Chapter 13
The corners of my mouth lifted in a coy smile. Years of navigating tricky conversations had taught me how to gain the upper hand, even in a situation like this. I crossed my arms and tilted my head innocently. “Is he your Alpha?”
. Henry nodded, still not grasping my deflection. He looked at me with a mix of cagerness and frustration. “Are you *sure* you don’t know him? He has a photo of you. Someone who looks just like you… though dressed a bit… poorly.”
His words struck like a lightning bolt, igniting something cold and dormant within me. *Ethan has a photo of you.* That single phrase echoed in my mind, eclipsing his comment
on my appearance.
A flicker of amusement stirred within me, masking the deeper sting of memory. I hadn’t been much to look at back then, just another face in the crowd. But if Ethan, who had always seemed cold and indifferent, had kept a photo, it was probably because others had been in it–perhaps Vanessa.
After a moment of silence, Henry’s face lit up with hope. “Think about it carefully. You
*must* know him.”
I studied the photo for another second, raising an eyebrow. “Oh… vaguely familiar,” I replied lightly. As I noticed Henry’s face brighten with excitement, I added, “I’ve helped some members of the Nightwish Pack before. I’ve heard of him.”
“That’s *all*?” Henry’s disbelief was almost comical, and I hid a smile as he continued, “You’ve only *heard of him?”
“What else?” I asked, crossing my arms with a shrug.
Henry let out a heavy sigh. “Right… how could there be anything else? He’s the coldest Alpha… you’re just a rogue.”
With a look of resignation, he turned on his heel and left, his footsteps heavy with disappointment. I watched him disappear down the hallway before leaning back against the headboard. A gust of wind outside hurled sand against the window, making it rattle in
Chapter 12
the silence,
I pulled the blanket over myself, sinking deeper hen the bed, trying to escape the thoughts clawing at my mind. But as my eyes you worry, the menores cost closes, and sleep brought them to the surface in full force.
heery
In the dream, I was buried beneath a heavy weige of dirt and darkness, my body pinned to the cold, damp ground. Claws dug into the earth, but my song was waning as blood
eeped from my wounds. Alezve me, than to tall, oncoins, his face cold and indifferent as he watched me struggle. Desperately, I cried out to him, my heart pounding with fear and longing But he didn’t answer is your artied aney, focused on another
Vanessa.
In my dream, she was beside him, vibrant and alive, while I lay forgotten and abandoned, sinking deeper and deeper into the earth. But the scene shifted as she fell beside me, her body lifeless.
Ethan’s cold exterior shattered. With a feral snar, he seized me by the throat, his eyes wild, his grip like iron as he transformed, his wolf side taking over. His fangs scraped against my skin as he hissed, “Why wasn’t it you?”
I gasped, bolting upright in bed, my chest heaving as I clawed for air. The dim light made my sweat slicked lips glisten, my breaths coming in shaky pants.
His name lingered in my thoughts, dark and haunting, dredging up memories I had forced myself to forget.
C
