RayneI immediately lower my eyes and think of something to say to him. Anything that might explain why I'm here. I don't come up with anything.The next few seconds are perhaps the most painful of my entire existence. I'm torn between staying and running, and the problem is that I know I can't run. I'll have to stand here and take whatever it is he's going to give me. And sure enough, he doesn't disappoint. "Are you testing me?" he asks in a low voice. "Is that what this is?""Forgive me, Alpha," I say, not meeting his eyes. Instinctively, I take a step back from him. I feel his eyes following every move I make. "I didn't meant to...I wasn't—""Then why are you here?" he says through his teeth. How do I explain to him that I need the Second Beta to see me so he doesn't punish Denise for lying to him? How do I guarantee that I didn't come here to spite him? That I would never willingly cross his path if I had the power to do so?"I'm sorry," I say in a voice barely above a whisper

RayneI shake my head when Denise walks into my bedroom with my dinner. “You can take it back. I’m not hungry. I don’t want to waste food.”She tilts her head, pity etching her features. “You have to eat something. Not eating will only make your body sick and weak.”In a low voice, I ask, “Is the Beta there?”She shakes her head. “No. He’s downstairs with the rest of them. Having dinner. But one of his goons is near the top of the stairs. Probably on the lookout for you.”I sigh heavily and cover my face with my hands. “I can’t believe this is happening. I did what you told me to do. I told her the truth. But I guess it was too late.”Denise puts the tray down beside me and takes a seat on the edge of my bed. “She summoned me and gave me a scolding as well. You shouldn’t feel bad.”“What did she say to you?”“She said she knew I helped you with the dress, because of my position of course.” Despite her words, she’s smiling. “She also warned me to stay away from you. She doesn’t want me

Rayne I’m in my new room—the one the Alpha said I should occupy. It’s much grander than the one I occupied before but it’s not something that pleases me. I don’t care about such luxuries. I’m more concerned about how Lady Veronica will treat me after what happened. Especially since he contradicted her. I shouldn’t have told him that she knew about the Second Beta. I didn’t mean to. It just slipped out. I was under so much stress that I didn’t think twice before answering, and now I’ve framed her. I hope she won’t hate me forever for this. I lied in the first place. She had no reason to believe me the second time around. I could easily be lying about the Beta just because I wanted to justify my presence at the dinner last night. She was just trying to do the right thing. She doesn’t deserve the Alpha’s harsh treatment. As for the Second Beta, I’m glad that he’s dead. I never thought I’d think this way about anyone. I’m not the kind of person who hates intensely. I just wanted t

RayneI’m ready in the early hours of the morning because I’m too anxious for my little shopping trip with Lady Veronica. It didn’t help that Denise kept telling me to watch out for her. She doesn’t trust her for some reason, and frankly, I think she’s just exaggerating. Denise can be quite dramatic, and I’ve already established that I can’t take most of her advice. If I’m on guard and on edge, she’ll notice, and then I’ll be even more awkward. Isn’t it enough that I’m nervous?When the time comes for me to go downstairs, I’m dressed in the best of my old dresses but Lady Veronica doesn’t look impressed. She offers me a tight smile and says, “Shall we?”We’re accompanied by four guards. They walk on either side of us until we reach outside where there is a carriage waiting for us. We climb inside and one of them closes the door. I sit facing her and expect her to say something to me but she doesn’t. Maybe I should have said something but I couldn’t think of anything to say that wasn

MaxI keep staring at the servant girl while something inside of me rumbles. Despite how different she looks, I didn't once doubt that it was her. The mate bond is probably the cause of this. Her hair is somewhat shorter than before but it has clearly been meddled with because it's shinier. Cleaner, maybe. And the dress she's wearing is better than what she had on before. I don't wish to have these thoughts but I can't seem to force them out of my mind while we're staring at each other. Blush creeps up her cheeks but she maintains eye contact. Her eyes are a different shade of blue. I never noticed how blue they were before. The guard shifts beside her and I break eye contact, suddenly remembering where I am. I walk away without looking and from the corner of my eye I see her disappear inside the room. To my dismay, my face feels hotter and tighter than usual, which is ridiculous considering my position and the circumstances involved. I make my way downstairs and try to push what h