Chapter 9
ANITA
I’m frozen in the restaurant hallway, standing near the bathroom entrance with my backpack in hand, and Nina is staring at me like an interrogator who’s already solved the case and is just waiting for the confession.
The sounds of the restaurant drift back here—laughter, the clatter of dishes, the muted conversations—but this hallway feels strangely isolated. Private.
Panic floods my system. One of the guys could walk by any second. They could see me standing here as Ash, talking to Nina, who clearly knows something is very wrong.
I grab her by the arm without thinking. “I need to tell you something.”
“Yeah, no kidding.”
I pull her toward the ladies’ room, pushing through the door and checking quickly. Empty. Thank every deity in existence.
I drag her into the nearest stall and lock the door behind us.
Nina raises an eyebrow. “This is cozy.”
A slightly hysterical laugh bubbles up in my throat. I’ve been in more bathrooms tonight than a plumber on overtime. At this rate, I’m going to develop a bathroom-related phobia.
“What is going on?” Nina demands, hands on her hips despite the confined space. “Because I’ve been watching you all night, and either you’re the worst spy in history, or you’re having some kind of elaborate identity crisis.”
“It’s a long story, and I’m going to come clean with you, but you need to promise to keep it to yourself. Please.” My voice comes out slightly desperate.
She tilts her head, considering. Her crystal-blue eyes are sharp, assessing. “Well, depends on what it is. I can’t be an accessory to murder or anything truly illegal.”
I chuckle despite myself. “I can only laugh because I’ve had the craziest night of my entire life.”
“I’m waiting.”
I take a breath and reach into my backpack, pulling out the plastic sheet I brought specifically for storing the facial hair. I remove the patch on my inner wrist too. “Okay. Yes, I’m pretending to be Ash. There is no brother. It’s just me.”
Her eyes widen as I start carefully peeling off the facial hair, pressing each piece onto the plastic sheet so the adhesive doesn’t dry out. “Holy—”
“I run a radio show,” I interrupt, needing to get it all out.
“Back in Portland. Late night. It’s all secretive, anonymous.
The whole point is creating a safe space for Omegas to talk about things we’re not supposed to discuss.
Questions we’re not supposed to ask. Problems we’re told don’t exist. No one knows my real identity. ”
Nina’s eyes are growing wider.
“And there’s this asshole named Dr. Langston Reed who has his own radio show,” I continue, pulling off the wig now, shaking out my natural hair.
“He’s constantly spewing garbage about Omegas.
How we’re too emotional, how we need structure and rules and training, how we’re basically pets that need to know our place in the natural hierarchy. ”
“That dick!” Nina bursts out, her voice sharp with recognition. “I’ve heard him on the radio. He makes me want to throw my speakers out the window.”
“Right? Exactly!” I’m pulling out the contacts now, blinking as my natural hazel eyes adjust. “So I heard some rumors about Wilde Charters possibly firing Omegas unfairly. Not hiring them. Pushing them out. And I figured I might come investigate for my followers. Go undercover, work for a while, get intel, find the truth. Either expose discrimination or prove it doesn’t exist.”
Nina just blinks at me, clearly processing this information dump. “Yeah, well, first, everyone around here knows Reed’s show. He’s broadcast regionally.” She shakes her head. “He talks about Omegas so badly. Like we’re incompetent children who need constant supervision.”
“Exactly. So I thought—”
“You have brass balls,” Nina says, staring at me with something like awe. “Coming here alone, creating a whole fake identity. I’m so proud of you right now.”
“You are?” Relief floods through me. “You’re the first person I’ve told about any of this—well, aside from my radio producer back in the city. My real identity, the show, the investigation. I don’t even know why I’m telling you, but I like you.”
“I like you too.” She leans against the stall wall, a smile spreading across her face.
“For what it’s worth, I don’t know much about the pack mistreating Omegas.
I’m independent myself, and they’ve always been super kind to me.
Helpful to the whole town, really. If anything, you should figure out how to take down that asshole Reed instead. ”
“God, that would be amazing, right?” I laugh, but it’s strained. “Yet, I have no idea how to start without it being a full-out radio war, and I feel like he has more resources than I do. More listeners, more backing, more money.”
“You might be surprised,” Nina says thoughtfully.
I breathe heavily. “Anyway, I’m sorry for being untruthful. I honestly thought I could pull this off, but I took on too much tonight. The Alphas are getting suspicious, and—”
“I’m so happy you told me,” Nina interrupts. “And I’m going to help you.”
“You are?”
“I love your cause. If they are discriminating, it needs to come out. And if they’re not…
” She grins. “Well, I saw the way they stared at you while you were chatting with them. All four of them looked ready to propose on the spot. Maybe this is an opportunity for you. I assume you don’t have a secret pack stashed at home? ”
I laugh. “No, no secret pack.”
“Good. Because those four are single, and they were practically drooling.”
“I highly doubt—”
“Trust me. I know what Alphas look like when they’re interested, and those four are very into you.”
Just then, the bathroom door opens. We both freeze, going completely silent, and peer through the tiny gap in the stall door.
Another woman walks in, heading straight for the mirror to check her makeup.
We wait, holding our breath, until she leaves.
“Now get changed,” Nina whispers urgently. “You can say Ash left with me because I had too much to drink and he’s taking me home safely. Give me his jacket.”
“Wait, but he’s here for work. Ash needs to stay. You can pretend I went home with you instead—”
She shakes her head firmly. “Trust me. They don’t want to talk business tonight. If you really want to get to know who these Alphas are, they’re not going to show their real selves to Ash. But you? You, they’ll open up to. They’ll be putty in your hands.”
“I highly doubt that. Especially Slater. That man is a brick wall covered in barbed wire.”
“Then get him a few drinks,” Nina says practically. “When Alphas loosen up, they tell you things. At least you’ll get a feel for who they really are and how they treat Omegas when they’re not trying to maintain a professional image.”
“I don’t know…”
“Look, I somehow doubt they’re bad guys, but you need to see that without a mask on. Without pretending to be someone else. See how they treat you when you’re just you.”
I’m wavering. It makes sense. It actually makes a lot of sense. I bite my lip, considering.
“And then tomorrow,” she keeps going, “you can get back to the investigation side. But tonight? Just be Anita. See what happens.”
I pull her into a hug suddenly. “Thank you for not hating me. I’m risking so much with this investigation, and—”
“Hey, I’m on your side. You’ve got a friend now. Someone in your corner.” She hugs me back tightly. “And if you find anything to take that asshole Reed down a few pegs? Even better.”
The relief is overwhelming. Having someone know the truth, having an ally, makes this all feel slightly less impossible.
“You’re the best.”
“Oh, I know.” She grins. “Now here’s the plan.
I’ll be at the front door with Ash’s jacket on.
When you see me wave, you call out something like ‘See you later, Ash,’ and I’ll handle the rest. Make it look like I’m meeting him outside.
Then I want a full report at the café super early tomorrow morning. ”
“Okay. Deal.”
“And give me your bag. I’ll take it so you don’t have to explain why Anita suddenly has a mysterious backpack. You can pick it up tomorrow.”
I hand over Ash’s jacket, pull out my small wallet and apartment keys, and tuck them into my bra, then start changing quickly back into my dress. The emerald-green fabric slides on easily, and I adjust the chest binder over my bra that’s still in place, creating that subtle cleavage.
Nina takes the bag with all of Ash’s belongings, and I feel a weight lift off my shoulders.
“Finally, something exciting is happening in this town. This is better than any reality show,” she says.
She slips out of the bathroom, leaving me alone to catch my breath.
I do a quick check in the mirror. Hair combed and falling in natural waves. Dress straightened. Then I head back toward the table, my heart pounding with each step, and just as I’m almost there, I glance toward the front door.
Nina is there in Ash’s jacket, the door partially open like she’s heading out to meet someone. She catches my eye and waves.
Perfect.
“See you later, Ash!” I call out loudly enough for the entire back section to hear. “Take care of Nina!”
All four heads twist toward the door in perfect synchronization, catching sight of the jacket disappearing outside.
I slide into the seat next to Slater, grinning like this is all completely normal. “Well, there they go. Looks like you might be stuck with me for a while.”
“Where’s Ash going?” Dylan asks, frowning.
“He and Nina hit it off. She wanted to go home but didn’t want to walk alone, so Ash promised to take her safely. Very gentlemanly of him, right?”
“He didn’t mention leaving,” Mason says, and there’s something in his tone. Not quite disapproving, but close.
I shrug, reaching for my water glass. “You know how guys get when they’re interested in someone. Everything else becomes background noise.”
They’re all staring at me with an intensity that sends heat flooding my face and down my neck.