DALAShit. Amber blinked like she’d just seen a ghost, and I wore the exact expression. She was the one who informed me of the school party, yet didn’t attend.“Hey,” I said quickly. Too quickly. “Amber, this is Vander.” I tried to make it sound as casual as someone dropping off a group project assignment. My…friend whom I just kissed.Please don’t recognize him.Amber’s gaze flicked between the two of us like she was connecting dots in a puzzle I didn’t want her to finish.“Nice to meet you,” she said politely. It wasn’t her real tone—it was her waitress voice. “What are you doing here?” I asked, tilting my head with the same fake smile she was wearing, knowing damn well a lie would follow. I still wanted to hear her say it. Amber glanced at the old man behind the counter and then reached out, grabbing my arm. “Come with me.”She didn’t wait. Just tugged me from the booth and dragged me past the kitchen doors, into the back of the diner while I mouthed to Vander that I would be ba
DALAHe was leaving me behind. Abandoning me by the roadside. My heart had never felt so swollen.So full of nothing but gnawing sadness and pain as it dawned on me just how small I was.“Asshole,” I muttered under my breath.I waited for the sound of roaring engines and spinning tires, but nothing happened. Instead, the door creaked.When I looked up, Vander was walking toward me, holding a black jacket in one hand, his shirt already damp and clinging to his skin in a way that would’ve stolen my breath if I wasn’t already choking on it.Without a word, he draped the jacket around my shoulders. His hands lingered just slightly longer than they needed to, and he didn’t meet my eyes right away.“The rain,” he muttered, glancing up at the sky, “has impeccable comedic timing. It must be attracted you, I think?”I couldn’t speak. I just judged him hard and called him an asshole. Yet it took just an action for those feelings of anger and angst to completely dissipate. If I opened my mouth,
DALAWhen I opened the door, the last thing I expected to see was a maid.Maybe not the last thing, but it was a cheerful maid. That rarely happened, especially not with Agnes. Her brows were creased in a permanent frown, and she always looked utterly irritated by everyone’s existence, except now she was smiling at me.“Hi, do you need my help with something?” I asked immediately, oscillating between a smile and a straight face.“One of the young Alphas has requested your presence. Meet in the yard in 10 minutes.”My brow shot up. “Who?”“You will find out.” Her smile didn’t falter. It was becoming more and more unsettling. “10 minutes.”I barely kept from rolling my eyes. Knox was the only one who would do this. The urge to say no made my tongue a playground, but it wasn’t Agnes I would be saying no to. “Okay.” She nodded, and I closed the door, leaning against it to catch my breath. I wasn’t mad at Knox anymore, and he’d apologized.I just didn’t want to be cordial with him. Not r
VANDERThere was no better indication of trouble than when my stepmother chose to talk to me over her real son. My stomach formed a knot before I took a single step, reminding me that I was apparently still open to feeling things.I stayed behind her, slowly maneuvering the wheelchair, although I was unsure what to say. What was I supposed to say to someone who lost their legs because of me?Supposedly. The blame wasn’t hard to take, but I wondered how distressing it must have been for her.“Have you had breakfast?” Lady Ambessa asked suddenly.I shook my head, then realized she couldn’t see me. “Not yet.” I was more than ready to refuse any invitations for a family breakfast.I was the last person my father wanted to see, and I shared the same sentiment. “Good,” she said and said nothing more. I didn’t know where we were headed, but subconsciously, I headed to the grand dining hall, taking the initiative.To my surprise, when we arrived, there was no one but the maids. I finally bre
KNOXI’ve done worse.Worse things. To worse people. I have done things that would keep most people up at night, gnawing at their souls, but I always slept just fine.When did that end? Because sleep seemed to have eluded me. The moment I shut my eyes, her face was the first thing I saw.Those huge eyes staring at me with so much fear in them. That wasn’t the kind of person I wanted to be to her. Every single time after that, all I saw was the way her eyes filled with so much fear and hatred toward me. Even the way she slammed that damn door in my face like I was some kind of monster still stuck to my memory, and maybe I was.I wouldn’t usually mind that. But this—this tightness in my chest, this constant ache gnawing at my ribs wasn’t just guilt. Funny, it could be but o wouldn’t even know what guilt feels like anymore. All I knew was that I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I don’t even remember what I said that night. I was drunk and out of my fucking mind. But I remember to
KAII didn’t even like pies.Seriously, I didn’t. I found them too sweet, too flaky. That was definitely too much drama for a bite of fruit and sugar. But for some reason, when Arya handed it to me—still warm, wrapped in a little dish towel that smelled like cinnamon and rosemary—I didn’t hesitate.It just seemed more valuable than it actually was, and I took it like it was a damn treasure. As if I’d been waiting all day for someone to make me a pie.Which, again—I hadn’t. I don’t even like pies.I liked the way she smiled when she gave it to me. She looked like she hadn’t slept and wasn't thinking about the bruises under her eyes or the way her hands still shook a little when she thought no one was watching. I guess that was my little thank you gift for helping and practicing hijacking a car.I should probably call my dealer to see if the upgrade was done for the girls. I carried it upstairs, headed to Knox’s room, and tapped on the door with my foot.“Bro,” I called, “you alive in
ARYAI can’t let him go.The thought echoed so loud in my head, it was a physical thing, pounding against my skull. I couldn’t let Vander leave this house or watch Dala be dragged away like she was nothing.My hands twisted the bedsheet in my lap as the memory bled into me. It was years ago, at a summer camp organized by the packs but obviously for the privileged families.Then, my father hadn’t gained steady footing in the pack’s politics. I was a nobody with braces, giant glasses, and a target so obvious it was like I wore a sign on my forehead. I wasn't a conventionally attractive kid.The kids, as horrible as their families, circled me, laughing, poking, and one of them trying to yank my glasses off.I thought I’d die of shame before Vander appeared to cook up a storm, telling the kids off and threatening them all that if they touched me again, they’d have to deal with him. He was rough and reckless even then, with a black eye and a crooked grin, but to me, he was… everything.I’
DALAThe Alpha’s words still rang in my ears like a slap. Apparently, no, worse than the slap he gave Vander. It crashed into me in slow motion, and my vision was blurred by my tears, slowly trickling down my cheeks. He was sending me back. Back to a house that had never felt like home and to Aunt Claudette, who always looked at me like I was a burden she was stuck with.“Please!” I cried desperately, running to the Alpha before he could get to the awaiting vehicle.Desperation was the thing I understood and felt in that second. My knees moved before I could stop them, and I dropped to the cold floor with a hard thud that could have cost me my bones.“Please,” I whispered, my voice barely a thread. “I can’t go back. I didn’t mean to hurt Lady Arya. I didn’t know she—” My voice cracked. “Please don’t send me back.”He kept walking, disregarding my existence. “Please!” I called louder, scrambling closer. I grabbed the fabric of his trousers, clinging like a child, begging not to be le
KAELMy head hurts.That was the first thing I registered— this wicked, throbbing pain behind my eyes like my brain had been tossed around in a blender overnight. I groaned and shifted under the sheets. It wasn’t my room. That much was clear.My eyes cracked open, and the ceiling above me came into view, completely unfamiliar. My mouth tasted like bad decisions and tequila, and I sat up slowly because any faster and my skull might actually implode. I was shirtless, just boxers. Great. This must be one of Knox’s hotels. How I ended up here? I had no idea. I glanced to my left and nearly jumped out of my skin when someone squirmed in the space beside me. Looking closer, I realized it was Gabriel, the last person I’d expect to be here.My best friend, since always. Since matching superhero costumes and sleepovers where we’d talked about crushes—his on Jason from track, mine on no one in particular. I stared hard. He was still asleep, curled slightly toward my side of the bed. I blink