Chapter 146
“Think …
di’s been present when
1 wann‘) deliberach, hiding anything firm you all. I just didnt want engine pleasant bedtime tale,
cant to hear the mo
You and he were loverst i probed gently
deeply
“Care“” India let out a bitter laugh that made my heart clench. “Let me tell you
exactly how he ‘caret bar na
Her eyes grow distant, focusing on something far beyond the hotel room walls. The mask the always wore couldn’t hide the pe
face
him
up with my mother in a small town on the border between the United States and Mexico. My mother was a witch, and as for my father–I never met
wasn’t until my first shift at eighteen that I discovered I had werewolf blood running through my veins.
Before that awakening. I lived like any ordinary human girl. No father, no pack, but these absences never troubled me mich. My mother s and the quiet life w led suited us both
ove was enough.
But at nineteen, a rullege.
hiking trip changed the trajectory of my entire existence.
I found Rodrigo bleeding and broken at the bottom of a ravine. His leg was twisted at an unnatural angle, and deep gashes covered his torso
Any normal human would have died from those injuries, but somehow, he was still breathing
My instincts kicked in immediately. I used what little medical knowledge my mother had taught me, cunshined with makeshift splints from my own clothes. It took hours to stabiler him enough to move
s and bandages tom
The way he looked at me when he finally opened those dark eyes, like I was his personal miracle, his salvation…
He was the first werewolf I’d ever knowingly encountered.
Strong, confident, devastatingly handsome–it was impossible not to be drawn to him.
What I didn’t know then was that he was an Apha. What I certainly did
wow was that he already had a m
Our first year together was like a dicam.
Rodrigo pursued me with the intensity of a hunter tracking pory, but his touch was always gentle, leverent. He’d dave six hours just to spend a weekend
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Chapter 146
with me, bringing extle flowers and stories of pack life that fascinated my Molated heart.
He taught me about my wolf side, my self grew stronger, more confident. I ilimught Fit found my place in the world–b
The vernd year of our relationship began with subtle changes.
His visits became less frequent, his excuses more elaborate. But whenever doubt crept in, he’d appear with that ranked smile and those p that made me forget every question.
Then one night, everything shattered
Three female warriors burst into my apartment. Before I could react, they
by had me bound and gagged, dating mint a black SUV.
The drive felt endless, my wolt bowling in confusions and fear.
They threw me into a basement cell–no windows, just concrete walls and a single flickering braidh. For hours, I waited in terrified silence.
When she finally appeared, I understood immediately. The Luna mark on her neck, the rage in her eyes, the way she carried herself with entitled fury–this was Rodrigo mate,
“Bitches like you are all the same! She backhanded me so hard I tasted blood. “A pathetic half–breed thinking she can seduce an Alpha?”
“I didn’t seduce him!‘ I gasped, spitting crimson. “Rodrigo and I are truly in love! I had no idea he was an Alpha, and I certainly didn’t know he had a gater
Every word was truth. Having lived outside pack society my entire life, how could I have known?
22
The concept of mates, of Alpha obligations–these were foreign to me. All I knew was that during our first year together, Rodrigo had been everything Id ever dreamed of in a partner.
“Lying whore!” My explanation earned me a kick to the ribs that left me gasping.
*Im not lying! Let me see Rodrigo! I’ll prove I’m telling the truth!”
The Luna’s smile turned predatory. “You think he truly loves you? Fine. I’ll show
exactly how much Rodrigo loves you.”
That night, they dragged me from the basement. Heavy doses of wolfsbane kept me docile, my limbs refusing to cooperate.
They shoved me into a bedroom closet-her bedroom–positioning me where I could see through the slats.
I heard Rodrigo’s footsteps approaching. My heart leaped with desperate hope. I tried to call out, to beg for help, but the wolfsbane had paralyzed my vocal curds along with my body.
Through the narrow gaps, I watched
igo enter
- r. He moved straight to his mate, pulling her into his arms with practiced ease. The kiss wild and tender–exactly like the kisses he’d given me
“Darling,” his voice was soothing, apologetic. “I’ve already explained everything. That half–breed saved my life, then threw herself at me, I only slept with her oner out of gratitude. I promise it won’t happen again. You’re my mate, the only one I’ll ever love.”
What followed was a performance designed to destroy me. His mate made sure to meet my eyes at the worst moments, het triumphant smirk a dagger to my heart.
ch, every moan, every passionate moment–all carefully orchestrated to show me the truth.
Every touch, every
I’d been nothing but a diversion. A grateful fuck for saving his life.”
The woman I thought was done with her tortyle, but that night was only the
