Hailey cradled the crystal plaque in her palms, her expression caught somewhere between innocence and desperation. Yet beneath the fragile softness in her eyes was a sharper gleam, one that betrayed intent.
“Lenora,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, deliberately fragile. “Alpha Nathan asked me to deliver this to you. It’s priceless… a true symbol of your dedication. You’re remarkable.”
Lenora arched a brow, recognizing immediately that this was only the beginning. The weight of Hailey’s unspoken request thickened the air. Hailey hesitated, biting her lip before looking up at her through lowered lashes.
“I know it’s not mine,” Hailey said carefully, her tone threaded with feigned humility. “But… could I maybe keep it for a short while? Just to… inspire me?”
Lenora’s wolf bristled at the audacity. Inspire her? This award wasn’t a trinket to be borrowed—it was the culmination of years of loyalty, strategy, and sacrifice. The request alone was insulting.
A sharp, dangerous smile spread across Lenora’s face, her voice slicing through the air. “You really are something else. If you want one, Hailey, earn it. Join the division. Work for years, bleed for it. Then, maybe, you’ll understand what this means.”
She extended her hand, fully expecting Hailey to surrender the plaque. But instead, Hailey clutched the box tighter, her face twisting with mock hurt.
“Why are you so cruel?” she whispered, eyes glassy. “I wasn’t stealing it. I just… I just wanted it nearby, as a reminder of what I could become.”
Lenora’s patience shattered. She stepped closer, her palm outstretched, her voice low with warning. “Give it back. Now.”
But Hailey only hugged the box to her chest. The tension snapped, and in their struggle, the box slipped. It hit the floor with a hollow crack.
The plaque splintered into glittering fragments, scattering like broken ice across the floor. For a moment, silence reigned—until Hailey gasped dramatically, clutching her leg where a shard had nicked her skin, a thin line of blood trickling down.
The door creaked open. Evan and Raymond entered, their expressions shifting instantly from confusion to horror at the sight before them.
Evan’s face darkened as his gaze fell on Hailey’s shallow cut. He dropped to his knees, gently lifting her hem to check the wound, his eyes hardening with unspoken blame as he looked up at Lenora.
“Hailey, are you alright?” Raymond asked, leaning toward her, his attention fixed solely on the girl.
Without waiting for an answer, Evan swept Hailey into his arms. “I’m taking you to the healer,” he said firmly, ignoring her weak protests. Together, he and Raymond hurried out, leaving Lenora staring after them.
Raymond turned once at the doorway, his voice sharp with condemnation. “Lenora, how could you? You have everything already, yet you’d take even this from her?”
For a heartbeat, Lenora could only gape. Take from her? Hailey had been the one who refused to let go. Her wolf snarled inside, furious at the injustice.
“That award was mine, Raymond,” she said, her voice trembling with controlled fury. “I bled for it. She clung to it like it belonged to her, and now you’re calling me the thief?”
Her words echoed, but Raymond’s face only hardened. “It’s just a token, Lenora. Hailey’s safety is worth more than any trinket. And if she’s hurt because of you, the least you could do is apologize.”
He turned his back on her then, following Evan and Hailey into the night.
Alone in the silence, Lenora’s gaze dropped to the wreckage on the floor. Her chest heaved with fury as she bent to gather the shards, only to flinch when a sharp sting cut through her calf. She glanced down—blood ran freely from a deep gash, far worse than Hailey’s superficial wound. Her unstable lycan blood wouldn’t heal it quickly; it would fester before it closed.
Grinding her teeth, Lenora bound the injury herself, refusing to wince. She needed no one’s pity.
Her phone buzzed. Her mother’s name lit up the screen.
“Hi, Mom,” Lenora said softly, exhaustion hidden in her tone.
“Sweetheart,” her mother replied warmly, “I’ve sent you pictures of some dresses for the Mateship Ceremony. Choose one you love—we want nothing less than perfect for you.”
Lenora’s throat tightened at the excitement in her mother’s voice. She scrolled through the photos, her chest heavy.
“Mom…” she breathed, weariness leaking into her words.
Her mother’s voice softened instantly. “What is it, darling? Are you alright?”
Swallowing her bitterness, Lenora deflected. “I’ll be ready soon. Just a week more and it’ll all be settled. How are preparations going?”
“They’re going beautifully,” her mother said with joy. “Everything is falling into place. You’ll have a whole new life waiting.”
“About the ceremony—” Lenora began, but the sound of footsteps interrupted her.
Evan and Raymond entered the house, their strides halting as the last words of her conversation drifted to their ears.
“Mateship Ceremony?” they repeated together, disbelief lacing their voices.
