“Well, well, Isn’t that the comatose Buskrend heiress? The voice belonged to Marcus Ravenclaw, heir to the eastern territories. His laugh was ugly. “Gutta say, the girl’s got a body on her. Shame she’s basically a vegetable.“[
Who knew sweet little Ophelia was hiding all that under those conservative dresses?” This from Vivian Ashworth, daughter of the coastal pack Alpha. “Someone got real lucky taking these shots.”
My stomach twisted as the crude comments washed over me. The photos on screen were definitely Ophelia–intimate, private shots that had no business being here. My mind raced, trying to figure out who would do something like this
Then I felt it. The temperature around Soren dropped about twenty degrees, and when I turned to look at him, I wanted to crawl under my chair]
His eyes were completely black. Not the warm gold of an angry wolf, but the cold, empty black of something that wanted to kill
He thought I did this.
Torch bid. His voice was so quiet I almost didn’t hear it, but it cut through every conversation in the room]
The hall went dead silent. A torch hid at a gathering like this–with heirs from every major pack watching–meant he’d pay anything. No limit ||
“Holy shit.” breathed someone from the Thornfield pack. “His mate–to-be is sitting right there, and he’s going all–out for her sister’s nudes? That’s some fucked up family drama right there.”
Soren’s head turned toward the speaker with predatory slowness. The Thornfield kid went pale and shrank back in his seat like he was trying to disappear.
Smart move. I’d seen Søren in the clinic when patients died. This was worse]
“Going once going twice. The auctioneer’s voice shook. Nobody else was stupid enough to bid against an enraged Blackwein heir. “Sold.”
When the hostess approached with the photos, her hands were trembling. Saren’s presence was suffocating, like being trapped in a cage with something hungry.
“If you want this place to still be standing tomorrow,” he said conversationally, “you’ll tell me who donated these.”
The hostess’s eyes darted to me, then back to him. “I we can’t reveal donor information” But the way she kept glancing at me made her meaning obvious!
My chest felt like it was collapsing in on itself. Even she thought I’d sold out my own sister
Soren slowly loosened his tic. “Explain Now.”
I forced myself to meet his gaze, even though every instinct screamed at me to submit. “It wasn’t 10e.“]]
The laugh that came out of him was terrifying Without breaking eye contact, he pulled out his lighter and set the entire stack of photos on fire.
Every person in that room held their breath. The only sound was the whisper of flames eating through glossy paper
Then he opened his hand. The burning photos dropped straight into my lap
I jumped up with a cry, frantically brushing the flames off my dress. The heat burned through the silk, and tears sprang to my eyes–from pain, from humiliation, from three years of building frustration
“Since you obviously don’t believe me, why ask?” The words came out sharper that I intended
Something flickered in his expression, but it was gone too fast to read. “You’ve already destroyed Ophelia’s life once, Kaela. Why can’t you just leave her the fuck alone?” His voice carried to every corner of the silent room. “You want to sell private photos so badly? Let me give everyone a real show.“]
He nodded to his assistant at the control booth.
No. No, he wouldn’t. Not here, not in front of-
The screen flickered, and suddenly I was seventeen again, watching my worst nightmare play out in high definition. The night my parents dragged mo to the Shadowlands. Every horrific detail of what those animals did to me, completely uncensored.
“Turn it off.” My voice cracked like a little girl’s
Soren’s smile was the cruelest thing I’d ever seen. “This is now streaming live to every territory in the northern region. Courtesy of Blackvein media networks.”
The world tilted sideways. I gripped the back of my chair, fighting not to collapse as every person in this room watched me get torn apart by monsters.
The comments started immediately.
“Jesus Christ, how many of them are there?” Marcus was practically drooling. “No wonder she’s so fucked up.“[
“Look at her just taking it,” sneered Elena Frost from the mountain territories. “Bet she loved every second. Damaged goods always do.”
“I heard she begged for it,” added some Ravenclaw cousin, voice thick with disgust. “Probably spread her legs the second they asked.“]]
Each word hit like a physical blow. My vision started going gray around the edges, and I couldn’t seem to get enough air!
“Even if I did leak those photos,” I heard myself say, voice shaking with rage and desperation, “it’s nothing compared to what you’ve all done to me.” Confusion flashed across Soren’s face. “What the hell does that–“[
But I was already moving, pushing past the leering faces and whispered comments about “damaged pack sluts” and “why anyone would mate something so broken.“[
I ran through the lobby, past the elegant couples who turned to stare, past the servers who pretended not to recognize me from the video still playing behind me.
Behind me. I heard Suren’s voice cut through the noise like a blade: “Anyone who says another fucking word about her answers to me personally.”
But it was too late. Everyone in the northern territories would see that video. Everyone would know exactly what had been done to me, and they’d all think I’d deserved it.
For the first time in three years, I didn’t give a damn if Soren was angry
y with me.
I had bigger problems now!
