30

I bit back a whimper as I forced myself to move closer to the window. My body denied my urging to go faster. My knees threatened to buckle again. But Troy was even closer now, likely right down the hall, and what’s worse—his words were slurred. I needed to move. Who knew what he was capable of when he was drunk?

“I just had to see you squirm again, Bryn,” Troy said. He sounded hungry. “I want to imagine your fear when I become Alpha—”

Suddenly Night let out a growl. It was louder than the one he’d made when he and I were alone, and it was full of warning. I looked back at him so fast that I nearly lost my balance again. Was he angry on my behalf?

Troy’s singsong voice stopped immediately. I froze, my body tense. The silence that followed was icy and filled with apprehension.

And then Troy let out a vicious snarl. He knew there was a stranger in here with me. It had probably only taken him so long to notice because he was intoxicated. Troy sprinted to the door, kicking it in so hard th