All Chapters of The Alpha's Greatest Regret: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Chapter 1People never know what freedom is, until they have been thrown into prison for crimes they did not commit.Callie curled into herself as the blows landed again, her arms wrapped tightly over her head. The other girls in her cell block had cornered her by the wash basins, and as always, no one came to stop them.Her wolf had gone silent so long ago she had stopped reaching for her—curled deep into the dark beneath the worst of what had been done to her."Look at her," one sneered, grabbing a fistful of Callie's hair and slamming her head against the stone wall. "Noble blood, they said. Doesn't look so noble now."Callie did not cry out. Crying only made it last longer. The girl leaned down, her breath hot and foul against Callie's ear. "No one's coming for you."Callie squeezed her eyes shut, forcing down the metallic taste of blood pooling in her mouth.A sharp whistle cut through the damp air. The girls scattered like rats before the beta officers on duty could catch them,

Chapter 3Peter lingered behind, watching Callie from across the courtyard.He couldn't shake it. The King never looked twice at anyone. He had been here numerous times in the past and he had never paused to ask a single question about anyone standing in it. Yet tonight his eyes had caught on Callie like she was the only person there worth noticing and he didn't like it one bit.Peter walked over to where she stood, arms crossed loosely, trying to look more curious than concerned or worse furious about it. "What was that about?""What was what about?" Callie asked, not looking at him."The Lycan King. Asking about you." Peter studied her face for some reaction, something that would give him an idea of what just happened. "Have you met him before?""No.""Then why would he ask?"Callie shrugged, small and indifferent, not really bothered about the fact that someone important had noticed her. "Maybe he was bored. Maybe he asks about everyone standing near the door. I wouldn't know. I d

Chapter 5Callie set the flowers down slowly to avoid spilling it. "Liam.""Don't." His voice sharpened instantly. "Don't say my name like we're still something to each other. You lost that right the day you let Rowena take the blame for what you did to her.""I didn't do anything to her.""Still denying it." Liam's laugh held no humor in it at all. "Two years, and you still can't bring yourself to admit it. Do you know what that girl went through because of you? Do you know how long it took her to trust anyone in this house again?""I didn't hurt Rowena," Callie said, and for the first time since she'd come home there was pure anger in her tone. The familiar urge to defend herself there as she allowed it "I never touched her. She didn't take any blame, rather I was the one who took the blame because Peter asked me to, because it was easier for everyone if I disappeared for a while instead of her. That's the truth, whether you believe it or not."Liam's face went hard. "You have some

Chapter 7Callie stayed in the guest room through the evening, wrapped in a blanket someone had brought her, staring at nothing in particular. The doctor had finished his work and gone, leaving behind salves and bandages and a quiet warning that she needed rest, real rest, more than anything else.Peter came to see her once the banquet noise had died down, knocking softly before letting himself in.Callie looked up when he entered, her face unreadable."How are you feeling?" he asked."Fine."Peter sat down slowly in the chair across from her, unsure how to start. He'd spent his whole life being sure of things. Sure that Callie had done wrong and needed to be punished for her crimes. Sure that Rowena needed protecting because she was good and fragile and wanted everyone to be happy and live like one big family, but Callie resented her and wanted to be the only daughter and wanted her gone by all means . He was sure that the world made sense as long as he followed the rules he'd been t

Chapter 9Liam found her in the herb garden three days later, kneeling in the dirt, sorting through a basket of dried roots. She'd taken to helping there most mornings now, since no one else seemed to need her for anything else. It was a way to keep herself busy, and occupied with the day, rather than watching Rowena steal her mother's affection from her, just like she did with her brother and dad."Still playing servant?" he said, his tone filled with disgust and contempt staring down at her like one would do to gum stuck underneath his shoe.Callie didn't look up from what she was doing as she replied. "It's honest work.""It's an act." Liam crossed his arms, standing over her the way he always did, like his height alone should be enough to make her flinch, a way of intimidating her without using physical means, especially after Peter had warned Liam, that he should not hurt Callie again, espe.cially with KIng Cassium still a guest in this place and had started taking special attent