The night was colder than usual, the kind of cold that made the air feel sharp in the lungs. Most of the stores along the street had already closed, their lights dimmed or completely off, leaving only a few street lamps casting pale circles of light onto the pavement.

Guest was leaving work, walking at a steady pace toward the parking lot at the end of the block. Her footsteps echoed softly in the quiet street, the sound of her shoes tapping against the sidewalk one of the few noises left in the late evening.

It had been a long day, and the neighborhood was mostly empty now.

A faint wind passed through the street, carrying with it the usual mix of city scents—cold asphalt, distant food from a late-night stand, and the fading traces of people who had already gone home.

Then suddenly—

A sharp cry cut through the silence.

The voice was clearly feminine. Young. Frightened.

The sound came from somewhere nearby, echoing faintly through the narrow buildings lining the street.

A second later, laughter followed.

Low. Mocking.

Two different voices.

From where Guest stood, she could also faintly pick up scent traces in the air drifting from the same direction—coming from a dark alley just ahead on the street.

One was unmistakable.

A young Omega’s pheromones, sweet but panicked, leaking into the cold night air.

Mixed with it were two others.

One belonging to a young Alpha, sharp and restless.

The other a Beta, calmer but lingering close.

And the sounds—those quiet laughs—were coming from that same alley.

The night had suddenly become a lot less quiet.