Chapter 4

Keane rushed over and shoved me aside.

My head hit the edge of a handrail, and pain sent a flash of white across my vision.

He didn't spare me a single glance. He crouched to check on Elara.

Elara was pale, choking on sobs as she clutched his arm. "Alpha... it hurts so much... the baby... my baby!"

Keane scooped her up and glared down at me. "Talise! Do you have any idea what you've done?"

A vein throbbed at his temple.

I'd never seen that look on his face before, like I was a sinner who belonged in hell.

"I didn't touch her!" The words tore out of my throat, sharp and shrill. "I didn't!"

"I saw it with my own eyes." Keane's voice carried an authority only an Alpha could wield. "She's pregnant! You know exactly how important this pup is to the whole pack!"

Nurses and patients had stopped in the hallway to stare.

Someone pulled out a phone to record.

"Isn't that the Alpha?"

"Is that... Talise? How could she push Elara?"

"She must be scared of losing her spot. I always thought she seemed shady. I heard she's a half-blood, too."

I braced myself against the wall and stood up straight.

My forehead throbbed from the blow, and white spots swam across my vision. "Check the security cameras."

"Alpha!" Elara cut in. "Don't blame Talise... I lost my balance. She didn't mean it."

Keane's face darkened.

"Guards!" he barked. "Take Talise outside the room and make sure she stays there. She doesn't leave without my order!"

Two warriors held me outside the door of Elara's room.

People whispered all around me, but the noise inside me had finally gone completely quiet.

I really needed to go. There was no place for me here.

I belonged in a lab, not here waiting for an Alpha's pity as a half-blood Luna.

An hour later, Keane finally came out. He looked a little calmer. "The doctor says Elara needs to stay a few days for observation."

"Okay."

My flat response obviously made him angry.

He leaned down, gripped my chin, and glared at me. "You owe her an apology."

The fury in his eyes made him seem like a stranger.

I said through my teeth, "I didn't push her."

"The cameras don't cover that corner." He scoffed, his eyes indifferent. "No matter how much you dislike Elara, you shouldn't hurt the pup. The pup is innocent!"

He didn't believe me at all.

He was sure I'd done it for revenge.

"Talise, you really disappoint me." Keane dragged me to Elara's bedside. "Apologize."

I stood rigid and didn't move.

Elara lay in the hospital bed, her eyes flickering. "Alpha, Talise just doesn't know any better. Don't be hard on her."

I saw Keane swallow.

A few seconds later, an invisible weight came down on my shoulders like a boulder.

Alpha command.

My chest locked up. I could hardly breathe. The force drove me down.

My knees hit the floor with a thud. I tried to push myself up, but it was no use. My vision started to blur.

I'd never imagined it would one day be used on me.

I heard my own breath coming in quick, ragged gasps, and tears I couldn't control fell onto the floor.

When Keane saw my tears, he seemed to snap out of it. The command lifted all at once.

I knelt there gasping, my throat so dry I could taste rust.

I couldn't tell if my face was wet with sweat or tears.

"Enough." For an instant, his voice softened with concern.

I didn't understand why he suddenly cared. He was the one who'd brought me all this pain and humiliation.

In the end, he didn't help me up. He just said coldly, "You... you've been out of line lately. Go home and think about what you did."

I pushed myself up off the floor and didn't give him another look.

It was raining when I walked out of the clinic.

I hailed a cab, stopped at home for the suitcase I'd already packed, and headed straight to the airport.

In the dead of night, no one in the Blackwood pack noticed me leave. No one tried to stop me.

And Keane Blackwood was probably sharing his joy with his Luna and their child.

Leaning against the plane window, I slowly let out a breath.

Finally, I could leave.

Finally, I'd get a new life of my own.