Page 6 of Forbidden Virgin Mate

The street is quiet, with only a few houses. I don't want to be paranoid, but I always feel eyes on me whenever I come home. Probably just the usual small-town nosy neighbors checking out the controversial newcomer from behind their windows and perfectly manicured homesteads.

Closing the front door behind me, I lean back against it and allow myself a moment of respite, letting the calm of my cozy little house envelop me. I have the house for six months, which would give me time to find somewhere more permanent.

But I should be long gone by then.

I sigh before walking to the small kitchen island to unpack the groceries. Balanced on top of the bag is the sweet-looking pack of frosted cupcakes Saffy brought in from the bakery and offered me at the store. Having tasted one at the fair last week, I knew these treats were special, and I was touched she’d brought them in during her shift.

She's a great student and seems like a genuinely nice person, too. That last part really stings, given that I'm here to destroy her and her brother’s life. She's a gifted student, though, and I've reasoned more than once that I'm equipping her with skills she'll need later on. Skills that have helped me survive out in the world.

It's not lost on me that I'm about to do to Saffy exactly what was done to me. She's not entirely innocent, though. Her fancy laptop, the expensive truck, and her kind, carefree attitude don't come cheap. No, her wealth comes at the expense of my family. Even if she hasn’t realized it yet.

I see so much of myself in Saffy, it's quite unnerving. Her hacking skills make me smile. Although I'm technically teaching cyber security, it's industry standard to look at the practice through the lens of the perpetrator, who also happens to be me.

I began my hacker life when I had no friends, no family except my parents, and no pack. My parents didn't want to out themselves as shifters, so we kept to ourselves, and I was homeschooled. My computer skills are entirely self-taught, the result of finding like-minded friends online—other shifters who were alone in the world for whatever reason.

We were a small group of kids online with nothing left to lose and very little oversight, figuring things out as we went along. Eventually, I got very good at figuring things out. I hid behind a carefully constructed online persona, but my hacker identity was well-known on the dark web. I diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years, funded my own college degree, awarded my online friends scholarships, and changed our grades to lift us all up.

I was a virtual Robin Hood.

Until my hacker group started getting picked off one by one. We all knew the risks, and seeing Stan get taken down by MI6 in London was a sad day for all of us. Still, we felt protected by our firewalls and carefully constructed online identities.

But over the next six months, we lost two more hackers, and I knew the net was closing. When the FBI finally showed up at my door, it was all a lot less dramatic than I'd imagined. I'd envisioned some kind of raid with stun grenades and rifles in my face. Instead, I walked into my condo one day to find Agent Barnes sitting on my sofa, drinking my coffee.

I still laugh at the memory because despite everything, I actually like Agent Barnes, a no-nonsense, craggy old agent. I was surprised he knew enough about computers to work cyber. It turns out you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. He's given me a run for my money more than once.

More than that, instead of throwing me in jail, Agent Barnes offered me a job. So now, I split my time pretending to be a college cyber-security teacher and freelancing for the government. I test their systems—most of which are seriously lacking—and keep hackers out. The irony isn't lost on me.

Over the last couple of years, I've gone from criminal to patriot. I’ve helped stop some of the biggest threats to the country in recent memory.

But to that miserable bitch in the grocery store, I'm no better than the dirt on her shoe.

It was stupid, really, thinking I could forget just for a moment. But she was so friendly when I started unpacking my shopping. She obviously thought I was just a visitor, but I recognized her straight away.

"Emma, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, sorry, do I know you?" she replied, smiling.

"It's Tanya. We went to school together like a million years ago. Before my family, erm, moved away."

I instantly realized my mistake as her smile dropped and a frown replaced it.

"Wow. You've got some nerve showing up here." As I quickly bagged my groceries, she sneered, "I heard you were back. At the college. Didn't think you'd actually come near the town. Shameful."

What was shameful was how I just froze. I should have told her where to go. Instead, I picked up my bag and rushed out of the store.

I was nearly at my truck when I heard someone shout my name. I tensed, thinking Emma was following me for round two, but when I turned, I saw Billie and McKenna rushing toward me.

"Are you okay?" Billie asked. "I'm so sorry that happened. I'm going to get Mateo to address this. It's not right."

Unable to talk due to the threatening tears, I managed to thank her but jumped into my truck and sped off before she got too close. I don't know how much Billie saw or heard, but I felt shame. So much shame. And a burning rage that this is exactly how my parents must have felt.

They were good people before they were banished. Now, I'm not so sure.

Speak of the devil—my phone starts ringing deep inside my bag. I hunt for the device, already knowing who it will be.

"Hello, darling," my mom's sickly-sweet voice fills my ears. "Did you have a good day? How are you getting on?"

Feeling vulnerable, I start to tell her about the grocery store, but she cuts me off. "Well, what do you expect? They're all evil. You need to get this done and get out of there."

---