Chapter 3

Erin's POV

Bradley stood frozen in the doorway of Lily's bathroom, water dripping from his hair, a towel loosely wrapped around his waist. His expression morphed from relaxed to horrified in an instant, like a mask slipping.

"Erin," he breathed, voice cracking. "What are you doing here?"

I turned to Lily, desperate for some explanation that would make sense of this nightmare. "What's happening? Why is he here like... this?"

Something in Lily's expression changed—the shock fading, replaced by something cold and dismissive that I'd never seen before.

"No point in pretending anymore," she said with a casual shrug. "Come on, Erin. You can't possibly be that naive."

All those canceled dates. All those times Bradley said he was "busy with Pack business." All those days Lily was mysteriously absent from school. It hadn't been coincidence.

"How long?" My voice came out barely above a whisper, my nails digging crescents into my palms. "How long has this been going on?"

Lily actually laughed. "A few months," she shrugged as if it were nothing. "Since around New Year's."

It turned out that the two of them had been secretly together so early. But I've only been dating Bradly for a year!

How could they do that? Tomorrow was my birthday, and I was about to announce that I would be with him forever, but he had cheated on me and secretly slept with my best friend!

"You never let me touch you, Erin," Bradley said, his voice hardening as he adjusted his towel. "What did you expect? I'm an Alpha's brother. I have needs."

I just thought he was strange. This was the boy who'd promised to wait for me, who'd said he respected my decision to wait until after my first adult transformation. The boy who'd written me love notes and whispered sweet promises under starlight.

With tears in my eyes, I looked at the unfamiliar man in front of me, unable to say a word.

I loved him very much, and I was willing to be intimate with him once we were both adults, but I never expected him to be so impatient.

"God, don't be so dramatic," Lily rolled her eyes, examining her perfectly manicured nails. "It's not like you're Soul Bonds or anything. You're just his girlfriend." She emphasized the word like it was meaningless.

Something inside me snapped. The last thread of hope that this was all some terrible misunderstanding, that there might be some way to salvage what we had, disintegrated.

"We're done," I said, surprising myself with the calm clarity in my voice. "Both of you. We're all done."

Bradley's face darkened, a flash of the dominant wolf nature that ran in his family's bloodline. "Erin, don't be stupid. This was a mistake, I admit that. But you know I only love you."

A laugh bubbled up from my chest. "How dare you say you love me after making love to another woman? Won't your Lily be heartbroken?"

As I said this, I glanced at Lily behind him. Sure enough, her smug face instantly turned pale.

His hand shot out, grabbing my arm with bruising force. His eyes flashed with something dangerous—a glimpse of the wolf beneath the human facade.

He leaned in close, his voice a low growl. "Think about what you're doing. You're throwing away everything we have over something meaningless."

I yanked my arm free with strength I didn't know I possessed. "Our entire relationship was meaningless to you. Don't ever touch me again."

I turned to leave, but Bradley moved with supernatural speed, blocking the doorway. "Erin, you should know," he continued, his expression darkening, "you're just an ordinary omega wolf. No one will ever seriously consider you as a mate. I was doing you a favor by being with you."

Each word hit me like a punch, reinforcing every doubt I'd ever had about my standing in the Pack. But instead of feeling disappointed, I decided to immediately distance myself from these two people who had hurt me so deeply.

"Then I guess I should thank you for showing me exactly who you are before tomorrow's transformation," I replied, my voice cold. "Now I won't waste another moment wondering if you're my Soul Bond."

I pushed past him with all my strength, my wolf instincts lending me power I hadn't fully tapped into before. I rushed through the hallway, down the stairs, and out the door, my vision blurring with unshed tears that I refused to let fall.

---

I don't know how long I walked. I couldn't see where I was going, tears blurring my vision, just blindly putting one foot in front of the other, letting my wolf instincts guide me away from Lily's house.

I eventually found myself on a forest path within Pack territory. I could smell the pine trees and moss, but they didn't comfort me the way they usually did.

The moon was rising, almost full—tomorrow it would be completely full, and I would experience my first adult transformation. Just this morning, I had been excited and terrified. Now I just felt empty.

How had I missed all the signs? They were right in front of me. Bradley constantly canceling plans. Lily's strange absences.

I had trusted them both completely. I told Lily all my secrets and fears. I shared all my dreams with Bradley. And the whole time, they were probably laughing at me behind my back. Making me look like a complete fool.

I couldn't stop crying now, my entire body shaking. I slid down against a large pine tree until I was sitting on the ground, knees pulled up.

"You're such an idiot, Erin," I whispered. "A stupid, naive idiot."

The worst part wasn't even that they had cheated. It was how humiliating it all was. Everyone must have known. Lily's maid had let me in without hesitation, probably fully aware of what I was about to see.

Even Derek's fiancée had commented on my "cheap" fashion sense. Is that how everyone in the Pack saw me? Just a pathetic omega girl, not good enough for the Alpha's brother?

I buried my face in my hands, allowing myself to feel the pain. Tomorrow was supposed to be special—my birthday, my transformation, the beginning of my adult life in the Pack. Now it all just felt like a sick joke.

"What am I going to do?" I whispered to the silent forest.

The sudden sound of a branch breaking nearby made me jerk my head up, hastily wiping away tears. Pack territory was supposed to be safe, but I had wandered far from the main paths. And in my emotional state, I hadn't been paying attention to where I was going.

"Who's there?" I called out, getting to my feet.

There was no answer, but I could sense a presence nearby—that distinct feeling of being watched that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I peered into the deepening darkness. It wasn't until I heard the sound of vehicles honking that I saw a line of black cars arranged behind me.

"Hey, girl, move aside!" a gruff male voice responded from the shadows. "You're blocking the way for our esteemed Alpha."

My thoughts were in such disarray. Staring into the bright headlights and unfamiliar surroundings, I found myself momentarily unable to move.

An Enforcer got out of the car, respectfully opening the rear door. "My lord. I found this young lady wandering near the boundary line. She was just about to leave."

Derek Stone looked even more imposing in the forest shadows than he had in the stronghold. The moonlight cast his sharp features in silver relief, his deep-set eyes reflecting the light.

"Twice in one day," he observed, his expression unreadable. "You seem determined to go where you don't belong."

A strange shiver ran through my body at hearing his voice. I opened my mouth to apologize again, but something in me was tired of apologizing today.

"It wasn't intentional," I said. "I was just taking a walk."

"A walk," he repeated, his voice flat. "In a restricted area."

"I needed to clear my head," I said, hating how small my voice sounded.

He stared at me for a long moment, his expression inscrutable. Then he turned to the Enforcer. "I'll handle this."

The Enforcer nodded and melted back into the forest, leaving me alone with the Pack Alpha. I should have been terrified. But after everything that had happened today, I couldn't feel anything but exhaustion.

"You're upset," Derek observed, his tone shifting slightly.

I wanted to tell this man about his brother's infidelity, to make him punish him with his position as Pack Alpha. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't bring myself to say them. "I..."

A ruthless smile flickered across his face, so quick I might have imagined it. He stepped forward, and I instinctively backed up, my back pressing against the rough bark of the pine tree.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked, tilting his head slightly as he observed my reaction.

"Should I be?" I countered, surprising myself with my boldness.

His eyebrows rose slightly. "Most people would say yes."

"Most people haven't had the day I've had," I said, a hysterical laugh bubbling from my chest. "Your brother... he isn't who I thought he was."

Derek's expression darkened at the mention of Bradley.

"Few people are," he said softly.

My vision blurred again, tears welling up, and I blinked rapidly, determined not to cry in front of this stranger.

But the events of the day were too much. The forest seemed to spin around me, and I felt myself sway.

"I don't feel well..." I began to say, but my knees suddenly buckled beneath me.

The last thing I was aware of was strong arms catching me before I hit the ground.