CAIN

dressed in a pristine suit, sitting at the dining table as if th

Finley estate," he said without looking up from h

his supposed to be an olive branch? Or

looking at me. His eyes held a clear warning. "In fr

ed a prop. The last flicker of hope in m

and left for the day. I watched him go,

lied my makeup with precision. I decided to give him, and myself, one last chance. A

rty. Then eight. Bryton never came.

oom, feeling like a fool. The ticking of

Maybe he got held up, I told myself, a pathetic attempt at s

the party was in full swing. I moved through the crow

as to me, and standing before him, Chantal was on her tiptoes

ice. He had told me to dress up and wait, w

through the air behind me. "Kaila, you're late. And your dress

rby. I was instantly the center of a circle

dazzling red gown, a diamond necklace I'd never seen before

, her voice sickeningly sweet. "Kaila probably just isn't used to our Pack's social events."

scoffed, her eyes raking over me as if I were a cheap comm

t of my life. I was being publicl

I prayed he would step in, say something, a

. But he didn't

y did you come by yourself? Didn't I tell you

g breeze. Without a second thought, he shrugged off hi

nife, coated in ice, plung

And yet I saw the way his jaw tightened when his mother spoke. The way his eyes flicked to me, just for a breath, before he turned

gether, a perfect, happy family unit. A

g was so loud, I was sure everyone could hear it. But beneath the pain, a cold r

st have been terrifying, because even the ever-co

"Alright, stop standing here," he

as now solid ice. It woul