line

each palm tree, was a landmark in a city that no longer felt like home. I gave the driver th

t, retrieved my single suitcase, and walked into the marble-

r the first time since leaving the house, a wave of exhaustion and vulnerability

ed the

there, wrapped in a pink silk robe, her blonde hair piled

pulled me into a tight, suffocating

partment was immaculate, all white furniture and gold accents. "Sit, sit," she insis

illed out of me-Colten's coldness, Meredith's cruelty, the other woma

f horrified sympathy. When I finished, she

ked like righteous fury. "That manipulative, cheating, soulless piec

wn. I felt a sliver of the tension in m

ed a lawyer in New York," I said, taking a sip of the hot tea

A flicker of something unreadable passed through her

hat's a good idea?" she said, her voice soft and reasonable. "The Alvarezes... they're powerful. A big, messy

l. They were sensible

it, Hailee," I said, a new

ust take the settlement he's offering. Take the money, start fresh,

eagerness for me to surrender felt off. It was m

here. And guess what? I have some news that might cheer you up." She leaned in, her eyes sparkling with excitement

er wrist. "Things are about to change for me,

ache was beginning to pound behind my eyes. "Hailee, I'm

oom, a pristine white space that felt as sterile as a hotel. "You get some rest. And please," she added, pausing at the d

iliar sheets cool against my skin. Sleep felt a million miles away. My mind kept replaying her w

ate violently. Colten's name flashed on the screen. I sta

You will regret this. We will ruin you. If you don't cooperate, eve

creenshots of every single message. Evidence. Then I tu

ce, low and muffled. She was on the phone. My werewolf hearing, a trait

she hasn't signed anything yet... D

entire body went rigid. There was on

g a slow, heavy drum of dread against my ribs. I pressed my ear to the wood

cerned friend. It was intimate, relaxed. She laughed softly, a flirtatious,

. My sister. S

ream, to rip the phone from her hand, was overwhelming. But I crushed it. I was

iper's nest only to walk directly into another. The crushing weight of this seco

maybe on

ng with the buttons. I ignored the new flood of messages fr

na

he screen, typing out a

ouble. I

reply came back

. I'm on

location. Then, with a new, cold clarity, I walked over to my suitca

d. The girl who had arrived here an hour ago seeking comfort was gone. In her p