a

y leg was a mess of torn muscle and the s

ear the border. She didn't ask questions. She just

her voice tight with a fear she tri

l around my heart. I visualized bricks of ice, stacking them one by one, sealing the cracks with

e banquet. It was a mandatory gathering

o go," she said,

id, sitting up. The pain in my leg had subsided

jewelry. No makeup. I walked int

rossed the threshold. Whisper

still

she attac

Alpha

ting crowd. A few Betas I had known since chil

awkwardly. "How.

e was steady, void of any t

. you know," another said, glanci

ing him grapes, giggling loudly enough to carry over the somber

king a sip of water. "People c

y wanted tears. They wanted a scene. I

ng into the side of

the glare, the jealousy, the broken woman he expected me to be. B

ediately grabbed his arm, whispering something urgent, pul

ing the tension. "The Compatibility Game

of the room. They answered questions about each other. F

ant person to the Alpha

the microphone. "Unlike some peopl

tly at me. The r

ows. The humiliation burned my cheeks, but I didn't flinc

a challenge in his eyes. He wanted a reactio

speakers, echoing off the high beams. "Do y

cruel tes

the table with a soft *

the silence. "Ethan and I have no connection. There

o couldn't handle the indifference. He expected anger.

You're right," he sneered. "I ha

ive, possessive, a performance meant to act as a weapon.

screamed. *Look a

omach turn, not with je

ess. He looked at me, w

t me. "You couldn't protect your Alpha. You couldn't satisfy yo

. He was rewriting history in front o

y life for ten years, Ethan. But you are r

ed to

r hand into mine. *I've got you,* she

ed, staring straight ahead into