the document from

er seal, but the surprise lasted only until

were going to invent a husband, you could at least h

er smile disappeared for a moment

d her the truth. Pretending the most powerful Alpha in the t

efore he could fold it. "Believe whateve

you today?" Cassian demanded. "You were still

gged Coel f

ths haunting his hospital room

didn't want to hurt her. That was why h

e explained why a broken necklace had been found under Isla's bed or how a missing piece of jewelry

ur after he woke from a coma," Isla s

chos

't confuse taking someth

face t

room before Isla s

ad. Isla stumbled against the coffee table, catching he

e had to pro

er mouth with the taste of blood. Her left ear rang, and Melin

amily showed you, you

ou hit me, and somehow I'm s

people do when you

tepmother would call the guards and show Cassian the scratches on her arms, never mentioning wh

felt her wolf curled protectively

"Do you understand what will happen

exactly wh

the dark Vale car was visible beyond the hedge. She had asked the driver and guards to

t time, she

gaze and pulled t

proves nothi

hing I spent raising you, you think you

r late shifts at the pharmacy, and the narrow bedroom where ice formed along the inside of the window each

o sleep," she said. "Don

darkened. "Yo

remembered t

you an e

d until I was sixteen,

he family disliked hearing it spoken aloud. Me

. "You've forgotten your plac

ill. "What a

e problem y

the call on speaker. A man an

on," Cassian said. "You c

discussing me with Reid whil

she's still unmarked. No, t

if you try to

one into his pocket. "By tomorrow, y

yours to

der this roof

computer upstairs, and every legal document she had come to retrieve. Ca

this

rtificate into her bag and

," Cassia

keeping her weight away from her abdomen, and drove her elbow backward. Hilda cried out and

Isla's u

go of

he tore free long enough to pull out her phone. The Vale

hen Cassian knocked the device from her hand.

ard caught her from behind, loc

n forced the change back. Shifting this soon after the rejection would already stra

. The first guard grabbed her wris

Cassian snapped. "Reid

la's struggle more e

in anger. He was protectin

ied to catch the edge of a table, but every violent movement pulled their arms tight

ar outside,

it, Me

hing unusual had happened. "I'll tell

believe you,

don't want to be disturbed while

d her voic

ed his hand o

hen. She bit down on the guard's palm, hard enough to make him curse, bu

Isla was ten y

shoved h

herself before she fell forward. The door s

settled a

walls, leaving barely enough space for her to sit with her knees b

ound the lock, although she already

ade sure of t

d the lock. The metal bent almost immediately. She tried the other, changing

it and climbed up, only to find that the frame would not budge. The glass was too thick to

ded faintly thr

pounded on the pantr

reated toward the foyer. A few minutes

d. She wants some ti

lied, but the walls

said. "We'll send her

nt door

r again until the side of

hallow marks near the baseboard. She had scratched them there with a broken spoon when sh

too. Hunger had never been abou

had twisted was beginning to swell. Worse

loser and placed both

me," she

mth an

of her future. Logan's guards were somewhere beyond the

osed h

, little one, this would be a very

seconds, not

tter brushed ag

breath

" she w

e more, small, st

fragile warmth, prote

into the darkness. "We'l