Arminda POV:
The mansion was quiet when we returned. I went straight to the stairs, intending to grab my bag and leave forever. I didn't care about the forty-eight hours anymore. I would sleep in the woods if I had to.
"Hey, mutt."
Charly was waiting for me at the top of the landing.
She blocked my path. The hallway was narrow. She reeked of hostility-her pheromones were spiking, a sour, acrid smell meant to intimidate.
"You embarrassed him tonight," Charly hissed. "Walking out like that."
"Move, Charly," I said tiredly. "I'm leaving."
"Not before I teach you a lesson."
She stepped closer. "You think you're special because you healed him? You're nothing. You're a battery. A disposable battery that we drained dry."
She put her hands on my chest and shoved.
I grabbed the railing to steady myself. "Don't touch me."
Charly's eyes flashed. She suddenly let out a scream that shook the walls.
"Help! She's attacking me!"
Then, she threw herself backward.
It was theatrical and absurd. She literally jumped back, flailing her arms, and rolled down the carpeted stairs. She landed at the bottom with a thud, sprawling out in a pose of agony.
"My baby!" she screamed, clutching her stomach. She wasn't pregnant, but it was a great line.
The front door slammed open. Coleton rushed in.
He saw Charly at the bottom of the stairs. He saw me at the top, my hand still gripping the railing.
"Arminda!" he roared.
He didn't ask what happened. He didn't smell the air to detect Charly's lie. He just reacted.
He released his Alpha Pressure.
It wasn't just a voice this time. It was a physical wave of gravity. It slammed into me like a freight train.
"Ugh!"
I collapsed. The pressure was crushing my internal organs. My already weakened body couldn't handle it. I felt a rib crack. I coughed, and hot blood splattered onto the pristine white carpet.
"You dare touch her?" Coleton snarled, his eyes glowing red. He marched up the stairs, the pressure increasing with every step.
I couldn't breathe. I was pinned to the floor, gasping like a fish out of water.
"I... didn't..." I wheezed.
He stepped over me, looking down with pure disgust. "You are a monster. Jealousy has made you rabid."
He went down to Charly, scooping her up gently. "I've got you. I've got you."
"She pushed me, Coleton," Charly sobbed into his shirt. "She tried to kill me."
Coleton looked back up at me. "Get out of my house. If I see you on my territory by sunrise, I will strip you of your rank entirely. You won't be a Rogue. You will be a Slave Wolf. You will be hunted for sport."
He carried Charly away into the living room.
I lay there for a long time, listening to the rain start to pound against the roof.
Slowly, painfully, I dragged myself up. I didn't go to my room. I didn't get my bag. I just limped to the back door and opened it.
The storm was raging. Cold rain lashed against my face, mixing with the blood on my lips.
I stepped out into the night.
The water soaked me instantly. It stung my burns, it chilled my bones, but it felt... clean.
I walked toward the territory border. Every step was agony, but with every step, the scent of the Blood Moon Pack washed off me. The scent of Coleton-pine and rain-faded from my skin.
I reached the tall iron gates of the estate. I was almost free.
"Hold it right there."
Two pack enforcers stepped out of the guard booth, blocking my path.
"Alpha's orders," the guard grunted, not meeting my eyes. "No one leaves without exit papers signed by the Alpha himself. Bureaucracy, Arminda. You know the drill."
"He told me to leave!" I shouted over the thunder.
"He told us you can't leave until you're processed," the guard said, grabbing my arm roughly. "You're going back to the holding area until morning."
I struggled, but I was too weak. They dragged me back toward the mansion, not to the servants' quarters, but to the administrative wing. I was a prisoner in the place I used to call home.
