Chapter 5

Pain exploded through my scalp as Beta Max’s fingers twisted into my hair, yanking my head back.

A feral growl rumbled in my chest, but I swallowed it down.

This wasn’t just Max being angry.

This was Max being something else entirely.

The Beta I once knew—the man who had thrown himself between me and a pack of rogues, the man who had whispered my name like it was the only word that mattered—was gone.

His face twisted in rage, his golden eyes sharp and murderous as they bore down on me like I was the enemy.

“Even if you don’t like Grace, there’s no need to hurt her like this! She’s a patient right now, for Moon’s sake!”

Patient?

Right.

I had barely touched her—hadn’t touched her—yet she was curled up on the floor like I had ripped off her leg and fed it to the crows.

His grip was unrelenting, my neck forced back at an angle that made my wolf snarl in protest. I could feel my pulse pounding against my skin, could feel my wolf pacing inside me, furious and restless.

But the worst part?

It wasn’t the physical pain.

It was the sharp, acidic taste of betrayal coating my tongue.

My heart twisted, clawing at my ribs. “I didn’t even touch her!”

But my words didn’t matter.

Max’s hand moved faster than I could react.

CRACK.

The slap echoed through the room like a gunshot.

My head snapped to the side, the sting spreading instantly, blooming into a fire-hot ache.

For a second, my vision blurred, my wolf snarling so loudly inside my head that I could barely think.

A burning red mark seared into my cheek, a perfect imprint of his betrayal.

“Still lying?” His voice was venomous, laced with disgust. “Louis, do you think I’m blind? I was right behind you—I saw everything with my own eyes!”

I forced myself to breathe, but the air felt heavy, suffocating.

“First, you accuse Grace without proof. Now you push her down? How did I never realize you were such a cruel and vicious woman? You’re downright toxic!”

My wolf howled.

Not in pain.

In rage.

In utter, burning fury.

But me?

I didn’t fight.

Didn’t argue.

Because what was the point?

Max had already made his choice.

He let go of me, shoving me back like I was something dirty, something rotten. His golden eyes were like ice, looking at me like I was a stain on his perfect world.

“Nothing to say now, huh?” His voice cut like a blade. “Louis, you’re nothing but a venomous woman.”

Something inside me cracked.

And then—silence.

Not the kind that comes before a storm.

The kind that comes after.

When the wreckage has settled, and you realize there’s nothing left to save.

I didn’t defend myself.

Didn’t try to explain.

Didn’t need to.

Because I wasn’t his to protect anymore.

And he sure as hell wasn’t mine.

Grace, still cradled in Max’s arms like a fragile little flower, peeked over his shoulder.

And then she smirked.

Not big.

Not obvious.

Just enough for me to see.

Then, ever so slowly, she mouthed the words—

“You? Compete with me for Max?”

A cold laugh bubbled in my throat, bitter and sharp.

If you want him so badly—then he’s yours.

Max didn’t hesitate.

Because Grace had conveniently hurt her already-sprained ankle again, he panicked, scooped her up, and rushed her to the hospital—his full attention on her, like I hadn’t just been standing here with his handprint seared into my skin.

I stood there, swaying slightly, my head still ringing.

The full-length mirror across the room reflected back the truth.

A red, angry mark on my cheek.

Swollen.

Stark.

Real.

A testament to how furious Max must have been. To how hard he had hit me.

I lifted a trembling hand, swiping away the thin trickle of blood at the corner of my mouth.

The sight of it made me pause.

Not because it hurt.

But because I realized something, something sharp and cutting.

That slap didn’t just bruise my face.

It shattered every last one of my illusions.