Around her, the other omegas were still murmuring, some worried, some resigned, some trying to calculate whether extra wages would be worth the additional exhaustion.

But Lilith barely heard them.

Her mind was spinning. Extra wages. More pay. How much more? Would it be enough? Could she actually cover the medical bills? Could she save her mother?

The questions were endless, but underneath them all was a spark of something she hadn’t felt in weeks.

Possibility.

"You’re dismissed," Dora said. "Except for those who want to volunteer for the longest shifts. See me before you leave."

The assembly began to disperse. Omegas filtered out slowly, talking in low voices, processing the news. Some looked worried. Some looked resigned. Some looked calculating.

Lilith stood rooted to the spot.

Her exhaustion was still there. The dreams were still haunting her. The confusion about what was happening to her body was still present. But underneath it all, there was this new thing. This possibility.

Emma passed by and touched Lilith’s arm gently.

"Are you going to volunteer?" she asked quietly.

Lilith looked at her. Emma’s kind eyes were concerned, but also understanding. The omega knew what the extra wages could mean for someone like Lilith. Someone with responsibilities. Someone with impossible debts.

"I don’t know yet," Lilith said honestly.

"Be careful not to burn yourself out," Emma said. "Working yourself to exhaustion isn’t worth it, no matter how much they’re paying."

But Emma didn’t know the full extent of Lilith’s situation. Didn’t know about the four-thousand-dollar monthly debt hanging over her head. Didn’t know about the countdown...four to six weeks before her mother would be transferred to county care.

"I’ll be careful," Lilith said, though she wasn’t sure that was true.

Emma squeezed her arm once more, then left to join the other omegas filtering out of the assembly area.

Dora was still standing at the front, watching as the omegas dispersed. She caught sight of Lilith standing alone and gave a subtle nod....an invitation.

Lilith took a breath and walked toward her.

"You heard the announcement," Dora said quietly when Lilith reached her.

"I did," Lilith confirmed.

"And?" Dora asked.

Lilith stood there, processing the question. The reality of what volunteering for the longest shifts would mean. The exhaustion. The physical toll. The way her body was already struggling to function. The way the dreams were already consuming her.

But also: the possibility. The money. Her mother’s survival.

"I need time to think," Lilith said finally.

Dora nodded. "You have until tonight. But Lilith..." She paused, her sharp eyes studying Lilith’s face. "Don’t volunteer for more than you can handle. The extra wages aren’t worth destroying yourself."

It was the second time in minutes that someone had warned her about this. But Lilith couldn’t shake the feeling that she didn’t have a choice. That her mother’s survival was worth whatever price she had to pay.

"I’ll be careful," she said again.

Dora didn’t look convinced, but she nodded anyway.

"Go home and rest," she said. "You look like you haven’t slept in days."

Lilith didn’t respond. Didn’t explain that sleep was impossible. That every time she closed her eyes, she fell into dreams that were more vivid and consuming than reality itself.

Instead, she simply turned and left the assembly area.

As she walked back toward omega housing, her mind was racing.

More wages. Extra shifts. The possibility of saving her mother.

But also: exhaustion. Physical toll. Dreams that were already consuming her.

Could she do this? Could she push herself harder? Could she survive working extra hours while barely sleeping, while being haunted by three alphas who seemed determined to claim her even in her sleep?

She didn’t know.

But as she thought about her mother lying unconscious in that hospital bed, as she thought about the countdown to county care, as she thought about the four-thousand-dollar monthly debt that had seemed impossible....

She realized she didn’t really have a choice.

Whether she could do this or not, she would have to try.

Because the alternative was losing her mother.

And that was unacceptable.

Lilith reached her apartment and sat on the edge of her mattress, her exhausted body trembling slightly.

Tonight, she would have to decide. Tonight, she would have to commit to either accepting her impossible situation or pushing herself beyond her limits to try to change it.

There was no middle ground.

There was only desperation and the faint glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, extra wages could save her.

***

The morning light broke across Shadowmere pack compound like a herald of urgency.

Warriors moved with purpose through the grounds, carrying materials, shouting instructions to one another. Wooden beams for reinforcing structures. Furniture being repositioned. Supplies being organized and catalogued. The entire compound had transformed overnight into a beehive of activity, every pack member aware that the Yearly Alphas Summit was less than three weeks away and there was an enormous amount of work to be done.

Alpha Garrett stood in the center of the compound, watching the controlled chaos unfold.

His eyes tracked the movement of his warriors. A team was reinforcing the guest quarters, the buildings where visiting alphas would stay during the Summit. Another team was preparing the main hall for meetings and formal gatherings. A third team was working on security posts around the perimeter, ensuring that the compound would be secure enough to host the most powerful alphas in the werewolf realm.

Everything needed to be perfect.

Garrett moved through the compound with purpose, stopping occasionally to speak with the warriors overseeing different sections of the work. He checked on the progress of the guest quarters. He reviewed the layout of the main hall. He discussed security protocols with his head of security, Nate a warrior whose loyalty was unquestionable and whose tactical mind was sharp.

"The perimeter needs to be secure," Garrett said, looking at the map Nate had laid out. "But we also need it to look welcoming. We don’t want the visiting alphas to feel like they’re walking into a fortress."

"We can position the guards discreetly," Nate said. "Visible enough to show we’re serious about security, but not so obvious that it feels hostile."