CHAPTER 2

SCARLETT

A soft purr escaped my lips as I snuggled up to the surprisingly strong yet comfortable pillow. I let out a yawn, my eyes cracked open, and they met the most handsome face known to man.

I froze.

My gaze drank in every detail of him. His sun-kissed skin glowed under the morning sunbeams, highlighting his chiseled jawline, thick lashes, sharp nose, and those lips.

Red, bloody, and enticing.

I stared, lost in his mesmerizing features before reality hit me harder.

 Wait… who was he?

I tried to pull away, but his hand was tightly wrapped around my waist. My gaze hovered around the unfamiliar environment. It seemed to be a shack.

Oh God! How did I end up here? I…

My words screeched to a halt as the memories flooded back. The betrayal, running through the forest, my wolf, and then a low voice that mumbled words I couldn't remember before the darkness swallowed me whole.

“Did something happen?” I muttered. I had heard that after the first transformation, wolves are either highly aroused or have a deep thirst for blood.

Horror flashed across my face. I jerked away with a force that sent me tumbling from the surprisingly small bed. I shut my eyes, ready to embrace the impact, when a strong pair of hands gripped my waist and slammed me back into his arms.

My skin flushed and my breathing hitched as I could feel the rise and fall of his chest against mine. And his scent… God! Why did he smell so good? Why does this feel so…

“Good morning, sunshine,” his gravelly voice said, sending chills rolling through my body.

My cheeks heated. I quickly regained my composure and shifted away from his grip.

“I… uhm… who are you? And why am I in your bed?” The spark I felt died off, leaving anger at bay. “Listen,” I snapped my fingers at him. “If you did anything to me, then…”

“Can you walk?” His deep voice cut through my words.

“Huh?”

“Can you walk? Or move?”

“I… of course I can,” I said, trying not to look into those golden eyes that shimmered under the sun's rays.

He leaned in, and my breathing stopped. His gaze held mine, his voice dropping to a frightening octave. “If I had done anything, you wouldn't be able to walk, move or even sit for days.”

I managed to let out a snort, but a smile ghosted my lips.

He drifted off, the bed rising as his weight left it, and it suddenly felt too cold. Definitely not because of his absence.

“You were wounded and in pain. I found you and brought you to my shack.”

Oh.

“I am very grateful.”

“Who hurt you?” I froze at the rawness of his voice.

“Huh?”

“I will ask you one more time, Scarlett. Who the fuck hurt you?”

I stilled. He knew my name. The hair on my skin prickled up in awareness. I swung out of the bed, grabbed my shoes that lay nearby, muttered a thank you, and bolted out.

He didn't talk and he didn't stop me, but I could feel his gaze burning my back as I stepped out of the shack and into the woods.

After what seemed to be hours, I was finally out of the forest and close to home.

I didn't know what to do. A deep part of me didn't want to believe everything was broken beyond repair. Plus, my wolf was back, I could be with James. I was finally worthy of being with him. So what if he cheated? It was just once, and he loves me. I know it.

Hope blossomed in my heart.

I hastened my steps until I stood in front of the apartment—in front of our door.

‘You are going to regret this,’ a little voice grunted at the back of my head. It was my wolf.

“I won't,” I snapped back. James had been there for me, even during the times she wasn't. So yes, I knew what I was doing.

I unlocked the door and stepped in. My feet froze at the voices echoing from the room. 

My heart sank.

Was she still there? The slut. 

The audacity. My wolf sneered.

I swallowed the ache and pushed closer. Once he finds out my wolf is back, then he will surely come back to me. My thoughts were broken apart by the next words that slipped from his lips. I paused.

"The look on her face was so satisfying," James's laughter echoed.

James? My James?

“It's about time she knows her place, that wretched, wolfless bitch. The audacity of her to think she deserves you,” the slut purred.

I moved closer, standing in the hallway while they were wrapped around each other, half-naked. The realization hit me. They had continued right after I left.

"She is so irritating and clingy," James spat, his face contorted in disgust.

"Just leave her."

"You know I can't. Not when everything is on the line. She is my ticket to getting close to the Alpha."

My heart broke.

"So, what, are you going to marry her?"

"That's what her father said."

I blinked. Father?

"But that wasn't the deal."

"The old man practically begged me to date his daughter after the whole pack rejected her. The deal was that I make his daughter happy, and in return, I will be his successor."

I watched the twisted look on his face—disgust, grimaces, anger, all directed at me. The one he always said he couldn't live without.

"I can't wait to be the right-hand man to the new Alpha. It's like a dream come true." He pulled her closer, reconnecting their lips. My gut wrenched. "After that, I will break her and toss her right where she belongs."

“In the trash?”

He shook his head. “In the hands of beasts that will rip her apart.”

His words struck hard, and my tears flowed freely. Three years was all a lie. It was a big, fat lie. Everything—the promises, the memories, the love. He never loved me. He… he was a monster.

I turned, ready to cower away, when I stumbled against a flower pot. It slammed against the ground with a loud thud.

The door jerked open.

I turned, and our gazes met.

“Scarlett.” His face went pale.