Chapter 4 - ShallowColetteNumb.All I felt was numb. I went from my family being ripped away from me. To being forced into a life of service. To now being sold with a lie attached to my name. I was blindsided, unsure what I did so wrong to be cursed with such a heartbreaking life. I hadn't had any time to grab my things, not that I had anything to bring before being forced to leave the Silvermoon pack. Forced to marry a man who had a reputation for brutality, and death followed him.The words from the she-wolf, Sophia, sank in as I sat in the car in silence.I wasn't wanted there, and I had a feeling Alpha Zane felt the same way. He didn't want me to be his wife, the Luna of his pack, any more than he wanted to even have to acknowledge me. And for some reason, it twisted my stomach a little, almost like the thought of him not wanting me hurt. I pushed the thought away, keeping my focus on hiding my scent and suppressing my wolf the way I was taught. But it felt harder to do so no
Chapter 5 - Short FuseZane I stormed out of Colette's room. My mind racing with so many things. Not only was I pissed at Sophia for what she did, but I was pissed at myself for caring about it. I made a pact with myself to not care about the bride I was forced to marry. But when I walked in and saw Sophia spit in her face, I lost it. I could chalk it up to her disrespecting something I now owned, but I knew that wasn't it. Something about her was strange, and it put Clay on edge, which, in turn, put me on edge.I had to get out of here and get away from all the noise in my head. Feel the air whipping against my skin as I claimed the roads as my own. I switched out my dress shoes and Armani suit for my jeans, black V-neck, and my leather jacket. Slipping on my boots, I securely tied up the laces before heading toward my garage. To my surprise, I didn't run into Sophia on my trek to the four-car garage. It was as if Selene had gifted me a moment of peace herself. My fingers twitc
Chapter 6 - DemandsColetteAfter Zane left my room, an older woman with short brown hair entered. She didn't speak to me as she quickly entered the bathroom and started a bath. She ushered me into the room and began stripping me of my clothes. I fought her, insisting I could do it myself, but she ignored me. Everything about being served was foreign to me. I wanted to shrink in on myself when a small gasp escaped her lips as she took in my ribs as they poked through the skin because of lack of food. The scars of my punishments were visible, permanently marking my skin because I was too malnourished to heal them properly.I didn't fight her as she helped me into the bath. Nor did I hold in the groan I let out as the warmth of the water caressed my sore, frail body. The smell of black cherries filled my nose from whatever oils she used. By the end of the bath, the water was filthy, and for the first time in a long time, my cheeks held a bit of colour. My hair wasn't plastered with d
Chapter 7 - Shit Storm Zane I watched her eyes take me, like all the she-wolves in this pack; they couldn't help but look. It was something I was used to. Something Clay thrived on. They couldn't help the pull of my power. The Alpha aura was meant to draw all the wolves in my pack to me—the stronger the Alpha, the stronger the pull. But something was different about Colette, something strange. For one, her lack of scent concerned me. Two, she looked nothing like Carter or his mate Cynthia. They both had brown hair, whereas Colette had white-blonde hair. Her eyes were also a faded green, matching neither of their eye colours. It made me wonder who she actually was. Of course, I was no fool, and the fact that Carter thought so proved how big of a fuckwit he was. Just staring at her was enough for me to know he didn't care for her as he claimed—her face sunken in, her bones poking through. The thought of his abusing and neglecting her pissed me off. Even I was above treating my Omeg
Chapter 8 - Cursed Colette"I apologize for Alpha Zane's behaviour. He has always been this way. I wouldn't take it personally," Hayden tried to reassure me, but I knew it wasn't the whole truth. Even though I had only been here, not even a day, I had seen how his pack reacted to him. They respected him more than they feared him. His anger and frustration was personal, no matter how much the Beta tried to reassure me otherwise.I could feel his anger toward me, and I couldn't entirely blame him for it because I was angry too. Angry at Selene for letting my parents and pack die. Angry at whoever took them from me. Mad at Carter and his pack for how they treated me. But most of all, I was angry at myself for not being strong enough to help when I could have. Mad at myself for being too afraid to do anything about my life. I had listened to my mother and respected her dying wish as best as possible, but hiding who and what I was, wasn't helping me anymore. I had to change my approach
Chapter 9 - Disposition Colette I knew what was happening, what happened when one of my kind found their mate. My mother explained the process of how the magic would set in once I was close to them. I squeezed my eyes shut, clamping my jaw shut, fighting the urge to shift.Not yet. I needed more time. "She's burning up," Someone whispered from beside me. When did they get here?Did I pass out? "What's happening?" A deep voice demanded. My pulse increased, and I squeezed my eyes tightly together, willing it to stop and pleading to Selene that it would pass. I pushed the feeling further and further down. I felt a slight pinch in my neck, and my entire body felt heavy. The burning subsided as I was pulled into the darkness. ~~~"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away," "Stop it, mama. I'm getting too big for nighttime snuggles." I giggled as my mother pecked ki
Chapter 10 - WickedZane "Zane," Hayden shouted after me as I stormed down the hallway. I ignored him as I continued; Clay was on the brink of shifting. I needed to find an outlet before I completely snapped.Why the fuck had I gone to see her? Why did I even care about her?Her words were playing a constant loop in my mind. 'All we are to each other is a contract. You don't want me here as much as I want to be here,' I let out a snarl as I punched the wall. She was right, so why was I so angry? "Zane," Hayden shouted his footsteps right behind me. I didn't even hesitate as I lunged for him. My patience had vanished, Colette stripping it from me in a matter of seconds. Hayden didn't see it coming, my hand aiming right for his throat. In a flash, he was pinned up against the wall. His grey eyes were wide with shock. My canines were elongated, a snarl echoing down the hall. Clay was toeing the line of complete chaos, and he was about to pull me into it with him. "I don't have time
Chapter 11 - GuiltColette Doctor Peterson had me stay for the night again. Not wanting to risk sending me back to my room in case Zane came back. She apologized profusely for his behaviour, and I was starting to notice that was the ongoing theme around here. Everyone else seemed to apologize for their Alpha's outbursts as if it was their fault he was so angry and arrogant. I didn't get a good night's rest last night—the fear of the nightmares returning filled me with anxiety. Zane's threats also put me on edge. When the sun started to rise, nurses came in to remove my IV and heart monitors. Doctor Peterson was doing a final check-over to ensure I was good to go. I was on a strict diet of high carbs and high-fat foods. Plus, I had to eat at least six times a day for the next week. I could already see that the meals and medication, coupled with my wolf trying to push through, had started to help me fill out again. I was no longer skin and bone, my cheeks weren't sunken, and the dar