Charlotte POV:
The smell of smoke hit me first. Acrid, chemical.
I ran to the backyard. A bonfire raged on the lawn. Guards were tossing my paintings into the flames. I saw my seascape curl and blacken.
"Stop!" I screamed.
Haven stood near the fire, holding a silk handkerchief to her nose.
"Clearing out the trash," she said. "Making room for the nursery. Can't have the smell of failure lingering."
By burning my things, she was erasing my scent signature. Scrubbing my existence from the Pack.
"You didn't have to burn them," I whispered.
"And let you carry the Herrera shame with you?" She tossed a thick envelope onto the wet grass. "Going-away present."
I picked it up. The divorce papers. Signed. Aiden's signature was hasty, jagged.
"He didn't even read it," Haven gloated. "Told him it was a contract for waste disposal. He signed without blinking."
It should have hurt. Instead, I felt light. The legal tie was severed.
"Thank you," I said.
Haven's smile faltered. "You're pathetic. You'll be dead within a week."
"Maybe," I said. "But at least I won't be here."
I looked at her, really looked at her. "You've won a prize that is already broken, Haven. You think you control the beast? You just woke up something you can't put back to sleep."
"Get out," she hissed.
I grabbed my suitcase and walked toward the main gates. I was ten feet away when the sirens wailed. Perimeter alarm.
A black SUV skidded to a halt, blocking me. Aiden jumped out, looking frantic. Haven ran down the driveway behind me, screaming.
"Stop her! Don't let her leave!"
