Chapter Four
KATHY
My footsteps echoed down the hallway, quick and uneven, my hands trembling. I could still see it—Bryson, my mate, with someone else. Not just anyone—someone who mattered to him.
“Kathy!” His voice thundered after me. “Stop this minute!”
I didn’t stop. Not when my chest ached so hard it hurt to breathe. Not when the tears blurred my vision. I just needed to get away—away from him, away from the house, away from whatever this bond was trying to do to me.
I shoved open the door into the main living room, my shin clipping the edge of the stairs, but I barely felt it. My legs carried me straight through to the garage.
Guards stood there. Perfect.
“I want to go home,” I said, my voice breaking.
The nearest guard stared straight ahead as if I hadn’t spoken. A hot tear slid down my cheek. The silence felt like another door slamming in my face.
Fine. I’d leave through the gate.
The moment I reached it, two guards stepped forward, blocking my way.
“Let me out!” I shouted, my voice shaking. “Let me out!”
They didn’t move. My wolf paced inside me, agitated, but not with anger alone—there was still that maddening pull toward him.
“Let her be!”
I froze. The voice came from behind me, deep and edged with command. I turned to see him standing in the doorway, his eyes sharp with rage.
And then she appeared.
Rosa. His ex. The woman everyone once thought would be his Luna. She strolled out of the house, her smile dripping with triumph. Her perfume lingered in the air as she slid into her car and drove away without a word.
My fists curled at my sides.
When I looked back, Bryson was already walking toward me. His gaze locked on mine, the same way it had the night our bond awakened. My wolf stirred, eager, even as my mind screamed in protest.
I looked away, stepping back. Why does he keep doing this to me?
One minute, he’s in my bed. The next, he’s with her.
His hand closed around my wrist, pulling me back. I tried to yank free. His grip only tightened.
“Why did you?” he asked, his voice low, almost a growl.
“Why did I what? Is this your way of knowing how bad it felt seeing that?” My voice rose, sharp with anger and pain.
He smiled—a slow, infuriating smile. Like my hurt meant nothing.
“Why are you doing this?” I demanded.
Instead of answering, he turned, dragging me toward the mansion.
The dizziness hit me first—a subtle wave at the edges of my vision. I stumbled after him, my breath coming fast. My wolf was restless, but my body felt heavier with each step.
The air seemed thicker. The walls loomed closer. I gripped my head as the pounding intensified.
“Bryson—” My voice faltered.
My legs buckled halfway up the stairs. He turned, catching my arm, but the nausea churned so violently I couldn’t focus on anything.
Memories bled in—my foster father’s voice, his grip, his cruelty. The past and present tangled until I couldn’t tell which one I was in.
“Kathy!” he called, his voice suddenly urgent.
It was the last thing I heard before the floor rushed up to meet me, and the world went black.