Chapter 4

CHAPTER 004

It had been strange the past few weeks, like I was walking on a tightrope. I’d promised myself I’d give Max a chance, but that didn’t mean I trusted him. Not yet. I would watch him in every conversation, in every interaction, trying desperately to mirror his golden stare upon the truth that lay behind his words. Was he someone I could trust? Could he be better than his father?

Everything was fine at first. He was polite, even, in a way that almost seemed genuine. The hum of the mate bond between us was ever present in the background – pulling me like a magnet. I never got close enough to let my guard down, but I always wondered if I ever could.

I had to remind myself why I was here, why I couldn’t afford to get distracted. Sometimes, though, when he smiled at me or asked me how my day was, that reminder was just out of reach. Perhaps, perhaps there was something good in him. Maybe he could help me.

But that fragile hope was dashed on a cool afternoon as I passed the pack grounds. Faint laughter carried on the breeze, but it wasn’t happy laughter. The sound was sharp, biting, the kind that made my stomach churn.

The laughter grew louder and I followed the noise to the back of the packhouse. And then I saw them.

One of the pack maids, Angela, was on her hands and knees in the dirt. Her face stricken with tears her shoulders quaking to Logan the gamma’s son and Caleb the beta’s son circled upon her like predators.

Logan said mockingly sweet, “Come on, Angela.” “Let’s hear it. You little dog, bark for us.”

Leaning casually against a tree, Caleb laughed. “Maybe if you wag your tail, we’ll even let you sit at the table tonight,” he said. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Angela’s lips quivered, but she didn’t say a word. His smirk widened as Logan crouched in front of her. “What’s the matter? Too good for us now?”

I stepped forward before I even knew what I was doing, my blood boiling. “Enough!”

The word hung in the air like a whip before all three of them stopped moving. Logan turned first and when I saw him, his smirk faltered. His casual posture stiffened as well, and Caleb stood straight.

Logan stood and drew to his full height, ‘Well, well.’ “We’ve got company,” he said.

I said, my voice cold and steady, though my hands trembled at my sides, “Let her go.”

Logan’s smirk returned, but it was weaker. It’s just a little fun. No harm done.”

“Am I laughing?” I took another step forward, my glare still on him. “Let. Her. Go.”

Caleb rolled his eyes. “She’s just a maid. Why do you care?”

I snapped, “Because I don’t get my kicks from humiliating people like you do.” “Leave her alone. Now.”

Logan shrugged, hesitated. “Fine. Whatever.” He stepped back, sneering at Angela. “Guess you’re off the hook. For now.”

With a sigh, Caleb pushed off the tree. “You’re no fun, Aurora.” Their laughter faded as they walked off, around the corner.

Angela didn't move, quick, short breaths coming from her. I knelt beside her, my voice soft. “Angela, it’s okay. They’re gone now.”

Her tear filled eyes looked up at me, wide with fear and gratitude. “She whispered, 'Thank you,' her voice so barely there it was barely there.”

“Go inside,” I said gently. “You’re safe now.”

She nodded quickly and hurried off, little but unsure. I stood there for a long moment, looking at the spot where Logan and Caleb had been. My chest was still angry, only more so.

This pack was rotten through and through. I’d thought it before, but now I knew it in my bones. Indeed, they hid behind their rules and traditions, which was very good, but it was all a sham, because underneath it all, they were cruel, selfish, heartless. If I had delusions of my resolve to destroy them being any less hot, I was mistaken.

A small voice in the back of my mind, however, still whispered, What about Max? Could he be different? Could he change this place?*

I decided to tell him what I had seen. Maybe there was hope for him after all, if he cared, if he did something about it. When I got to his room, that hope died a swift and brutal death.

A soft murmuring could be heard drifting into the hallway through the slightly open door. I paused for a moment, then opened the door just enough to see. My heart stopped.

Another girl was tangled in the sheets with Max in bed. She trailed her fingers down his chest laughing, her laughter light, carefree. He whispered something to her and she giggled, her hand on his cheek, leaning in closer.

I clenched my fists to keep from falling apart, my stomach twisting. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. I just stood there, frozen in place for a moment. Then the anger came, a storm rushing through me.

I quickly turned and walked away, head spinning with thoughts. I barely managed to close the door behind me by the time I got to my room, my hands shaking so badly. I leaned against it, my breaths short, ragged gasps.

How could I have been so stupid? I’d allowed myself to think, even for a second, that Max could be different. That he could be better. But he wasn’t. He was just like the rest of them, selfish, cruel, and not worthy of trust.

The mate bond was a lie. A trick. Whatever pull I felt towards him was just a cruel joke to blind me to the truth. I wouldn’t fall for it anymore.

He wasn’t my mate. He couldn’t be.

I was furious with myself for the tears that threatened to fall, and I wiped at my face. I didn’t have time for this. There was work to do.

I pulled the notebook I’d hidden under my mattress and opened to a blank page. I needed a plan if I was going to take down this pack. And I needed to start now.

The first thing I wrote was simple, but it sent a chill down my spine: Find their weaknesses.

I felt like I was in control for the first time. Whatever this pack took from me, I would take it back. Piece by piece.

If the Redwood Pack fell, there would be no one to save them.