LOGINCHRISTINAI woke up to the feeling of my hand being held tightly.My eyelids felt heavy, like someone had placed weights on them, and it took several attempts before I could force them open.The room around me was blurry, the edges soft and out of focus.White walls, bright lights and the sterile smell of antiseptic.I blinked several times, trying to clear my vision, and slowly the details came into focus.Medical equipment on my right, a window showing darkness outside and to my left, a chair pulled close to the bed.Marcel.He was sitting there, his elbows on his knees, his head bowed, one hand holding mine while the other covered his face.He looked lost.Lost in thought, lost in worry, lost in whatever storm was raging inside his head.I tried to speak, but my throat was too dry. The sound that came out was barely a whisper."Marcel?"His head snapped up immediately, and the relief that flooded his face was so intense it made my chest ache."Christina," he breathed then louder, "
CHRISTINAI got out of the car, my eyes still fixed on Maxwell and the young omega girl as they were walking away from the gardens, heading toward the forest, toward Maxwell's hidden house.My heart started pounding, taking a weak girl wolf into the woods, he surely wasn't going to talk about the weather with her alone in the woods where his house was far from pack grounds.Not another victim."Maxwell!" I called out, my voice cutting through the quiet evening air.He stopped, turning to look at me, and I saw irritation flash across his face before he smoothed it into that pleasant smile.The omega girl looked uncomfortable, like she'd been caught doing something wrong, her eyes darting between Maxwell and me nervously."I need to speak with Maxwell," I said, walking toward them, I turned to look at the omega who was still looking at me and I raised my brows at her."Alone. You should head back to the pack house."The girl looked at Maxwell, uncertainty clear on her face."It's okay,"
CHRISTINA"I'm going out with Priscilla today," I told Marcel over breakfast the next morning.He looked up from his papers, concern immediately flickering across his face."Where are you going?""Just into town," I said."Shopping, maybe get some food, just spend some time together."Marcel set down his coffee cup. "I'll arrange security for you.""No," I said quickly. "I want to go alone, just me and Priscilla, no guards, no security. Just us."Marcel's jaw tightened. "Christina, I don't think that's safe….""Please," I said. "I just want one normal day with my friend, without feeling like I'm being watched or protected or managed for just one day, can you do that for me?"He studied my face for a long moment, conflict clear in his eyes.Finally, he sighed in defeat."Fine," he said. "But take one of my cars and take this." He pulled out his credit card and slid it across the table toward me. "Get whatever you want, don't worry about the cost."I picked up the card, surprised. "M
CHRISTINA POV I spent the entire next morning searching for Maxwell, I asked everyone I came across if they'd seen him, but nobody knew where he was.Some said they'd seen him earlier at breakfast, others said he'd been helping repair one of the storage sheds, but when I went to look, he was never there.It was like he was a ghost, appearing and disappearing at will.Finally, a young omega girl told me something useful."Maxwell has a house outside the pack borders," she said. "He spends most of his time there when he's not in the main pack house, he says he likes the quiet."She gave me rough directions, and I thanked her before heading out.The walk to the edge of pack territory felt longer than it should have, my heart pounding harder with each step.What was I doing?Going to confront a man who'd admitted to killing his own mate, who'd threatened me and who was probably planning something terrible with Sandra.But I needed answers.Needed to understand what they were planning so
CHRISTINA"I'm going out with Priscilla today," I told Marcel over breakfast the next morning.He looked up from his papers, concern immediately flickering across his face."Where are you going?""Just into town," I said."Shopping, maybe get some food, just spend some time together."Marcel set down his coffee cup. "I'll arrange security for you.""No," I said quickly. "I want to go alone, just me and Priscilla, no guards, no security. Just us."Marcel's jaw tightened. "Christina, I don't think that's safe….""Please," I said. "I just want one normal day with my friend, without feeling like I'm being watched or protected or managed for just one day, can you do that for me?"He studied my face for a long moment, conflict clear in his eyes.Finally, he sighed in defeat."Fine," he said. "But take one of my cars and take this." He pulled out his credit card and slid it across the table toward me. "Get whatever you want, don't worry about the cost."I picked up the card, surprised. "M
CHRISTINAI woke up to soft afternoon light filtering through the curtains.For a moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, my head pounding with a dull ache thatseemed to pulse with every heartbeat.Then the memories came flooding back.Maxwell's confession, his plan for revenge, the way he'd laughed when he told me he'd killedhis own mate.The bottle of whiskey I'd drunk trying to silence the thoughts screaming in my head.I sat up slowly, wincing as the movement made my headache worse, and looked around theroom.I was in Marcel's bed, tucked under the blankets like someone had carefully placed methere.But there was no sign of the whiskey bottle, no stain on the carpet where I remembered itspilling, no evidence at all that I'd spent half the night drinking myself into oblivion.Marcel must have cleaned it up.Must have found me passed out on the floor and put me back to bed.Shame burned hot in my chest.I pushed the blankets aside and stood up, my legs unsteady beneat
Chapter 38 I knocked on my mother's door, and stepped in without waiting for a reply, I took in thescattered mess of a room and sighed.“Mom” I called out, stepping over a black bubbling liquid that was spilled over the floor.“Why are you here? Common, go back to her” she yelled from her closet
CHAPTER 37 Marcel looked really angry, the veins in his neck were so prominent, his face stone cold, andhis ear red like cherry. He breathed a forced laugh and straightened the creases in hisbrows.The fear level in the room skyrocketed instantly and I looked at them, they were reallyscared of
CHAPTER 36I turned to look at Marcel's sleepy eyes as he stared at me, hand tightly holding unto mine.“Where are you off to?” He asked hoarsely, wiping the sleep away from his eyes to sit up.“Back to my room?” He left my hand and I stood up, and covered myself properly headingtowards the door.
Chapter 35I screamed, pushing down all my bottles and perfumes from the table, sending them intolittle pieces scattered on the floor.This wasn't happening, I was losing to an omega, Marcel was falling for her and I was losingmy place, Marcel no longer listened to me.I should have known earlier







