Diana
"Tell me everything," he growls. "Now."
His command hangs in the air between us, heavy and unavoidable. I open my mouth, then close it again, unsure where to begin. The realization hits me like a physical blow - he doesn't know. He really doesn't know about the bounty, about my past. Relief surges through me, so intense it's almost dizzying. My pack doesn't know where I am. I'm safe, at least for now.
But the Alpha's patience is wearing thin. A low growl rumbles in his chest, snapping me back to the present. "I... I'm sorry," I stammer, my voice barely above a whisper. "It's a long story."
"I've got time," he says, his voice deceptively calm. But I can see the storm brewing in his eyes, the tension in the set of his jaw.
I take a deep breath, steeling myself. "The Beta of my pack... he attacked me," I begin, carefully choosing my words. I don't tell him about the rejection, about the attempted rape. Those wounds are still too raw, too painful to share. "I injured him while tryi
