Hazel Martinez had the promotion, the city badge, and a younger pack of Alphas who swore they were proud to stand beside her.

Until she didn't.

One internal investigation. One sealed report with her name on it. One wealthy, fresh-faced Omega academy graduate who stepped into her role—and into her pack—like she'd been waiting for it. Hazel was demoted, disgraced, and reassigned to Sweetwater Falls. Population small. Crime rate suspiciously perfect. Secrets buried deep. As the newly appointed Police Chief, Hazel tells herself it's temporary. One month until the review board clears her name. One month of keeping her head down.

Instead, she starts digging. Because the missing persons reports don't add up. Because the closed cases feel staged. Because someone in Sweetwater Falls is protecting something . . . or someone. Then oversight arrives.

Commander Roman Kade—her academy rival and the Alpha who never forgave her for outranking him—leads the specialized unit sent to "assist." His stare says he still thinks she's guilty. Alaric Venezuela—former metropolitan chief turned private investigator—reads crime scenes like confessions and watches Hazel like he sees the truth no one else does. And Deputy Oakley Torres—young, steady, fiercely loyal—looks at her like she's still the chief who inspired him to join the force. Three Alphas. One fallen Omega with a ticking biological clock. A town that doesn't want to be exposed.

Her blocker meds are starting to fail. The heat cycles are breaking through. The panic attacks are getting harder to control. But Hazel didn't claw her way to the top of the city force by folding under pressure. They tried to replace her. To erase her credibility. Anything to make her small and useless. Sweetwater Falls is about to learn something important.

Hazel Martinez doesn’t run. She hunts.