“That is such a cold-hearted line for you, Alpha of Poisonwood. What will happen to Lucy if she ever finds out? Banished her?” David kept asking.
“I’ll remove her from my life if I have to. As long as Monica is happy, nothing else matters.”
My knees gave out, and I fell to the floor. The coldness of it numbed the pain I was feeling, yet the words from Trent’s mouth repeated in my mind. I heard it once, but it was now in my head forever.
I had been a fool. I thought he cherished me, that the way he touched, held, and protected me meant something. But I was nothing more than an obligation. A tool. A convenient choice after his true mate rejected him.
I spun on my heel, yanking the key from my pocket and tossing it into the nearest brazier, watching the fire consume my foolish hopes.
Then I ran.
I barely saw the twisting corridors as I sprinted through the Packhouse, my vision blurred by unshed tears. My wolf howled inside me, clawing at my chest, demanding vengeance.
I stumbled into my car, gripping the steering wheel. I was out of breath because of both anger and pain.
Trent killed my mother. He took her heart and gave it to Monica’s sister. He condemned my family for his first love.