Scarlett’s POV

​"Ethan, I’m scared," I whispered through the link. I could feel my wolf’s fur standing on end.

​"Don’t be," Ethan’s voice was steady, trying to keep me grounded. "Scar, where are you exactly?"

​"I’m ten minutes away from the Silver Back Pack," I told him, dodging a group of kids who were running right through where my tail should have been. "But Ethan, I don’t want to involve Alpha Samuel and his family in this. If the authorities find those Alphas, I don’t want the Silver Backs to pay for what I did."

​"No worries," Ethan said quickly. "Scar, I have other contacts. Don’t go to the packhouse. Go to the bus stop near the Silver Back territory. I’m sending help there right now."

​"Thank you," I breathed.

​I ran. I pushed my wolf legs until they burned, passing through the celebration and into the quieter streets. Within minutes, I was at the bus station. I stood on the sidewalk, my chest heaving. People were walking past me to catch their rides. Cars drove by, splashing through puddles that didn’t even ripple when I stepped in them. No one saw me. Not a single person looked my way.

​I was panicking. What is happening to us? I asked my wolf. She paced in the back of my mind, whining low in her throat. She didn’t understand either. She felt strong, but we were completely cut off from the world.

​I stood there for almost thirty minutes. I kept waiting for sirens, for someone to scream about the dead bodies in the room, but it was like they hadn’t gotten the information yet.

​Then, a black SUV pulled up to the curb and parked.

​Scar, do you see a black SUV? Ethan’s voice popped into my head. He called out the plate number.

​Yes, I see it, I replied.

​Walk to it, he commanded.

​It seemed Ethan had explained the situation to the driver, because as I approached, the back door swung open as if by magic. I jumped inside, the leather seats feeling cold beneath my paws.

​I’m in, I told Ethan.

​The driver’s phone rang immediately. "She’s in," I heard Ethan’s voice say over the speakers. "Shut the door."

​The driver reached back, shut the door, and locked it. He didn’t look at me—he couldn’t even see me—but he looked into the rearview mirror with a focused expression. He put the car in gear and began to drive.

​I tried to growl a thank you, but he didn’t hear me. He just spoke to the empty air in the back seat. "I’m taking you to a private terminal. There is a jet waiting for you there."

​I relayed the message to Ethan.

​"Yes," Ethan confirmed. "He’s a good friend who has a jet in Nigeria. You’re going to be fine, Scar. We’re getting you out of the country before anyone realizes what happened in that room."

​I nodded and curled up on the floor of the SUV, my head resting on my paws. I was safe for now, but as the car sped through the night, I couldn’t stop thinking about my invisibility.

​The car ride was a blur of dark streets and bright city lights. I stayed low on the floor of the SUV, my mind spinning.

​Finally, we reached the private terminal. The driver pulled right up to a sleek, small jet that was already humming, its engines ready for flight. The door opened, and I didn’t wait. I leaped out of the car and climbed the stairs into the cabin.

​Ethan, I’m in; I mind-linked him.

​Almost immediately, the heavy door hissed shut and locked. The driver, who had followed me in, sat down in one of the leather chairs. Within minutes, I felt the familiar pull of gravity as the jet lifted off the ground, climbing high into the dark Nigerian sky.

​Scar, Ethan’s voice was soft in my head. Try to shift back to your human form. Let’s see what happens.

​I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. The man who had driven me must have been listening to Ethan on an earpiece, because he stood up and grabbed a thick, grey blanket from a cabinet. He dropped it onto the seat next to me.

​"When you shift, you can cover yourself with this," the man said, looking at the empty space where I was sitting. "I’ll go check on the pilot to give you some privacy."

​As soon as he walked toward the front of the plane, I took a deep breath. I pushed against the heavy animal energy in my chest and forced the change. My bones snapped and moved, my skin stretched, and the fur retreated. It was a painful, hot process, but finally, I was sitting on the floor, naked and shivering.

​I reached out for the blanket. My heart skipped a beat when my fingers actually touched the fabric. It didn’t pass through my hand like smoke. I pulled it around my shoulders, feeling the rough, warm material against my skin.

​"Ethan, I’ve shifted," I said out loud. It felt strange to hear my own human voice again.

​The man walked back into the cabin. He stopped, his eyes widening as he looked directly at me. "I can see you," he said, sounding just as relieved as I felt.

​Scar, that’s good, Ethan said, his voice sounding much happier. But we need to be sure. Shift back to your wolf. Right now.

​I frowned, but I did as he asked. I let the wolf take over again. The heat returned, and the fur sprouted.

​The man gasped. He reached out a hand, waving it right through the air where my head was. "She’s gone," he whispered to Ethan over the phone. "She’s completely invisible again."

​A cold shiver ran down my spine. I looked down at my paws—I couldn’t see them. I looked at the blanket I had just been holding—it was lying flat on the seat, looking like no one was touching it.

​Ethan, I called out, my mind full of confusion. When I shifted in the room, those Alphas saw me. One of them even whispered that I was a Red Wolf before I took him down. So why can’t anyone see me now? Why did I become invisible the moment I stepped outside?

​"I don’t know, Scar," Ethan’s voice was serious. "Maybe it was the panic, or maybe the Red Wolf has powers we don’t understand yet. Don’t worry. We will work on that. We will figure it out together once you are safe."

​I sighed, the sound lost in the quiet hum of the jet. I pushed against the wolf again, shifting back to my human form. As my skin returned, I grabbed the blanket and wrapped it tightly around me.

​The man turned back around and breathed a sigh of relief when his eyes landed on me. I sat down in the plush leather seat, feeling the exhaustion finally hitting my bones.

​"Where am I going?" I asked, my voice small.

​The man looked at me with a kind but firm expression. "We are heading to Australia," he said. "It’s a long flight, but it’s the best place to keep you hidden for now."

​He checked his watch and then looked back at me. "Ethan is making arrangements. He said he will join you there tomorrow."

​I leaned my head against the cool window of the jet, watching the lights of Nigeria disappear beneath the clouds.