.

“That seems plausible.”

I released a breath.

“But what if your family starts searching for him and finds him?” she asked.

Something cold and angry moved through me.

“Then it will be our word against his.”

Maya looked uncomfortable.

“Yeah, but Darius and Nolan might kill him,” she said. “He is huge and seems like an Alpha, yes, but he does not belong to Silverlake Pack or Ironbridge Pack, and Ironbridge is one of the strongest packs in our world. Darius ranks second among the strongest Alphas. That man does not stand a chance if they decide to punish him. Can you have that on your conscience?”

I nodded because I was angry enough to be cruel.

“I honestly don’t care.”

Maya shook her head. “You are saying that now because you are hurt.”

“I am hurt.”

“I know. But you were really into him last night,” Maya said gently.

I looked away.

“Honestly, Sienna, he did not want to sleep with you at first,” she continued. “You kept pushing. It would be unfair for him to lose his life for this.”

The words hit me in a place I did not want touched.

“Are you saying this is all my fault?” I asked.

“No,” Maya said quickly. “Not one hundred per cent.”

I glared at her.

“At least fifty,” she added.

“Maya.”

“What? You wanted honesty. You were drunk and persistent. If you had not pushed, you would not have ended up at Moonfall Motel.”

I bowed my head, shame crawling up my throat. Because she was right. I remembered enough. Kael had tried to stop me from drinking too much. I had laughed it off. I had made him drink too. I had dragged him to the dance floor. I had rubbed myself against him like a woman with no fear of consequences and no father waiting at home. Maybe he had been too drunk to control his wolf. Maybe he had not meant to claim me. Maybe. But none of that fixed my neck. None of it fixed my life.

‘Truth is annoying when it does not come with solutions,’ Nyla muttered.

I wiped my tears again. “I cannot handle this.”

Maya softened and squeezed my hand.

“The story is plausible,” she said. “But let me suggest something else.”

I looked up at her quickly, hoping her idea would work like magic.

“Come stay with me for two days,” she said. “Let us search for Kael. If we find him, you two can talk and decide what to do. If we don’t find him, then you tell your family and Alpha Darius your version of the truth.”

I stared at her. Two days. Two days to search for the man who had ruined me. Two days before I had to face the storm. It was not much, but it was better than sitting in my room waiting for my father to come home and smell another Alpha on me.

“That could work,” I whispered.

“It is better than making a confession while shaking like a leaf,” Maya said.

‘I agree,’ Nyla said. ‘We need information before we volunteer ourselves for slaughter.’

I took a deep breath.

“Then you will have to follow me to dinner tonight,” I said.

Maya frowned. “Dinner?”

“Darius is organising one tonight,” I explained. “I need you there. I will ask to help you with your interior decoration project for two days, so no one refuses me.”

Maya nodded slowly. “Okay. That makes sense.”

“Your parents really have that project, right?”

“Yes,” she said. “But you do not need to sleep at my place to help.”

“They do not need to know that,” I said.

Maya gave me a look. “You are becoming too good at lying.”

“I was raised by Gideon Vale. Survival had to become a skill.”

She did not argue with that.

“Great,” Maya said. “But we need to add the two extra days to the lie if we do not find him. If we find him and he annoys you, we still need an explanation for why you did not report it immediately.”

“Simple,” I said. “I was sick and scared of telling them. You were afraid for your life. We went looking for the bastard so we could challenge him to death.”

Maya stared at me.

“What?” I asked.

“You said that too easily.”

“I am traumatised. Let me have my talents.”

Nyla snorted in my head. ‘At least lying is finally useful. Shame it waited until our life entered premium disaster level.’

Maya sighed. “That could work, but honestly, I hope we find him.”

“Why?”

“Because I do not want anyone to die,” she said.

I looked away. The truth was, Kael was either going to die or run from the challenge if Darius decided I was worth fighting for. But there was no way I would be with him. No way. He had claimed me while I was drunk. He had left without a word. He had not even taken my number. f**k him.

‘You say that like it did not start the problem,’ Nyla muttered.

“Nyla,” I warned inside my head.

‘I am just saying. Maybe choose a different phrase next time.’

I almost laughed, but the sound came out broken. Maya pulled me into another hug, and this time I held onto her like she was the only thing keeping me from falling apart completely.

“We will find him,” she said.

I closed my eyes. I wanted to believe her. But deep down, fear sat heavy in my stomach. Because even if we found Kael, what then? A claim was not a dress I could return. A mark was not a mistake I could wash off. And my father’s dream of me becoming Luna was already bleeding out on my bedroom floor.