Chapter 5

The walk to town took thirty minutes.

Silver Pine was a quiet town, mostly run by pack members. The sky was grey, and a cold wind blew through the trees. I wrapped my black sweater tighter around my arms, keeping my head down.

I picked up Edith’s dress from the boutique. The bag was bulky and awkward to carry. As I walked out of the shop, I heard someone call my name.

"Cora!"

I turned and saw Liam jogging across the street. He looked a little better today. The bruise on his jaw was fading, and he wore his usual worn-out jacket.

"What are you doing in town?" he asked, looking at the dress bag in my hand.

"Running an errand," I said. "Edith needed something picked up."

Liam frowned. "You are not a delivery girl. You are supposed to be managing the pack schedule."

"It is part of the job, Liam. It keeps her happy, which keeps Juan  happy, which keeps you safe." I tried to smile, but it felt weak.

Liam looked around to make sure no one was listening. He stepped closer to me. "I do not like this, Cora. I was on patrol last night with some of the older guards. They talk."

"Talk about what?"

"About Juan  and Edith," Liam said quietly. "The Redwood pack is ruthless. Edith’s father is a hard man. They say he only agreed to this marriage because Juan  promised him a seat on our pack council."

"That is pack politics," I said. "It does not involve us."

"It does involve us," Liam argued. "Juan  is cold, Cora. He does not care about anyone but himself and his power. The guards say he threw his own cousin out of the pack last year for questioning an order. If he gets tired of you, or if Edith decides she does not like you, he will get rid of both of us in a second."

I looked down at the sidewalk. I knew Juan  was ruthless. He had proved it to me yesterday. But Liam didn't know about the bond. He didn't know Juan  couldn't just get rid of me without tearing his own soul apart.

"I will be careful," I promised Liam.

"Just keep your head down," he said, giving me a quick hug. "I have to get back to the border. I will try to see you tomorrow."

I watched him run off toward the woods. My chest felt tight. I was lying to the only family I had left, all to protect a man who was planning a wedding with someone else.

When I got back to the pack house, I went straight up to the guest suite.

The door was cracked open. I knocked gently before walking in. Edith was sitting at the vanity mirror, brushing her long blonde hair.

"Your dress," I said, hanging the bag on the closet door.

"Thank you," she said without looking away from the mirror. "Did you press it?"

"I just got back. I can do it now."

"Never mind, I will have one of the kitchen staff do it. They have cleaner hands." Edith put her brush down and finally turned to look at me. "Tell me, Cora. What happened to your parents?"

The question caught me off guard. "They died when I was young."

"Oh. A tragedy," she said, but her voice held no sympathy. "So it was just you and your brother growing up. No money. No status. Just surviving."

"Yes." I stood completely still, waiting for the insult I knew was coming.

"It must be so hard," Edith sighed, standing up and walking over to the window. "Living in a world where everyone is better than you. Knowing you will never amount to anything more than a waitress or an errand girl. And now your brother is a criminal."

I clenched my hands into fists behind my back. "My brother made a mistake."

"Mistakes like that come from bad blood, Cora." Edith turned to face me. "You do not belong in this house. You do not belong around people like me or Juan . You are a stain on this pack."

I bit the inside of my cheek so hard I tasted copper. I wanted to scream at her. I wanted to tell her that I was Juan ’s true mate.

"Is there anything else you need, Edith?" I asked, keeping my voice perfectly flat.

Edith smiled, a cold, sharp thing. "No. Just remember your place, Cora. Do not think that because Juan  let you work off a debt, he actually cares about you. He is just using you for cheap labor."

"I am well aware of why I am here."

I turned and walked out of the room. I practically ran down the hall, desperate to get away from her. I turned the corner and ran straight into a solid chest.

Hands grabbed my shoulders to steady me.

"Where are you going in such a rush?"

It was Juan .

I took a quick step back, my heart hammering. "Nowhere. I was just leaving Edith’s room."

Juan  looked down at me. His eyes narrowed. He could smell my anger. He could smell my hurt.

"What did she say to you?" he asked, his voice low.

"Nothing that isn't true," I replied, refusing to look him in the eye. "She just reminded me of my place. A diner waitress with a criminal brother."

Juan ’s grip tightened on my shoulders for a fraction of a second before he let go. "Edith talks too much. Ignore her."

"I cannot ignore her, Alpha. I have to serve her." I finally looked up at him. "You made sure of that."

Juan  stepped closer, backing me up against the wall of the hallway. The house was quiet. We were completely alone.

"I gave you a job to save your brother's life," Juan  said softly. "Do not act like I am the villain here, Cora."

"You are making me plan your wedding," I whispered, the pain finally breaking through my voice. "You are making me watch her touch you. You know exactly what that does to me."

Juan  stared at me. For a moment, the cold mask dropped. I saw real pain in his grey eyes. I saw the wolf fighting against the man.

He slowly lifted his hand and brushed a piece of hair away from my face. His fingers lingered on my cheek. His touch burned my skin.

"It will pass," Juan  whispered, though he sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "The pain of the bond will fade over time if we ignore it."

Hope fluttered in my chest for one stupid second. He was touching me. He was admitting the bond was real.

"Will it?" I asked softly.

Juan  pulled his hand away abruptly, as if he had been burned. The cold mask slammed back into place.

"It has to," he said flatly. "Go back to work, Cora."

He turned and walked away, leaving me alone against the wall. He gave me a tiny piece of hope, and then he crushed it into the dirt.