ily

Miami giving way to the monotonous gray of the interstate. Each mile I put betwee

adache behind my eyes. It was a dull, physical ache in m

he beach. Caden's smile for Seraphina. The way he held their

e in Georgia w

lear. The next, a massive semi-truck, its horn blari

no time

nning blur of glass and steel. My head slammed against the side window. The

, no

something else. A scent I knew better

felt like they were weighted with lead. I kept them closed. A prim

o rem

f tires. And one detail, sharp and strange, that surfaced throu

yanking the wheel, desperate to avoid a collision. What I remembered-clearer than it should have been-was his

ooth ea

. Waiting. Adjusting the device as if whatever he was hearing mat

ranoid. The shattered, concusse

it w

knew what calculated lies looked like. And the more I replayed that image-the calm, the earpiece

ad wanted

into focus-or rather, the darkness behind my

t, cloying so

o be okay, isn't she?

er off. It was flat, impatient. De

raphina's voice was a seductive whi

was moving closer to him, pressing herself against him righ

his voice low and harsh. "I

with faux innocence. "Why?

seeping directly into my veins. "No," he said, his voice drippin

gus

that he didn't love me. It wasn't just that he had another fami

sn't good enough, that my lack of a wolf made me less

ope that had lingered even after Miami, died in that mome

g me in a silence that was louder than their voices. They thought I

ned again. I recognized the heavy

He walked over to the window, his

in the sterile quiet of t

about the Luna. He's worried that Miss Seraph

listened, then confirmed

s and Miss Seraph

doubt vanished. It

, shot a look of what might have been

ence re

and out of focus. My body ached, but the pain was a dist

burning rage that started in my gu

ord to the empty room. A bitter

placed it there. The screen was new, pristine. My old one must h

ate. I scrolled through my contacts until I fou

ore a calm, professional

s steady. Not a

said. "This is

nd. "Mrs. Sterling. I was sorry to hea

he words tasting like

r what, p

ed, my voice as cold and hard as the reso