Chapter 3
The days that followed were filled with rising anxiety. Each night, I watched the moon grow fuller through my bedroom window, wondering if freedom was truly within reach.
I endured a miserable shopping trip with Lila. She ignored me entirely, mocking every dress I tried on. I picked up every extra shift at River Brew to pay for the expensive dress.
Stella was swamped with midterm exams, so our messages were short and sparse.
My family’s cold indifference weighed on me, but a tiny spark of hope refused to fade.
One week before the gala, I pulled into the driveway after class, groceries filling the passenger seat. Eli was coming for dinner, which meant I had to prepare his favorite meals.
As the official heir to the Blackthorn Pack, Eli was treated like royalty.
When our Alpha’s biological son died in a skirmish, Eli became next in line to lead.
I juggled the heavy grocery bags and unlocked the front door.
A cold draft brushed the back of my neck.
BANG.
The heavy front door slammed shut. A foul, recognizable scent filled the room.
Gavin Reed stood in the foyer.
A cruel smirk twisted his features, and fear turned my blood cold.
Before I could react, he locked the deadbolt behind him.
“Heard you’re playing the princess now,” he jeered, stepping closer.
“Do you truly think some outsider Alpha will take a broken thing like you as their mate?”
He pressed a palm hard against my collarbone, shoving my back into the drywall.
Panic flared, and I struggled to pull away.
His fingers wrapped lightly around my throat, lifting me just enough that my toes barely touched the floor. The grocery bags split open. Apples rolled across the wooden floor.
“Does anyone truly want a wolfless outcast? You will be turned away instantly.”
His grip tightened around my neck, cutting off my air. I gasped, hands scrambling for purchase.
“Defective,” he hissed, leaning in far too close.
Nausea rolled over me. Survival instinct ignited inside me.
I drove my nails into his forearm, leaving deep scratches across his skin.
“Let me go!” I gasped. “If I show up with fresh injuries, my father will confront you. Do you really want to anger the Beta right before the gala?”
Gavin hesitated before letting go, leaving a clear mark on my shoulder.
Sharp pain pricked my shoulder as his teeth grazed the skin.
A cry slipped from my lips. I pushed against his chest.
I fought to keep my expression blank, fighting back revulsion.
His hold loosened slightly. His hand moved to my hip, pulling me closer.
I closed my eyes and breathed through my mouth, blocking out his scent.
He wore a malicious grin.
“You will never leave this pack, Audrey. You are broken, and you belong to Blackthorn. No hero is coming for you. The gala will change nothing. Sooner or later, you will be expected to fulfill the role we set for you.”
He squeezed my jaw until I winced. “You serve no other purpose.”
The front door clicked open.
Eli stepped inside.
His cold eyes swept over the scattered groceries on the floor, then to me. He did not speak a single word to me. His lip curled into a faint sneer, and he nodded toward Gavin.
“Gavin.”
Eli knew exactly what had happened. He smelled the tension in the air.
Yet he did nothing. Complete, icy silence.
Gavin straightened, offering a mocking bow. “Heir to the pack. Audrey was just telling me you’d be home for dinner. I only stopped by to check on her.”
His tone carried a suggestive warmth that turned my stomach.
I ran for the bathroom the second I was free. I slammed the door and retched into the sink.
Gavin’s laughter echoed down the hallway.
Tears kept spilling down my face.
My tears were not for the harm done to me, nor for the terrifying future ahead.
They were for my brother.
The brother who did not care that his sister was being tormented.
I could not stay here any longer. I would not.