Title Page

Also by Aileen Erin

The Alpha Girl Series

Becoming Alpha

Avoiding Alpha

Alpha Divided

Bruja

Alpha Unleashed

Shattered Pack

Being Alpha

Lunar Court

The Shadow Ravens Series

Cipher

The Aunare Chronicles

Off Planet

Off Balance - forthcoming

Dedication

For Isabella and Jeremy.

You inspire me every day.

I couldn’t do this without you.

Love you both more than words.

Chapter One

A chorus of shouts rippled through the room, sending a zing of energy up my spine. The warehouse’s old wooden floors creaked as the class launched into a jump kick. Not even the mats I’d scrounged from around Albuquerque could mask the noise of the battered floorboards.

The massive room was good enough for me to hold my martial arts classes in and not much else. I’d created a little makeshift locker room in the back with a floral curtain and a few cubbies where the students could stash their stuff. A few industrial lights hung down from the ceiling. They weren’t very bright, but they also didn’t cost much to keep turned on, which was essential since I was on a budget.

I’d shoved a small, battered desk I’d found abandoned in an alley into the corner so I could keep up with my flight training here if I needed to, and some outdated vidscreens hung on the wall. I didn’t watch much on them, but I liked to check the news and a selection of social channels—both legit and off-the-grid resistance sites—before leaving. It was dangerous out there, especially for halfers like me, but I was a girl who knew how to survive.

Except for the study area and the lockers, the warehouse was just one massive open space that looked like it could fall down on our heads at any second, but thankfully, it was sturdier than it appeared. My students didn’t care about aesthetics. The tiny fee they paid was barely enough to keep the lights on. My students came here to learn how to fight, and that was the only thing that mattered.

We finished the warm-up, and the students bowed. I took in the twenty-three people standing in front of me, their spines stiff. Most wore some type of active gear, but a few were in pajamas. I didn’t require white karate gis and I didn’t hand out colored belts. None of that was important in here. My only goal was to make sure these Earthers survived the walk home every day.

“Good job, everyone.”