hapter 39
I didn’t have to strain to hear them. The lush of conversations when I passed didn’t stop even when I was right in front of them.
“…never thought she’d last this long-
“Logan hasn’t really fallen for her, has he?”
“It has to be a fake relationship, especially with a wolf like hers
Each word landed like a pinprick. It was a small but sharp insult the pricked at my pride on a day where nothing had gone right.
I walked faster. My heels clicked too loudly on the sidewalk, betraying my pace.
I’d worked so hard to earn their respect. Hought for it. And still, or wrong move, and it would all be torn away. I was reminded again how fragile my place at Titanfang was.
The rumors spreading around had done more damage than I thought. A pang of guilt prickled through my chest. Maybe it was the right move to pose for fliose cameras.
re than
Home was a long ways away. My room was the only place I had left that would bring me any solace. I wanted nothing more to get there and end this awful day.
The moment I stepped through the door, I knew I wasn’t alone.
My instincts flared as a familiar scent hit me first. It was a floral and very expensive perfume.
Then I saw her
Chloe sat at the kitchen table like she belonged there. Legs elegantly crossed, a mug in her manicured hands. She smiled as if we were old friends, her smug face reminding me that I’d seen her flirting with my fiancé that morning
“Don’t worry,” Chloe said smoothly, lifting the mug. “I made tea
I didn’t move. I stood inside the doorway, my heart beating louder than thunder,
“What do you want?”
Chloe sipped her tea, then set it down with a quiet clink. “To talk Woman to woman.”
I stepped forward, slow and deliberate. I didn’t sit. “That’s rich coming from someone who’s been slinking around Logan like a stray cat !!
Chloe’s smile widened. “I’m not here to fight.”
“Then why are you here?”
“To clear the air.” Chloe uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. “Look, I know you think I’m trying to come between you and Logan. And maybe once that might’ve been true. But I’m not here to fight for him.
I narrowed my eyes. “No? Then what are you doing? Because it looks a lot like manipulation from where I’m standing”
Chloe’s expression faltered for a fraction of a second. Then the mask was back
“You can’t understand what it means to be a true werewolf,” Chloe said softly. “You don’t understand how the pack works. People are scared. They want stability. They want tradition. And you. well, you make people nervous.”
‘I’m not here to soothe their fears. I’m here to lead. From Logan’s side.”
“Then maybe you should start acting like it,” Chloe said, too sweetly. “There are already rumors. People whisper behind your back. It’s not a good look, sweetheart.”
My hands curled at my sides. “Get out.”
Chapter 39
Chloe rose from the chair, calm as ever, and brushed linaginary line from her sleeve. “You don’t have to like me, should be smart enough to see that this isn’t about us. It’s about him. And what he wants.”
My voice was ice. “I know exactly what he wants. And it’s not you
Emily. But you
The door clicked shut behind Chloe a moment later. I stood in the silence, my heart pounding in my ears. My chest ached, but not from rage, but from something colder.
I didn’t cry. I didn’t break.
But the fractures were there, webbing beneath the surface. And I didn’t know how many more hits 1 could take before they broke wide open.
