Chapter 3
Erin's POV
Bradley stood frozen in the doorway of Lily's bathroom, water dripping from his hair, a towel loosely wrapped around his waist. His expression morphed from relaxed to horrified in an instant, like a mask slipping.
"Erin," he breathed, voice cracking. "What are you doing here?"
I turned to Lily, desperate for some explanation that would make sense of this nightmare. "What's happening? Why is he here like... this?"
Something in Lily's expression changed—the shock fading, replaced by something cold and dismissive that I'd never seen before.
"No point in pretending anymore," she said with a casual shrug. "Come on, Erin. You can't possibly be that naive."
All those canceled dates. All those times Bradley said he was "busy with Pack business." All those days Lily was mysteriously absent from school. It hadn't been coincidence.
"How long?" My voice came out barely above a whisper, my nails digging crescents into my palms. "How long has this been going on?"
Lily actually laughed. "A few months," she shrugged as if it were nothing. "Since around New Year's."
It turned out that the two of them had been secretly together so early. But I've only been dating Bradly for a year!
How could they do that? Tomorrow was my birthday, and I was about to announce that I would be with him forever, but he had cheated on me and secretly slept with my best friend!
"You never let me touch you, Erin," Bradley said, his voice hardening as he adjusted his towel. "What did you expect? I'm an Alpha's brother. I have needs."
I just thought he was strange. This was the boy who'd promised to wait for me, who'd said he respected my decision to wait until after my first adult transformation. The boy who'd written me love notes and whispered sweet promises under starlight.
With tears in my eyes, I looked at the unfamiliar man in front of me, unable to say a word.
I loved him very much, and I was willing to be intimate with him once we were both adults, but I never expected him to be so impatient.
"God, don't be so dramatic," Lily rolled her eyes, examining her perfectly manicured nails. "It's not like you're Soul Bonds or anything. You're just his girlfriend." She emphasized the word like it was meaningless.
Something inside me snapped. The last thread of hope that this was all some terrible misunderstanding, that there might be some way to salvage what we had, disintegrated.
"We're done," I said, surprising myself with the calm clarity in my voice. "Both of you. We're all done."
Bradley's face darkened, a flash of the dominant wolf nature that ran in his family's bloodline. "Erin, don't be stupid. This was a mistake, I admit that. But you know I only love you."
A laugh bubbled up from my chest. "How dare you say you love me after making love to another woman? Won't your Lily be heartbroken?"
As I said this, I glanced at Lily behind him. Sure enough, her smug face instantly turned pale.
His hand shot out, grabbing my arm with bruising force. His eyes flashed with something dangerous—a glimpse of the wolf beneath the human facade.
He leaned in close, his voice a low growl. "Think about what you're doing. You're throwing away everything we have over something meaningless."
I yanked my arm free with strength I didn't know I possessed. "Our entire relationship was meaningless to you. Don't ever touch me again."
I turned to leave, but Bradley moved with supernatural speed, blocking the doorway. "Erin, you should know," he continued, his expression darkening, "you're just an ordinary omega wolf. No one will ever seriously consider you as a mate. I was doing you a favor by being with you."
Each word hit me like a punch, reinforcing every doubt I'd ever had about my standing in the Pack. But instead of feeling disappointed, I decided to immediately distance myself from these two people who had hurt me so deeply.
"Then I guess I should thank you for showing me exactly who you are before tomorrow's transformation," I replied, my voice cold. "Now I won't waste another moment wondering if you're my Soul Bond."
I pushed past him with all my strength, my wolf instincts lending me power I hadn't fully tapped into before. I rushed through the hallway, down the stairs, and out the door, my vision blurring with unshed tears that I refused to let fall.
The moment I was outside, I broke into a run. My feet pounded against the pavement, then soil, then fallen leaves as I instinctively headed for the woods. I needed to get as far away from those two disgusting traitors as possible. Each step took me further from Lily's house, but the betrayal clung to me like a second skin.
I ran until my lungs burned and my legs ached, deeper and deeper into the forest, letting my wolf senses guide me through the growing darkness. The trees grew denser, the undergrowth wilder. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I registered that I'd never been in this part of the woods before, but I didn't care.
When I couldn't run anymore, I collapsed against the trunk of a massive oak tree, finally allowing the tears to come. They flowed hot and fast down my cheeks as sobs wracked my body. How could they? Tomorrow was my birthday, my transformation day, and I'd been ready to announce that Bradley would be my forever—only to discover he'd been sleeping with my best friend for months.
"You're pathetic, Erin," I whispered between sobs, hugging myself tightly. "Just a stupid, naive omega."
"You're noisy," a cold, familiar voice cut through the stillness of the forest.
I jerked my head up, hastily wiping at my tears. Derek Stone stood just a few yards away, his imposing figure half-hidden in the shadows. His expression was impossible to read in the fading light, but his irritation was clear in his voice.
"You're disturbing my peace," he said, stepping forward. "This is the second time today you've managed to intrude where you don't belong."
I scrambled to my feet, embarrassment burning through me. "I—I didn't know anyone was here."
"This entire section of the forest is Stones family private property," Derek said, his voice clipped. "No Pack members are allowed here without explicit permission."
My heart sank. Of course I'd stumbled onto restricted territory—just my luck today.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled, looking down. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
Derek took another step toward me, moonlight illuminating his sharp features. "That's becoming a pattern with you, isn't it? First the Pack stronghold this morning, now my family's private retreat." His eyes narrowed. "Twice in one day is quite the coincidence. Are you following me, Erin Blackwood?"
The accusation stung, adding insult to injury on this horrible day. "Following you? Why would I—" I cut myself off, anger flaring. "I'm not following you. I'm just having the worst day of my life, and I needed somewhere to... to..."
"To what? Howl at the moon?" His voice held a hint of mockery. "Your crying is loud enough to alert every predator within a mile radius."
I felt a fresh wave of tears threatening and blinked them back furiously. I would not cry in front of Derek Stone again.
"I'll leave," I said stiffly, straightening my shoulders despite feeling completely broken inside.
Derek studied me for a long moment, his expression shifting almost imperceptibly. "You're upset," Derek observed, his tone shifting slightly.
I wanted to tell this man about his brother's infidelity, to make him punish him with his position as Pack Alpha. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't bring myself to say them. "I..."
A ruthless smile flickered across his face, so quick I might have imagined it. He stepped forward, and I instinctively backed up, my back pressing against the rough bark of the pine tree.
"Are you afraid of me?" he asked, tilting his head slightly as he observed my reaction.
"Should I be?" I countered, surprising myself with my boldness.
His eyebrows rose slightly. "Most people would say yes."
"Most people haven't had the day I've had," I said, a hysterical laugh bubbling from my chest. "Your brother... he isn't who I thought he was."
Derek's expression darkened at the mention of Bradley.
"Few people are," he said softly.
My vision blurred again, tears welling up, and I blinked rapidly, determined not to cry in front of this stranger.
But the events of the day were too much. The forest seemed to spin around me, and I felt myself sway.
"I don't feel well..." I began to say, but my knees suddenly buckled beneath me.
The last thing I was aware of was strong arms catching me before I hit the ground.
