Chapter 2

Thalyn's POV

The guests drifted up one by one to offer their congratulations. Rose petals rained down over the altar. I stayed at the window and watched, my chest tightening with every breath.

The doorknob turned. My mother walked in.

My heart leapt. For one stupid, fragile second, I let myself hope. Maybe she'd softened. Maybe she'd come to let me out.

Instead, she shut the door behind her and planted herself in front of me, her brow furrowed like I was the one inconveniencing her.

"Coralie is marrying Theron today. This is a big deal. As her older sister, you need to give her something."

I stared at her.

"Today was supposed to be my wedding."

She acted like she hadn't heard a word. My feelings didn't even register.

"You just got that three-million-dollar bonus, didn't you? Wire it to your sister. Call it a wedding gift."

"Let's be honest. Coralie's only doing this for you."

For the first time in my life, I told her no to her face.

"You just said it yourself—she's standing in for me. Since when does the real bride pay her replacement?"

Her face darkened. She opened her mouth to keep pushing, but I turned away. I was done arguing.

When she realized I wasn't going to budge, her temper boiled over. She spat the words through clenched teeth.

"You are selfish and cold, Thalyn. You don't have an ounce of love for your sister. If you won't hand over that money today, then don't you dare come crying to us the next time you need something."

She stormed out and slammed the door so hard the frame rattled.

For years, my mother had always found some reason to take my savings.

After the first disaster of a wedding, when Coralie got hurt, Mom said I'd brought bad luck down on the family. She made me hand over the money I'd been saving for a down payment on a house—to "make it up" to Coralie.

After Coralie's suicide stunt the second time around, Mom said I'd driven her to it. She took every last cent I had and sent Coralie off on a trip to "clear her head."

Whatever Coralie wanted, my family always found a way to make me give it up. Now this bonus—barely a week in my account—was all I had left. And she wouldn't even let me keep that.

Not this time. I wasn't giving them anything else.

I dragged a small suitcase out from the back of my closet, tossed in a few changes of clothes, and tucked my ID and documents inside.

Outside, guests were laughing and shrieking. The wedding treasure hunt had begun. Coralie had hidden a moonstone pendant somewhere on the estate, and whoever found it would win a generous prize from Theron.

His voice carried up from the lawn. "Whoever finds the moonstone pendant gets something special from me!"

A few young Alphas—Theron's buddies—scattered across the grounds, whooping. One of the staff pointed them upstairs. Leading the charge was a guy named Joren.

My door crashed open.

"Thalyn! You helped Coralie hide the pendant, didn't you? Hand it over. We've got a prize to collect."

I frowned and nodded toward the hallway.

"There's nothing in here. Go look somewhere else."

Joren and the two guys behind him—Brice and Dax—exchanged a look, like they'd already rehearsed this. Smirking, they closed in on me.

"That's not really your call, sweetheart. We'll have to search the place ourselves."

They shoved me down onto the bed. Someone pinned both my wrists above my head. Joren's hand slid shamelessly along my waist.

"No wonder Theron went with Coralie in the end. Kind of a waste, though. You've got a nice body. Let's get a better look."

I thrashed against them, my hair spilling across the comforter.

"I've been locked in here all day! I haven't touched anything!"

They just kept laughing.

"Saying it doesn't make it true. We'll decide once we've checked."

That's when it hit me—exactly what they were planning.

"Help! Somebody, help me!" I screamed.

Footsteps in the hallway. Coralie and my parents. Coralie's voice, dripping with fake concern: "I think I heard Thalyn yelling. Shouldn't we go check on her?"

She'd barely taken a step before Mom stopped her.

"Leave her. Things always get a little rowdy at weddings. She wouldn't give you a gift? Fine—let her keep her precious money, and let this teach her a lesson."

Theron glanced at my half-open door. And he chose not to see.

"Joren and the guys know where the line is. They're just messing around. Come on, let's keep looking for the pendant. We're wasting time."

The footsteps faded down the hall.

No one came to stop them. And the longer no one came, the bolder they got. A hand grabbed my blouse and yanked. I sank my teeth into Joren's forearm as hard as I could.

He howled—then backhanded me across the face.

"Your fated mate tossed you aside. Quit acting like you're too good for us."