Chapter 4

At night, Derek called the pack's inner circle into the hall.

They brought me in, too.

Selena was sitting right next to Derek with a fresh bandage on her shoulder, and she wouldn't lift her head.

I stayed toward the back of the room.

Tyler spoke first, "Alpha, we all heard what happened today. Alicia slapped Selena, and her wound split back open. She nearly bled out."

Luke jumped in, "Selena took a silver bullet for you, Alpha. Alicia was completely out of line to do that."

Jack was meaner. "Selena is the one who deserves to stand next to you, Alpha. She had the guts to take a bullet for you. All Alicia does is sit at home and cook soup."

All the Betas started running their mouths, every single one of them defending Selena.

I didn't bother defending myself.

The chandelier above the table was so bright that it hurt my eyes.

Derek sat in the Alpha's chair with his thumb rubbing slow circles over the back of Selena's hand.

He finally said, "Allie, apologize to Selena."

The whole room went silent.

Selena pulled at his sleeve. "Derek, you don't have to do this. I shouldn't have gone into her room."

"You took a silver bullet for me," Derek replied. "Nobody has the right to lay a hand on you."

He then turned to me. "Allie, I don't want to make this harder on you, but you have to say sorry."

When I heard that, I felt like laughing.

I had already survived the pain of having my mating bond ripped apart.

I had given up on the climate-controlled villa without a fight.

I had spent the freezing night in that tin shed with no heat.

And now, he wanted me to bow down to a woman who had gone through my things and dragged my name through the mud.

"Derek," I said, lifting my head and making sure every word came out clear, "I'm not apologizing."

The hall broke out in noise right away.

Derek's Alpha pressure came down on me again, heavier than it had during the day. My legs were shaking badly.

Then the pup inside me gave a small kick, sending a tiny bit of warmth through my belly. It was enough to keep me on my feet when I didn't have any strength left.

Derek stood up and walked over to me.

He stopped with the tips of his shoes right against mine.

He looked down at me and said, "Alicia, you've changed."

"You changed first." I stared him straight in the eyes.

For a split second, Derek looked like he didn't know what to say, but then his face filled up with anger again.

"Starting right now, you don't set one foot outside that watchtower unless I give you permission," he said.

With that, he turned around and walked back to Selena.

He didn't look back at me again.

Late at night, someone locked the iron door to the watchtower from the outside.

Tyler was standing out there yawning. "Alpha said you're staying in here until you agree to apologize."

I sat in the dark and packed up every last thing I owned.

I put Veilwater on my wrists, behind my ears, and all along my neck.

When that cold feeling sank into my skin, the mating bond that had been torturing me for two days finally went quiet.

I closed my eyes and sent Lance one final message.

I wrote: [Sunstone Bridge. Three in the morning.]

I took out my SIM card, snapped it in half, and threw it down the heating vent.

The window in the watchtower didn't lock all the way.

None of the Betas knew about it.

That was because nobody had really taken the time to look closely at this room.

And nobody had really taken the time to look closely at me, either.

I slipped through the window and got out into the night.

It was raining outside, a cold November rain with little pieces of ice mixed in, and it stung my face every time it hit.

I took off the coat Derek had given me and threw it into the mud at the bottom of the wall.

His smell was still on it, but the rain would wash that off for me.

When I climbed over the wall, I stopped for a second and looked back at the Silvermoon Pack.

The lights were on in the climate-controlled villa, and I could see two people's shadows behind the curtains.

I turned around and ran straight into the rain.

There was a black SUV waiting under Sunstone Bridge with its headlights on.

The door flew open, and Lance came running out into the rain. He threw his coat over my head and carried me into the car.

"Oh my! How did you get this banged up?" Lance said, and his voice sounded tight.

"Drive," I told him.

When the SUV took off, I looked in the rearview mirror and saw lights starting to turn on back at the Silvermoon Pack.

They had noticed I wasn't there anymore.

But it was already too late.

In the back seat, I curled up inside Lance's coat with one hand pressed over my belly.

Lance looked back at me. "You're safe now."

He grabbed the wheel and pushed down harder on the gas. The SUV picked up speed fast.

"I'm taking you to my pack," he said.

"No," I said.

I closed my eyes.

"Take me to Altaria. Take me somewhere Derek won't be able to find me," I added.