Rejected by the Alpha, Crowned by the Shadow

e's

y name as I reached

ega. N

n

t turn

I gathered the sides of the ridiculous skirt and ran down six flights, my shoes striking the

houlders, but it did n

ght of his hand at my waist. Worse, I remembered th

at room made my skin crawl. Zane'

as the part I couldn'

ack meant passing through the party and risking Zane seeing my face, so I left them beh

agency glowed on my screen. I igno

home.

ame almost

me as telling me h

at the

I'll expla

se, three d

you need me

hone away and s

the cold, sickly sweet and impossible to escape.

n my scent, and the room had been too dark for h

ad said

ked f

chen was on when I r

ack of research forms beside the other. Her hair was coming loose from its bun, and exhaustio

oked at the clo

're

w. I'm

p of skin above my waist, and the red marks beginn

the urge

were serving dr

. They changed my assi

arpened. "Who gra

d down. Faint bruises marked the place

had too much to d

you

N

r came to

g the marks with the calm precision she used on patients, altho

sn't no

ot a

m wh

dn't t

rsity. If she learned Zane had been there, she might confront him too, without understan

t, I would have to decide how much o

"Someone put my name on the list as a

s learning to recognize pain in people who insisted

idn't force

fume isn'

ed it on th

kled. "It sme

t

xpression slipped fo

he had already sprayed me." The tr

he

the st

ho

esn't

ed pheromones on you

, hoping to soften the refusal. "I'm

llowed by an understanding that so

e said at last.

nted cleanser. "Use this before you shower. Synthetic compounds bind t

could probably identify the manufacturer from o

returned to

appened

m. The cut was small, left where one of

it when

other thing pla

rom the freezer, wrapped it i

inst your mout

, Do

ser

am

ly. She looked down at the research forms she had left on the table. Bla

rove your stu

red in handwritten calculations. "The review board agreed to examine my latest resul

good, is

s damaged wolf tissue to repair itself, but the neurological effects are h

it for years. They'd be

ally prefer data to a

an have

smile lasted a

ned to me, and some

thday is

kno

for

ily misplac

ghteen, not renewi

pack. "I've had

f hair behind my ear, the gesture so familiar

aid. "We'll celebrate properly,

ounds p

s before then, you

"What kind

ep patterns." She hesitated. "Any unusua

my wolf final

other t

nt a quiet ch

other

sink. For one strange second, the shadows reflected

light swept across the window.

tonight," she said. "Go shower.

ry part of me. Whatever she wasn't saying could wait until

night,

bathroom do

hower, not unde

mor

nd took th

a garbage bag the mo

eetness still seemed to fill the room. In the bathroom, I scrubbed my neck, wrists, a

shower, the perfume had faded t

uzzed on t

ssignment, the rest of my pay would be withheld, and any future bookings w

ed the

fts mattered. Tomorrow, I would have to fi

ouldn't make

ed and touched t

ck blindfold, the silver rings, and Zane's body cu

's

ho he was holding

ss. Instead, they had settled beneath my

is question ag

are

have replaced the hunger in his expression once he realize

anded a confession. Maybe he would have reminded me that my

he Zane Wi

ill the moment I flinched. Not the one who had

side and pulled t

name after I ra

he found the hallway footage, he might recognize my hair or the uniform. Blai

e lit u

ected an unknown number and an

only

l aw

ld call. If she called, I might tell her everything,

the phone

ot come for

the entire

passed. Girls clustered around phones in the corridor, watching the s

e first period. Her eyes swept over my hood,

ook te

kindness continue

ser

should write g

enough that our shoulders nearly t

wa

w b

s ahead. "I l

ag

nd anoth

ot what I

us. One of them was saying Zane had ordered the Va

ach tig

before lowering her voice. "Did y

gs happened a

Zane W

tay loose inside my po

d Kiss. Then he knocked some guy across the room over a mystery Omega

e a balance

ane added. "Hard en

d good surviv

w her face, but people think she was one o

S

y claiming they attended the Meridian, an

elf, I almo

uestioning every hostess assigned to the east side. Appa

mor va

iss, it wouldn't take long for her to connect the mysterious

et bored,

get bored. She g

be car

stopped

ing she was no longer beside me. When

isely, on

hinking. The guilty movemen

s eyes

slowly. "What hap