STEPUNCLES ALPHA'S PUNISHES ME EVERYNIGHT

UMN

e weight. Every eye in the room was on me-some filled with judgment, others with curiosity. But the worst of

able, calculating. And Dante... Dante leaned against the table, his fingers drumming lig

in his hand, the parchm

is voice was calm, but his tone car

d as the side do

es steppe

lood drain f

and

nds. My confidants. T

my lips before I could

d bowed as she stepped forward. Bu

Adonis

umn arguing with Thorne three

blocking my return to the pack!" My voice wavered, but I forced myself t

erbs from the eastern forest-wolfsbane and nig

w exactly why I was gathering those herbs! I was helping H

You told me yourself that wolf

Because it is. That d

e, his pine and smoke scent wrapping around

dropping to a whisper. "I want to belie

name he had given me

art c

that used to be there. For the pr

voice wobbled. "Some

a moment-doubt fli

ed his hand on th

h the hall, and my body

l deliberate on

fair trial?" My voice rose. "What about justice? Since wh

as he studied me. "You speak of justice while B

dagger anyone could have taken from my quarters!

aler Willow confirms you lef

h

mach d

sn't po

left ex

g

more supplies fro

h

gh time to co

I ha

adn

someone who saw me in the storage room,"

ge room has no windows and only one entrance,

in my ears. "Someone is framing me

d. "Who? Who would g

s gaze.

hat followed

his head. "Again with

lt s

's what they t

Agatha had spun a

e sister, the fragile victim. She ran to them every time, crying, pointing finge

word, every time their gazes

at she had orchestrated a murd

esounding thud, the echo reverb

ne was

e excep

against the long wooden table, arms crossed, silver-blue eyes unreadable. And Dante-Dante

th came

one with

h my exec

a blade slicing through

ce-grabbed my wrists, dragging me across the cold floor. My struggles were useless.

seconds, thick ropes coiled around my

No

my skin as I twis

painfully. "It's Al

used to call me Barb

ing in their depths. Then, just as quickly, it was gone. "B

ed to

force them

olished stick in his grasp. The phoenix tatt

ad me fooled... had me weak." His grip on the s

ded across

yelp tore fr

"But I was the idiot, wasn't I? You-just a rogue omega-of course, you'

, fighting the burning in my e

ac

m. The sting pulsed through my bones, bu

ur stepsister again, Autumn?" He tilted hi

eadlier. He crouched beside me, pulling

s," he murmured, voice low. "Thinking you'd change. That you'd understand. I thoug

pe tig

ed from the lack

uirming. "Kn

ut you?" He gave the rope another harsh tug, making me cry out. "You're no

egg

e listen to m

n Dante

nt

he one who never lied-who n

. "You know me, Dante. You

. "Yeah?" His lips quirked in a humo

. "You know what I used to love most about you, Little

ath st

atch the scent of pine and smoke, close e

d over my lips, circlin

rk, laced with something far mor

kin, cold and sh

yes met mine, a shadow cross

mper left me as the ice

t they belonged to a girl with a

he smir

rything

shoved the ice past my lips,

is fingers clamped over my mouth, trapping the ice in

ting whisper against my ear.