ley

through the tense silence of

y fists clenched so tightly at my side

ther. "If Clarissa is too terrified to marry the monster she wa

g bark of laughter, leaning back

"You don't have an inner wolf, you don't have a future, and no decent pack would ever look at you twi

"Ansley, how can you be so heartless? Do you want to watch the loan shar

my stepmother, and my half-sister-and fel

ed," I said, turning on my heel towar

s, a loud, violent scrape of

eavily to his knees right in front of me, his knees sla

in my tracks as I stared down in horror at the b

cheeks as his calloused hands locked around my ankles like iron shackles. "Give your

my legs free, but fear had given him a desperate, hys

wn. "Your own father is on his knees, begging you! Are you really go

led to his feet, and bolted into the adjacen

charging back into the dining room, clutching a

of his own neck, pressing hard enough that a thin bea

n this floor!" Brigham screamed, his eyes bulging with complete, unhinged madness. "And the wh

flesh hit me like a bucket of ice water,

as my

and now the threat of suicide just to force me ont

otiation, no log

the word tasting like

ing in my gut, feeling every remaining piece of affecti

es to look straight into my father's desper

out an exaggerated sigh of relief, while Clarissa

ng against Damon's shoulder. "

ade Clarissa's smile falter for half a second. "The moment I walk out of this house in that veil, what

climbing the narrow wooden stairs up to the drafty a

tress, and reached beneath the floorboard

c Healer license from St. Mary's Children's Hospital, earned through years o

kills, I had a weapon to build a life

room door open under Genera's orders, tossing a heavy

musty smell, clearly pulled from the bottom of

rds; they simply dragged the rough lace over my head and thr

ottom of the stairs. "The Mejia motorcade is honki

heap lace over my stomach, and walked down the s

red combat SUVs sat idling, their reinforced steel chassi

ur towering, heavily armed pack warriors standing flanking the d

door open, gesturing with a curt, wordle

slammed shut behind me with the finality of a prison v