SCARLETTI stared up him with nothing but pure horror in my eyes. I had envisioned that this was finally the end of my life because everything seemed so orchestrated from the start. I had never thought it possible that one could be kidnapped from their own room. But then there were a lot of things I never expected. I seemed to have forgotten that I was on Lycan territory filled with its unpredictability and danger. I had gotten too comfortable and let down my guard especially since Cardan was guarding me. Or could it be that he was in on this too?I had a lot of thoughts running askew in my mind but I managed to keep a blank expression that did not betray m emotions of fear, confusion, and anger.“You don’t seem surprised to see me.” He continued, undoing the tape from me with a confidence that seemed to tell me that I could do nothing even if I was free. And he was right. We were surrounded by trees and nothing but pure darkness. Only God knows where he had taken me to and what he
ScarlettI didn’t care where, so long as it was far enough from her voice, far enough from Caleb’s silence, far enough from the suffocating weight of it all. My feet carried me down the hallways like a fugitive fleeing execution. The silence was deafening.I pressed my back against the wood of my room door, my body sliding down until I sat on the floor, knees pulled tight to my chest. The tears were endless, soaking through the thin fabric of my dress until I couldn’t tell where the pain ended and the shame began.I stayed there until the night turned into another day, and the day drained into night again. I didn’t leave. I didn’t eat.I didn’t even light the lanterns when the darkness crept in, wrapping me whole.The hunger clawed at me by the next day, sharp pangs tearing through my stomach, but I welcomed it. It was easier to feel the ache of an empty belly than the ache in my chest. Easier to numb myself with nothingness than face the fire Demi had lit inside me.Cardan hadn’t com
ScarlettI should have walked away. I should have turned on my heel and left them to their game of happy family. But something inside me snapped, my sense of reasoning maybe or maybe it was Demi’s mocking voice was as a dare, and I wasn’t about to let her think she’d won.I moved forward. And she chuckled lightly as I slid into the chair across from them. I didn’t look at her or Caleb. I picked up my spoon, filled it, and forced myself to eat. Spoon after spoon, bite after bite, I swallowed it all without tasting a thing. My throat felt raw, my stomach twisted, but I didn’t stop. Demi seemed delighted. Her smirk could be seen from the corner of my vision. Caleb, on the other hand, kept his eyes on his plate, chewing with the calmness of a man untouched by the situation of things. When he was finished, he dabbed at his mouth with a napkin, rose from his seat, and leaned down to press a light kiss to Demi’s temple. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.My jaw clenched so har
ScarlettI stared at her with hatred bleeding through my bones as my body trembled. My breath came in short, broken gasps, and my nails cut into my palms, drawing blood“What are you doing here?” I rasped, my voice shaking with raw emotions. “What do you want from me? Why are you here?”The smirk on her lips only widened. Her head tilted slightly as if she was amused by my desperation.“Woah, woah, Scarlett,” she said, her tone dripping with mockery. “A question at a time, love. You’re spilling over yourself.” Her hand drifted lazily over the swell of her gown where her stomach rested beneath, her fingers curling protectively in a gesture so deliberate it made my blood boil. “First things first. Won’t you congratulate me?”Her grin sharpened. “I’m pregnant. With Caleb’s child. That wouldn’t be nice of you, would it?”Something inside me snapped. My vision blurred with hot, acidic tears of fury. I glared at her with such hatred I thought it might tear me apart from the inside.“Congrat
ScarlettMy lungs seemed to have forgotten how to work and every muscle in my body was strung so tightly it felt like the smallest touch could shatter me into pieces.From the far side of the hall, heels clicked against the polished floor. The nearing sound was my undoing. The crowd parted for her like she was the goddess they had been waiting to worship.She climbed the stage with grace so practiced it made bile sting the back of my throat. Draped in flowing silk, the gown hugged her figure like it had been made for her alone. Purple. Of course it was purple.Her favourite colour. The same colour she had claimed was made for queens. For women who carried themselves with power. To think she had been Caleb's mate and queen while she pretended to be my best friend and watch me fall in love with him.It had all been a plot for me Pack's downfall.“Thank you,” Her voice sounded steady as she spoke into the mic. “Your welcome humbles me.”The words rolled off her tongue with ease, laced wi
ScarlettI stood before the mirror, hands trembling as I fastened the thin straps of the black gown that had been laid out for me. It clung too closely for my comfort, the fabric drawing attention to every line of my body. My eyes betrayed me, drifting lower, to the faintest swell of my stomach. Barely there, almost invisible, but to me, it might as well have been a mountain.I pressed my palm attempting to feel it and see if it was that obvious. No one else could see it yet. But how much longer until they couldSwallowing back the rising tide of panic, I forced my hands away, adjusted the gown, and pinned my hair into a sleek twist. Every detail of my appearance had to be perfect, flawless, distracting. If I could keep the world’s eyes on my face, perhaps they wouldn’t look lower.When Cardan knocked once more to say it was time, I managed a smile. “Go on ahead of me,” I said softly. “I’ll just be a moment.”He studied me, suspicion flickering behind his green gaze, but after a pause