On my way to the house, my mind kept drifting to my cold, loveless marriage with Sebastian Rock. We’d been together for six years, and in all that time, he’d never shown me an ounce of love. Sebastian was a man people feared, a ruthless Alpha King, known for his power, his dangerous reputation, and his ability to kill without mercy.
And me? I was his mate. But being his mate meant nothing. Love wasn’t part of Sebastian’s world. At least, that’s what I had convinced myself, until I saw how he treated Vashti Wayne.
Vashti, his personal assistant, got all the care and attention I never did. The way he looked at her, the way he spoke to her, it was all so different. She was his high school sweetheart, and that seemed to matter more to him than the fact that I was his mate. Meanwhile, all I got was scorn and disdain.
As I drove, my phone rang. The number was unfamiliar, but I picked it up.
The voice on the other end made my throat go dry. I hated what I was hearing, but there was no way out.
“This is the last thing I want,” I muttered under my breath before speaking louder. “Fine. I’ll take over the company. But let me make this clear, when I return, you won’t interfere with my decisions.” My voice was firm, sharp.
“Deal,” the voice replied smoothly. “As long as you come back, the company is yours.”
My hand shook as I ended the call. Needing air, I pulled over to the side of the road and got out. The empty stretch of road offered nothing but silence, but I hoped the fresh air might help me think.
That’s when it happened.
A sleek black SUV with dark-tinted windows screeched to a halt in front of me. The doors swung open, and four massive men stepped out.
Their sheer size and the tattoos snaking up their necks sent a chill down my spine. I knew those marks—they were from the MoonShadow Pack. These men worked for Conri Scofield, Sebastian’s fiercest rival. Conri was the kind of Alpha who’d destroy everything just to make a point.
“You thought you could hide from us?” one of them growled, his voice cutting through the silence.
I froze, my feet glued to the ground.
Before I could respond, he lunged at me and slapped me hard across the face. The sting was immediate, and I stumbled back, hitting the car.
“I don’t know what you want!” I gasped, trying to steady myself. My voice trembled, but I forced myself to sound defiant.
They didn’t care.
One of them grabbed my wrist, twisting it until I cried out in pain. Another shoved me to the ground, his rough hands digging into my shoulders.
As I tried to stand up, one crouched down, his face inches from mine, his claws gleaming in the faint light. His growl was low and menacing, and it made my blood run cold.
“This is what happens when Sebastian Rock doesn’t keep his promises,” he growled, his breath hot against my skin. His claws pressed against my arm, not enough to cut, but enough to make my heart pound.
“If he won’t stop…” he paused, smirking, “…you’ll pay.”
That’s when I saw it, the black SUV pulling up on the street. My chest tightened. Sebastian was behind the wheel; I’d recognize his face anywhere. And next to him, Vashti Wayne, sitting in the passenger seat like she belonged there.
My stomach dropped, but I forced myself to scream. “Help me! Sebastian, please!”
For a second, his eyes met mine through the window. I stopped breathing, hoping, praying, he’d see me and do something.
But his face didn’t change. It was like he didn’t see me at all, like I wasn’t even there.
Then he did something that shattered me. He turned to Vashti, his expression softening as he gently covered her ears.
Like he's telling her not to listen, not to look, that she’ll have bad dreams.
My scream caught in my throat. I couldn’t believe it. He rolled up the window, shutting me out completely. Then he drove off like I didn’t matter.
I was left there, frozen. The sound of his car fading away was all I could hear. Tears streamed down my face as it sank in—he wasn’t coming back for me. He never planned to.
The men didn’t care about my screams. One yanked my arms behind me, pain shooting through my shoulders. I bit my lip, trying not to cry out, but tears kept falling.
“Let’s teach her a lesson,” one of them muttered.
Before I could react, I was shoved hard into the brick wall. The cold surface knocked the wind out of me. I gasped for air, panic rising.
Then I felt it—the sharp edge of his claws pressing into my side. I twisted, trying to pull away, but his grip was too strong. The claws tore through my shirt and dug into my skin. Pain exploded, sharp and hot, as blood trickled down my side.
I cried out, my voice cracking. But they didn’t stop. They didn’t care.
