Chapter 28

Prue

I flopped onto the bed and let out the loudest, most dramatic exhale I could muster. Thank the freaking Goddess for wolf-speed – because if I had to do that laundry chore at normal human pace, I’d have died of boredom on the spot. No way was I going to stand around in that tiny, suffocating basement, waiting for the machines to finish their stupid cycles. Please. I set a timer on my phone and bolted the second I could, retreating to my room like it was a bunker. N*****x was waiting, and honestly? I needed to forget who I was and this nightmare of a place I was stuck in. I desperately needed something – anything – to remind me that there was a world beyond this pack prison. That’s how much my situation sucked.

By the time I dragged myself back to fold the mountain of clothes, I’d already been plotting my next move. If life handed me a rotten deck, I was at least going to pull on a few strings of the puppeteers who’d shoved me into this mess. Mind the sarcasm.

So, naturally, now being back in my bedroom, I texted Dad:

They’ve already got me playing housemaid. Guess who’s on laundry duty? No training, no inclusion, no nothing – just me folding socks like Cinderella. Thanks, Dad. A+ parenting.

I hit send and tossed the phone aside, sinking deeper into the mattress like it might swallow me whole.

Of course, the phone started ringing almost instantly. I glanced at the screen – Dad. Perfect. I picked up, but I didn’t bother with a hello. If I was upset, he could feel it through the silence.

“Since when has my daughter started lying to me so much?” Dad’s voice snapped through the line, skipping all greetings. Wow. I guess rudeness really does run in the family.

“What are you talking about?” I drawled, making sure I sounded bored enough to insult him.

“The Alpha called me.” He didn’t even hesitate to throw me under the bus. “Said you forced him to announce you as an omega in front of the pack, and that you chose laundry duty. He wanted to make sure I knew it wasn’t his doing, but yours.”

I clenched my teeth. Of course that tattletale Alpha had gone running to Daddy. Can nothing be fun in this place?

“Yeah, whatever,” I muttered, refusing to give him the satisfaction.

Dad wasn’t buying it.

“He even asked if I’d approve him pushing you toward warrior rank instead, so you could keep up with training.”

Oh, great. Was Dad going to micromanage every single decision I made now?

“And?” I asked flatly, pouring every ounce of disgust into that one syllable.

He chuckled – the kind of chuckle that made me want to throw the phone across the room. “You can play your little omega game for now. But you’ll still come train with me after school. Then you can go back to the pack and play laundry maid. That’s non-negotiable.”

Lovely. My life: a perfect blend of warrior bootcamp and house chores. Just kill me now.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re already doing that,” I snapped. “So how’s your job? Or let me guess – you actually got laid off, didn’t you? And instead of admitting it, you shipped me off here as some kind of charity case. Let the mighty Alpha family babysit your daughter while you mope around at home.” The bitterness spilled out before I could stop it. Honestly? I didn’t even care. I couldn’t trust anyone anymore – not even my own dad.

Dad just laughed, the audacity of it making my blood boil.

“Hahaha, no, sweetheart, that’s not the case.”

“Sure,” I muttered under my breath.

“I’ll take breaks during the day, then add hours in the evening. Besides, since I don’t need to cook for you anymore, my evenings are free.” He had the nerve to tease me with that.

“Haha, very funny,” I shot back, sarcasm dripping. As if he was ever the one doing the cooking. Please. That was all me. Always had been.

“Okay, sweetheart, rest tonight! Good night! See you tomorrow! Kisses and hugs!”

He sent me an exaggerated air kiss through the phone. I rolled my eyes so hard I deserved an award for best emotional performance in the category of annoyed daughters.

“Yeah, bye.” I muttered, cutting the call.

This was boring. The movie was boring. Me not going out was boring. I was trapped in this miserable in-between – itching to explore, but also bitter that someone (whose name shall not be spoken, because gag) hadn’t bothered to show me around. How was I supposed to know where to go or what to avoid? The whole situation sucked on a grand, cosmic level.

I let out a loud, dramatic huff, the kind that could’ve earned me an eye roll from anyone watching. Fine. Whatever. I might as well go to bed. Today had been completely pointless anyway – and thanks to the glamorous life of laundry duty, it was already pitch-black outside.

As I tried to relax and let sleep drag me under, my mood only sank further, slipping straight into sulking mode. Why couldn’t the universe play nice with me for once? Why couldn’t I be paired with a sweet, loving mate – the kind who’d look at me like I was the only star in their sky, who’d cherish me from the very first eye contact until our wrinkly old days and our last shared breath? Was that really too much to ask? Apparently, yes.

Instead, I was stuck with pain, rejection, and one world-class douchebag. My so-called “fated mate” was more curse than blessing, and every thought of him made my insides twist with equal parts fury and disgust. Grrr. Honestly, did I mention already that this whole thing sucks? Because it does. On a grand, cosmic, rip-up-the-stars kind of level.

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It was Friday – finally – and today after school I was supposed to meet up with Tom. About time too, since we’d already postponed our hangout for an entire week. At first, my genius plan was to ditch Andrew completely, slip away unnoticed, and then just text him later to pick me up at Dad’s like usual. Smooth, simple, drama-free.

But then… another thought hit me. Why waste such a golden opportunity? Why sneak around like some guilty teenager when I could turn this into another delicious way to poke at Mr. Perfect Alpha Boy himself? The idea of his oh-so-controlled face twitching in annoyance, maybe even that muscle in his jaw tightening, was way too tempting. If I was stuck with this stupid mate bond torture, I might as well have as much fun as possible – mess with him, confuse him, maybe even make him squirm.

Yeah. That sounded better than playing it safe. Much better.

I didn’t need to tell myself twice. The next chance I got, I slipped past him in the hallway during one of the breaks, keeping my pace brisk. No way was I slowing down for a confrontation.

“I’ll go for tutoring in the afternoon,” I tossed out casually, like it was just a side note, not even bothering to stop walking.

He, of course, did stop. His footsteps halted behind me, and I could feel his gaze burning into the back of my head.

“Are you failing a subject?” Andrew’s voice carried that sharp frown, the one he seemed to reserve especially for me – as if I were some particularly dumb math problem he couldn’t solve.

I spun on my heel just enough to catch his expression and rolled my eyes so hard they nearly got stuck. “No, I’m smart. I’m the one tutoring someone else.” I snapped, dragging out the last word for effect before whipping back around. The faster I got away, the less chance his stupid scent and even stupider presence had of worming their way under my skin again.

But of course, he couldn’t leave it alone. His deep baritone chased after me like an unwanted shadow.

“Are you getting there yourself?”

I almost groaned out loud. Seriously?

“Of course not!” I barked over my shoulder, annoyance dripping from every syllable. “That’s literally why I informed you, duh.”

I shook my head, muttering under my breath as I quickened my pace. “Men. Not smart. Goddess, grant me oceans of patience with this one… or at least a lightning bolt to the head.”

He didn’t call after me again, but I could feel his stare glued to my back like a hot brand the whole way down the hall. Typical Alpha-boy behavior – thinking he owns the world, or at least the corridor I was walking on.

I tossed my hair over my shoulder dramatically, like that could shake him off, and muttered, “Staring isn’t going to make me fall at your feet, Romeo. Try harder.”

By the time I rounded the corner, my pulse was racing, but not in the cute, heart-flutter way. No, this was the infuriated-because-he-gets-under-my-skin kind of racing. Ugh. Why did the universe think it was funny to chain me to a guy who made me want to throw myself into traffic one second and… well, something far less appropriate the next?

I shoved those thoughts down, hard. Nope. Not going there. Not today.

Instead, I plastered on a smirk as I pulled out my phone and tapped open Tom’s last text. Just seeing his name was like a breath of fresh air after choking on Andrew’s suffocating presence all day.

This was my escape plan even if only for a moment. And my middle finger to him and fate.

And maybe – just maybe – a step in proving that the bond didn’t control me. I controlled me.

With that comforting thought, I slid the phone back into my pocket and headed to my next class, humming under my breath.

Let’s see how the mighty Alpha boy handles this one. I smirked inwardly, a ripple of smug satisfaction warming my belly like I’d just won a private little war.