Once Betrayed Now Untouchable

Karina POV Through the half-open door of the Alpha's conference room, I watched my werewolf mate cheat on me. He was tangled up with some blonde she-wolf. His fingers threaded through her hair. His lips pressed to her neck in that same way he used to kiss me. I felt the sight in my gut—a tight, nauseating clench that had nothing to do with the physical agony of a broken mate bond, a pain my human body couldn't feel. Eight years, just like that, they were gone, shattered in a single moment. I was frozen there, my heels feeling like they'd been glued to the marble floor. A nasty little voice in my head started laughing, mocking the naive human girl who thought she could hold a werewolf's heart forever. My throat tightened and my stomach churned, but I shoved it all down. After a moment that stretched into an eternity, I finally managed to lift my hand and knock. "Come in," a deep, husky voice called—Edward's voice. My knuckles went white around the edges of the files I was ho

Karina POV Edward hauled me inside. As he turned, my eyes landed on the other person in the elevator. The man took up half the damn space—all broad shoulders and long legs, packed into a tailored black suit that probably cost more than my car. Even the way he stood, casual and relaxed, radiated a contained power that was nothing short of overwhelming. The small space immediately felt suffocating. As the doors began to close, I couldn't help but glance up at his face. It was the kind of aggressively handsome you'd see on a statue—all sharp jawline and aristocratic coldness. But his steel-gray eyes were pure predator, assessing me with a look of undisguised disdain. His lips were pursed slightly, and his whole face was a mask of elegant, detached aggression. I instinctively ducked my head, staring at the floor. My human senses might be weak compared to a wolf's, but even I could feel the raw power rolling off this stranger in waves. He wasn't just an alpha. He was something

Karina POV "Give it to her," he commanded, his voice a low rumble. He passed a suit jacket to the older man, then, without a second glance in my direction, walked over to the Maybach and slid inside. The older gentleman hurried over, holding out the jacket. "Miss, you're soaked. Please take this." I looked down and felt a hot flush of horror creep up my neck. My white blouse was completely see-through. "Thank you," I mumbled gratefully, taking the jacket and shrugging it on. The older man spoke quietly with the police officer as the Maybach pulled away, its taillights disappearing into the torrent. I only caught a brief glimpse of the stranger's elegant profile, but the image was seared into my mind. The jacket was still warm from his body, and it smelled of sandalwood and something else, something wild and untamed that instantly soothed my frazzled nerves. After the police finished their report and we exchanged information, the older gentleman offered to take me to the ho

Karina POV When the flame from the lighter finally licked my fingertips, I dropped it. It felt like I was finally letting go of hope itself. The fire caught the gasoline-soaked frame, illuminating the photo inside the metal barrel. In the picture, I looked so sweet, so happy. His eyes were full of me and only me. Then slowly, our faces began to distort in the heat, melting away until there was nothing left but a pile of black ash. A sudden tightness seized my chest, making it hard to breathe. I stared at those ashes, my vision blurring with tears I refused to shed. "What are you burning?" Edward had finally looked up and was now walking out into the yard. I tilted my head back, swallowing down the emotion that threatened to choke me. When I turned to face him, my eyes were red, but my smile was gentl

Karina POV The other end of the line was heavy with silence. "It was just the heat of the moment," Edward finally said, his voice dropping into that gentle, manipulative tone I knew all too well. "I didn't mean to hurt you." I hated that phony, affectionate act. It made my stomach churn. "Save it." I cut him off. "Whether you meant it or not doesn't change the fact that you put your hands on me." The alpha who swore to protect me was the one who hurt me. "Fine. It's my fault. It's all my fault." He growled, his alpha temper cracking the veneer of his apology. "Just tell me where you are. I need to know right now." "I already told you, I'll come back." "You will be home tonight," he demanded, his voice lowering to that dangerous pitch that made most pack members cower. "Or, I swear I'l