Chapter 6 No.6

Alessandra POV

The pain in my wrist was sharp, a grinding pressure that promised a fracture if I moved, but the fury in Caleb's eyes was worse. It was the look of a man whose ego had just been shattered by a girl he deemed beneath him.

What the hell is going on?

Kaia's voice sliced through the tension like a whip. She stood at the edge of our booth, her hands clenched into fists, her eyes darting from the shattered glass on the floor to Caleb's grip on my arm.

Caleb's expression shifted instantly. The snarl vanished, replaced by a mask of wounded indignation. He didn't let go of me. Instead, he yanked me closer, making me stumble.

Your friend has lost her mind, Kaia, Caleb spat, gesturing to the sticky red mess on his face. "I came over to be polite, and she started pawing at me. When I told her I'm loyal to you, she threw a drink in my face. She's desperate."

I gagged. The lie was so vile, so effortlessly spun, that for a second, I couldn't breathe. "Liar," I rasped, trying to wrench my arm free. "Let go of me!"

See? Caleb sneered, tightening his grip until I cried out. "She's hysterical."

The air around Kaia changed. The temperature seemed to drop ten degrees. She didn't scream. She didn't cry. She stepped forward, her movements fluid and predatory, the Alpha blood in her veins waking up.

Let her go, Kaia said. Her voice was low, vibrating with a command that made the hair on my arms stand up.

Babe, listen-

I said, let go.

Kaia moved faster than a human eye could track. She seized Caleb's wrist-the one holding me-and twisted it backward with a sickening crunch.

Caleb howled, releasing me instantly as he doubled over, clutching his hand. The entire bar went silent. Every wolf in the room turned to watch the Alpha's daughter towering over her boyfriend.

My wolf would sooner fly than believe that lie, Kaia said, her voice ringing with cold authority. She looked down at him like he was something she'd scraped off her shoe. "You think I don't know a predator when I see one? You think I haven't seen the way you look at her?"

Kaia, please- Caleb stammered, sweat beading on his forehead.

Silence, she snapped. "I, Kaia Moran, sever all ties with you. Get out of my sight before I forget Pack Law forbids me from ripping your throat out on Stonecrest soil."

Caleb scrambled back, cradling his broken hand. His eyes darted around the room, finding no sympathy, only the scorn of the pack. Humiliation burned his face a deep red. He looked at Kaia, then at me, and the hatred in his gaze was toxic.

You'll regret this, he hissed, backing away toward the exit. "Both of you."

Thirty minutes later, we were seated in the corner of a high-end human restaurant on the edge of town. No loud music, no rowdy wolves, just the clinking of silverware and soft jazz.

I'm leaving, Kaia, I said, breaking the silence. I kept my voice barely above a whisper.

Kaia froze, her fork hovering over her pasta. "You can't be serious. A rogue pregnant female? You're walking into a death sentence."

Staying is a death sentence for my soul, I countered, my hand instinctively covering my stomach. "Isadora is back. I smelled her on him this morning. It was... suffocating." I looked up, meeting her eyes. "He loves her, Kaia. He washed me off his skin to make room for her. I won't let my child be a bastard in the shadows, watching their father play house with his true love."

Kaia's face softened, the anger from the bar replaced by sorrow. She sighed, pushing her plate away. "If you're serious... there's Gavyn Shepherd. The Beta of the Sun River Pack. He's back in town for the summit. He always had a soft spot for you in college."

Gavyn? I frowned. It was a lifeline, faint but real.

He's a good man. He might help you cross the border.

Like you tried to help Deric? I asked softly.

The color drained from Kaia's face. The name hung between us like a curse-Deric Frost, the mate who betrayed her, the wound that never healed.

Don't, she whispered, looking away. "That was different."

It's the same pain, Kaia. I have to go.

Kaia went to retrieve her car from the valet, leaving me standing near the restaurant entrance. The night air was crisp, but it did little to cool the feverish anxiety under my skin.

Well, if it isn't the little stray.

I stiffened. Chrissy Sweeney stepped out of the shadows, a smirk plastered on her face. But she wasn't alone.

Beside her, a woman sat in a sleek wheelchair. Isadora Pacheco.

She was breathtakingly fragile, with porcelain skin and large, doe eyes that made you want to protect her. But as she looked at me, I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the wind.

Isadora, Chrissy cooed, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "This is Alessandra. The Alpha's... personal assistant."

Isadora tilted her head, her gaze sweeping over me, assessing, judging. "Oh? The one Demetri mentioned?"

Chrissy laughed, a sharp, cruel sound. "Yes. She's the one who's been sharing his suite. You know, taking care of his... needs... day and night while you were away fighting for your life."

The implication hung heavy in the air. Whore. Placeholder.

Isadora's expression didn't crack, but her eyes changed. The warmth vanished, replaced by a cold, hard glint of possession. She looked at me not as a person, but as a stain on her property.

Is that so? Isadora said softly. Her voice was like silk wrapped around a dagger. "It must have been hard work."

I opened my mouth to defend myself, to tell her I was leaving, that she could have him. But the look in her eyes stopped me. She didn't want an explanation. She wanted blood.