Chapter 4

• I was half-asleep, trying to process my mother’s screams. At first it made no sense, but when she shouted Alpha James’ name, I shot out of bed. I did not even bother getting dressed. I bolted out the door, down three flights of stairs, and into the living room where my father sat casually with Alpha James.
• “Oh. Here she is now,” Dad said with a smirk. Alpha James rose with a smile so wide it made me sick.
• “What is going on?” I asked, breathless.
• Dad rubbed his hands together, stepping closer. “Today is your lucky day. You said your mate rejected you at the ball, so chances are you will never find another. You never leave the pack grounds, so Alpha James has offered to make you his Luna.”
• “I will not be his Luna. I refuse to marry that creep. Why would you ever think I would agree?” My voice shook with rage. Fear and anxiety clawed at me, but fury burned brighter.
• The slap came fast and hard. My head snapped to the side, but when I looked back my vision blurred black. My wolf was pushing through.
• Nova’s voice echoed in my mind. “He hit us again. I am done with him. He deserves to bleed.”
• “And he will,” I said firmly, forcing her back. “But not by you. Stand down.”
• Reluctantly, she retreated and my eyes returned to normal. Dad’s relief was faint, but I saw it.
• “Did you think I would not find out about last night? About Alpha Ethan Embry?” he asked.
• “You cannot come between mates. The council will condemn you. Ethan will tear you apart.”
• Dad sneered. “What makes you think he wants you? I am doing you a favor.”
• “He wants me. He is coming for me,” I shot back. His head whipped between Alpha James and me, his calm expression terrifying.
• “The ballroom is being prepared already,” he said softly.
• My stomach dropped. “What are you talking about?”
• “The wedding is this afternoon. Tonight you will be marked by Alpha James, and there is nothing Ethan can do.”
• I rushed to the window. Dozens of people filled the backyard, stringing decorations and arranging tables. A wedding, planned in a single day.
• “Summer,” my mother gasped behind me. Her face was stricken. She was powerless. Without Alpha blood, she could not defy him.
• “Stay quiet,” Dad ordered her. Then his fists fell on me again and again, so fast I could not react. My head snapped from side to side. Blood gushed from my nose and mouth. He wanted me to bow, but I would not. Not this time.
• I shook violently. My canines pressed against my gums. Nova was forcing her way forward.
• Before I lost control, Ryker burst into the room. He yanked Dad off me and I collapsed, coughing blood.
• “What the hell are you doing to her?” Ryker shouted, rushing to my side.
• Dad straightened proudly. “Your sister is marrying Alpha James this afternoon.”
• “You cannot be serious,” Ryker growled, stepping between us. He hated James as much as I did. He always had.
• “This is none of your business,” Dad snapped.
• “Like hell it isn’t. She is my sister. I will not let you hand her to that bastard.”
• Dad’s claws and canines extended. My breath caught. He was ready to attack Ryker. But Ryker did the same, bracing himself for battle.
• They clashed in a storm of snarls and violence. Furniture shattered as they tore through the living room. Mother’s command broke, and she rushed in screaming at them to stop. But once wolves fight, there is no stopping it.
• She came too close. The sound of claws and tearing filled the air, followed by her final scream.
• I turned in time to see her fall. Blood gushed from a gash that stretched from her chest to her navel. My father’s claws. I knew it instantly. Ryker would never touch her.
• I fell beside her, pressing my hands to the wound, but the blood would not stop. No doctor could save her.
• Her breaths were shallow. She motioned for me to lean close.
• “Nicole Everstone,” she whispered. The name meant nothing to me. Before I could ask, her head fell to the side.
• She was gone.
• Grief tore through me, raw and unbearable. My father had killed her. My mother.
• I did not even hear the fighting stop until I felt the stab of a needle at my neck. I turned. My father towered over me, syringe in hand. The world tilted, my vision dimmed, and I collapsed beside my mother’s body.