He turned from her and took a step closer, “It’s okay, Charlotte, keep going.” I opened my mouth to say something, but my words got caught in my throat in a pained gasp. My claws came out and my body began to overheat, my heart pounding and blood rushing in my ears. I felt like I needed to crawl
CHARLOTTE I stared at my paws in awe, digging them into the dirt and extending my claws, then retracting them. I looked around and saw Reigh and Madeline watching me with fascination. My vision was much brighter and sharper. Details that I’d missed before suddenly became glaringly obvious to me—
CHARLOTTE She was done for the day. After long hours of running around and overexerting herself—and me—my wolf was finally ready to relinquish control. I never had any intention of rushing her. After all the years she’d spent bottled up inside me, I wouldn’t have been surprised or bothered
CHARLOTTE I stood frozen, my eyes glued to the paper in my hands. My name was there, written in elegant script, as clear as day. I couldn’t understand it. Why was my name on this invite? My throat felt tight as I glanced between Caeson and Reigh, hoping for some kind of explanation. But thei
CHARLOTTE A loud, booming “No!” echoed through the house, shaking the air and making my heart jump.The sound of Caeson’s voice was unmistakable, filled with anger that could probably make the walls tremble if it got any louder. I glanced at Madeline, who was standing as still as a statue beside
CHARLOTTE The silence didn’t dissipate for a long while after Caeson left. I used those moments of quiet to try to piece together what I had heard from their conversation into something that made sense. Taking a few seconds of thought, I looked up and my eyes darted between Reigh and Taide. Th
I gave her my thanks and followed her instructions, up the stairs and down the calm, clean hallways of the care home. And like every time I came here, I couldn’t help but be struck by the difference between this care house and her old one. I was just about to walk in through the open threshold but
CHARLOTTE We had our things packed and ready for the trip. Madeline’s birthday ball was this Sunday and now it was Friday already, the day of our departure. By the time we returned home it would be about a week before our junior year finals. And then, graduation. Which meant that we would be
He hadn’t even raised his voice, yet despite the distance, his words carried like he had just whispered them in my ear. Seductive and bitter. My damnation. “But you made it too easy, Harlot. You almost ruined the fun.” Harlot. It was the first time I had heard him call me that in months. All
But then again, what made me think I knew what strange was for Reigh? Yesterday had taught me that I really didn’t know anything about the brothers I had given my heart to. Caeson pulled away from the small crowd, ever the individualist. Always the grand tormentor. He refused to let me walk
No. It fucking burned. “I’d say I’ll miss you, Charlotte,” he continued, only loud enough for me to hear, “but I never lie.” No, he didn’t. Except when he did. “Go home, Charlotte,” he said with finality, pulling away from me. His words were soft, but his eyes were not. I could see the w
They were there to see me off. To remind me never to show my face on their turf again. But I refused to let myself be bossed around by the same people who had taken it upon themselves to ruin my life. Fuck the Deviltree. Fuck their elite group of preppy rich kids who had only made it this f
PRESENT DAY CHARLOTTE Whoever said a person’s world couldn’t go up in flames in the blink of an eye deserved an award. It was the best lie ever told. I stood alone, even though I was surrounded—by the same people who had set out to destroy me ever since I showed up at this school two years a
I started pacing the room, my mind racing through the words I’d planned to say. I knew I had to be strong, I had to tell her the truth, even if it was going to hurt her. “Madeline,” I said, my voice rough. “Sit down.” Her brows furrowed in confusion, but she did as I asked. She perched on the edge
24 HOURS BEFORE JUNIOR YEAR GRADUATION REIGH I arrived at the clinic with a weight on my chest, one I hadn’t been able to shake since the night before. The door clicked shut behind me as I stepped inside, and I had to remind myself to breathe. The lobby was empty, save for a flickering TV mo
Vance’s expression didn’t change, but I saw his jaw tighten, just a little. He was listening. I could tell he understood what that meant. He didn’t need me to spell it out. He knew what our father was capable of. Vance’s father, Bernard, had worked for ours for as long as I could remember. And Vanc
48 HOURS BEFORE JUNIOR YEAR GRADUATION REIGH I slammed the door shut behind me, the sharp thud echoing in the quiet morning air. I didn’t wait to see Caeson drive off. It was like we were all just going through the motions, pretending we weren’t about to destroy the one thing that mattered m