Forsaken By The Pack, Marked By The Predator

LEY

sible, newfound clarity. It was a stark contrast to the fire of vengeance burning in my chest, a fire now fed by something wilder, more ancient. It lifted strands of

mory, sharp a

romises. Three days in the dark, the silver chains burning my wrists, while my wolf whimpered inside me, too broken to heal. Amber's

ver worthy o

A wolfless Omega with a whore's reputation-did you truly

Amber's whispered rumors. The fabricated scandal. Preston's eagerness to believe the worst. They had stripped me of my reputation, my engagement, my future-all befor

oy in the twilight. Music and the murmur of laughter drifted

ing. Lanterns hung from ancient oaks, casting a warm, golden light on the faces of the

had chosen for this occasion. Mourning clothes, they would think. But black was

s not loud, bu

The music seemed to falter. Conversations died in mid-sentence. Heads

spers, buzzing li

mega? What is she doing

her mind after Preston thre

target. There, on the raised dais, stood the happy couple: my forme

he never possessed. When her eyes met mine, a flicker of panic marred her victorious smile before it was quickly replaced by s

saw me. It was a look I was intimately familiar with. His hand, resting on A

him, her voice a soft, sacchari

y. Maybe sister is just

empt. His jaw tightened further. He had no idea

side me. "What do you think you're doing here

arches, were raised in disdain. Her face, a roadmap of petty cruelties, was twis

iserable mix of shame and annoyance. "Alright, alright, Brenda.

sive hand, muttering under his breath. "Wha

ut a cold, clinical detachment. They were actors in a poorly written play, and I had

red no

ests, their stares like physical things against my skin, and made my way to an empty chair in the front ro

l clutch on my lap. I was not a crasher. I was

w them off balance. The air crackled with an anticip

ny along, desperate to regain control. His eyes kept darting to me, a bead

egan to flow. Words of undying love, of fated connectio

ime, boasting about the wolfsbane she'd slipped into his wine, how she'd crawled into his bed, how she'd fake

e. They were filled with a toxic cocktail of hatred, resentment, and somethin

rip on his hands tightened, her body pre

iciant began, his voice

was m

when it came, was not a shout. It was a clear, cold note that cut

ai

he garden was utterly silent, a held

rious red. "Hayley, what the hell d

s sweep over the crowd, over my cowering father and fu

hey had discarded. But the woman who had cra

that would shatter the

word a perfectly polished s