Chapter 5
Pain exploded through my scalp as Beta Malcolm’s fingers twisted into my hair, yanking my head back.
A feral growl rumbled in my chest, but I swallowed it down.
This wasn’t just Malcolm being angry.
This was Malcolm being something else entirely.
The Beta I once knew–the man who had thrown himself between me and a pack of rogues, the man who had whispered my name like it was the only word that mattered
-was gone.
His face twisted in rage, his golden eyes
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sharp and murderous as they bore down on me like I was the enemy.
“Even if you don’t like Queenie, there’s no need to hurt her like this! She’s a patient right now, for Moon’s sake!”
Patient?
Right.
I had barely touched her–hadn’t touched her -yet she was curled up on the floor like I had ripped off her leg and fed it to the crows.
His grip was unrelenting, my neck forced back at an angle that made my wolf snarl in protest. I could feel my pulse pounding against my skin, could feel my wolf pacing inside me, furious and restless.
But the worst part?
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It wasn’t the physical pain.
It was the sharp, acidic taste of betrayal coating my tongue.
My heart twisted, clawing at my ribs. “I didn’t even touch her!”
But my words didn’t matter.
Malcolm’s hand moved faster than I could
react.
CRACK.
The slap echoed through the room like a gunshot.
My head snapped to the side, the sting spreading instantly, blooming into a fire–hot ache.
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For a second, domy vision blurred, my wolff snarling soslodailydiy inside my head that It could barely thinkmk.
A burning red manka deseared into my cheek, a perfect imprint of his is betrayal.
“S“Still lying?” His voicece asas venomous, la laced with disgust.stRowena, do you think I’I’m blind? I was right bebitinchyou–Isaw eveverything with my own eyese’s!”
Ifb forced myself to breathe,bubuh the air felt heheavy, suffocating.g
“F“First, you accuse Queenie withduo utproof. NNow you push her down? How did ilchlenever rerealize you were such a cruel and vicious wwoman? You’re downright toxic!c!”
My wolfchowled.
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Not in pain.
In rage.
In utter, burning fury.
But me?
I didn’t fight.
Didn’t argue.
Because what was the point?
Malcolm had already made his choice.
He let go of me, shoving me back like I was something dirty, something rotten. His golden eyes were like ice, looking at me like I was a stain on his perfect world.
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“Nothing to say now, huh?” His voice cut like a blade. “Rowena, you’re nothing but a venomous woman.”
Something inside me cracked.
And then–silence.
Not the kind that comes before a storm.
The kind that comes after.
When the wreckage has settled, and you realize there’s nothing left to save.
I didn’t defend myself.
Didn’t try to explain.
Didn’t need to.
Because I wasn’t his to protect anymore.
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And he sure as hell wasn’t mine.
Queenie, still cradled in Malcolm’s arms like a fragile little flower, peeked over his shoulder.
And then she smirked.
Not big.
Not obvious.
Just enough for me to see.
Then, ever so slowly, she mouthed the words
“You? Compete with me for Malcolm?”
A cold laugh bubbled in my throat, bitter and sharp.
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If you want him so badly–then he’s yours.
Malcolm didn’t hesitate.
Because Queenie had conveniently hurt her already–sprained ankle again, he panicked, scooped her up, and rushed her to the hospital–his full attention on her, like I hadn’t just been standing here with his handprint seared into my skin.
I stood there, swaying slightly, my head still ringing.
The full–length mirror across the room reflected back the truth.
A red, angry mark on my cheek.
Swollen.
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Stark.
Real.
A testament to how furious Malcolm must have been. To how hard he had hit me.
I lifted a trembling hand, swiping away the thin trickle of blood at the corner of my mouth.
The sight of it made me pause.
Not because it hurt.
But because I realized something, something sharp and cutting.
That slap didn’t just bruise my face.
It shattered every last one of my illusions.
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