UMN

the only person who

Logan.

in the forest when I was just five years old. The one who brought

ten, he was gone

rything

t the time, too young to take on full Alpha duties, but they

ad ado

hteenth birthday, th

irl-same

less, and instead of turning her a

.And from that moment on,

ow fading from the light.Ag

truste

d.The door swung open without a knock, a

at

orframe, her perfect golden curls cascading over her shoulders. I felt a flick

false sympathy dripping from her voice. The sound

eneath the covers, my fingers curled slightly, the on

we go

he edge of my desk. Her fingers lazily traced the surface like she owned everything in this room. I

er face. "Last month when Uncle Adonis gave me that full set of limited edition designer bags. Oh,

lipping her hair over her shou

r-my lac

el the beat of my heart against my ribcage growing stronger with each

, but recov

ge room? All because of that little mistake you made?" She laughed, a delicate so

e. The memory flooded back with crystal clarity, bringing with it a wave of hum

was

her homework.

exhaustion, my hand cramping from the effort, pouring in hours

d, my voice shaking wit

eyes welling with p

from me! I w

er. Without question. W

full day without food, my stomach cramping w

e Ag

. Praised for her "ha

n me. She was the perfect girl, an

o

. A cold, calculated understanding of

. "Oh, right. That day." I tilted my head, watching her face closel

d. A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face, so brief

tc

mmered, her confidence wa

ictory. "Of course not. You were just so overwhelmed with emotio

muscle jumping in he

d? I mean, you were just so worried about me, right?" I gave her a sweet, knowing smile, even as

wed, her lips thinned, her posture stiffened. For

of it, a warm satisfaction

ng smirk. "It doesn't matter," she scoffed, her voice slightly higher t

h

e it

reason sh

t she had won. That she had taken every

er finding its mark in that t

. I would have flinched. I would have d

to

ead and asked, a genuine cu

, visibly thro

r. Her lips parted, but no words came out. Confusion f

they care about you more than me?" My voice was soft, curious, innocent even. "Becau

e, her shoulders drawing up, her fi

her shoulder in a gesture that fel

my voice still gentle, but with an

etween us, hea

n twitched, uncertainty

then shut it again, he

ckles whitening with the force of it, her careful

ustration, anger-something she could use against me.

. No reaction. Just question

erhaps she'd nev

ing smile. Warmth spread through my chest, a dangerous, he

a flush creeping up

prising even me with its genuin

finger to show her anger. And sh

place now, before the

ven as I forced my shoulders to stay steady, my expression composed. The familiar

near the bookshelves, arms crossed, listening but not reacting. Dante leaned back in the chair acros

ed bird. When I spoke, I kept my voice calm, polite, distant-exactly how an

m shifted, growing

ath catch. Knox's fingers twitched slightly, but he said nothing, his silver-blue eyes narrowing imperceptib

essive, until I could feel the weight

h

N

t of surprise sh

donis wh

hreatening to overwhelm me, but I kept my expression bla

h of something-frustration? concern?-cr

, though my heart was racing. "I don't belong

ugh, but it was humorless, dark. "S

of anger rising in my cheeks. "Sin

gaze was steady, unreadable, but I could feel the weight o

am breaking, releasing a flood o

voice rising despite my

se I s

pected r

ments, commands, an

not expe

nd Dante-sat before me, complete

den-brown eyes steady, arms folded acros

arms crossed, his silver-blue eye

lips curving into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Where would

you

digging into my palms, willing myself to stay ca

didn'

here, we were getting closer to the truth-

refused to

And they had no i

ir wolves would

stincts would scream

n that

st like they had in my past li

t let tha

't let i

d felt the agonizing pain of mate rejection, had watched

ing to surv

neutral even as I felt my heart pounding

tightening. "You were raised i

me want to laugh,

ady, belying the storm of emotions ins

ng me with an intensity that made my skin prickle. "What's with this sudden

fabric of my dress, the memory of Agatha's smug

ing his temple as if I was giving h

e them understand the depth of my p

ce cracking slightly despite

them a

suffocating, pressing down on me u

n why they suddenly cared if I stayed. Why now, after years of neglect,

t even look

ing wa

to stay steady. "You always told me I was a burden

le

uscle jumping in his che

twitched against his knee, a

ox

tching me t

d that

ying to figure me out.A chill ran down my spine,

ing a small, stiff smile. "I

ng a shiver down my spine. "If you were a pr