Chapter 5

Loretta's POV

I fought down the emotions surging inside me and turned toward the door.

As I left the office, I heard the girl soothing him in her gentle voice. Zane calmed down almost at once.

I lifted my chin and forced back the tears gathering in my eyes.

I went to an empty stairwell and braced one hand on the railing.

The ripping pain from the mating bond finally shattered my control.

Tears streamed down my face.

Maybe Zane and I weren't true mates, but I had loved him for 8 years.

We had stood before the Moon Goddess's altar, made our vows, and become mates.

Giving him up now felt like carving flesh from my own bones.

But I'll be okay. Everything will get better. I'll forget him completely.

I didn't know how much time passed.

When I finally calmed down, I went back upstairs. The girl was walking toward me.

She looked perfect from head to toe, like someone who had been cherished her entire life.

Zane's Beta, Craig Neal, escorted her personally.

She approached me with a smile. "Everything's fine now. Zane isn't angry with you anymore."

She placed a pearl in my palm. "This is for you. Don't be sad. And make sure you treat the cut on your face. It would be awful for a girl to end up with a scar."

What a beautiful, kind girl.

Next to her youthful glow, I looked like a clown who belonged in the dark.

When I didn't react, Craig frowned and reminded me sharply, "Aren't you going to thank Miss Winterlingham?"

So her last name was Winterlingham.

The girl drew her hand back. "It's okay. Let's go."

They left together.

I stood there, staring at the silvery blue Australian South Sea pearl in my palm.

It was flawless, as pure as the girl herself.

I wondered if Miss Winterlingham knew that Zane already had a mate.

Back at my desk, I printed another copy of my original report and took it to Josephine.

Josephine didn't show the slightest guilt when she saw me. She looked smug instead.

"Now you've seen the kind of woman who actually deserves Alpha Zane."

I slammed the report onto her desk. "I don't deserve him, and neither do you. Cheap tricks like this are why you'll never get anywhere. You're already in your thirties. Find someone to marry and stop dreaming."

Josephine's face changed. She slapped the desk and shot to her feet.

"Loretta!"

I couldn't be bothered with her. I turned and walked away.

At my desk, I took out a small mirror and looked at the thin cut along my cheek.

It wasn't deep. I wiped it with a wet wipe and decided it didn't need more attention.

This face was already ugly. One more scar wouldn't matter.

I thought about the girl again. Something about her looked familiar.

Near the end of the workday, my father called. Hudson Fox was back, and he wanted me to come home for dinner.

Delight swept away my surprise. "Hardy's back? I thought he wasn't coming until the 15th."

Levi Preston said, "He finished his work early, so he came back ahead of schedule."

"Okay. I'll come over after work."

I drove back to Silvermoon Pack territory.

The pack now occupied a residential neighborhood on the west side of the city. My parents' house there had been purchased earlier that year.

My father, Levi, owned a midsize real estate company. We weren't part of the elite, but we were comfortable, and I had grown up with money.

The real estate market had been struggling, though. A little over six months ago, a failed investment left his company in serious financial trouble and close to bankruptcy.

When Levi learned I was carrying Zane's child, he didn't force me to confront Zane or demand anything from him.

But my father was aging before my eyes. He looked more exhausted every day and had reached the point of selling the family's assets to pay his debts. At last, I made up my mind and went to the Razor Pack.

I had selfish reasons too. I hadn't done it only for my father. I had done it for myself.

I got what I wanted. A large payment from the Razor Pack cleared Silvermoon Pack's debts. But I had paid the price.

I had brought my current pain on myself. I couldn't blame anyone else.

When I reached the Silvermoon Pack home, Grace came out of the kitchen.

"Loretta, you're here."

Grace Fox was my father's current partner.

My mother and father divorced when I was 9. My mother took my brother and left me behind with Dad.

Levi later met Grace. They had never formally become mates, but they lived together as a couple.

At first, I couldn't accept her. I even hated her. Over time, though, I came to see her kindness.

Hudson was wonderful to me too. I had lost one brother, then gained another.

"Grace, where are Dad and Hardy?"

"They should be on their way. They'll be here soon. Go rest for a while."

"Okay."

I returned to my room. All my exhaustion and hurt faded at once.

I sat on the edge of the bed and saw a photo album on the nightstand. I picked it up and opened it.

The first picture was a torn family portrait.

The photo was old. I had been only 8.

My young, handsome father held me in his arms. My brother stood beside him, 14 years old at the time. My mother stood on the other side.

I had torn the picture myself. I hated my mother for taking my brother and abandoning Dad and me.

The years had passed, and that raw, tearing pain was gone now.

I turned to the next page.

The teenage girl in the photo was young and beautiful. Sunlight touched her bright smile.

She had long golden hair and vivid features. Most striking were her eyes, which shone like stars.

Later, I became seriously ill and had to take steroids. The medicine made me gain weight. Since then, only starving myself and exercising had kept me from getting even heavier.

Suddenly, I thought of the girl from Zane's office.

She looked a little like the girl I had once been, especially around the eyes.