Chapter4
I slam back my third glass of aged whiskey, relishing the burn as it scorches my throat.
The liquor dulls the ache in my chest, but not enough to silence the feral growl building in my core.
My wolf thrashes against my ribcage, her hackles raised as she watches Frank hover protectively over Stephnie across the room.
I stumble onto the dance floor.
The red silk of my dress billows around me.
As I move, I catch glimpses of Frank out of the corner of my eye.
When she leans in close, her lips brushing
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his ear, I see his nostrils flare as he inhales her scent.
His pupils dilate, and the tips of his ears turn a traitorous pink.
Before I can turn away, a group of drunk, overconfident werewolves corner me.
“Stella, baby, dance with us,” one of them purrs, reaching out to grab my waist.
I bare my teeth, my canines elongating in a warning snarl, but they only laugh.
“Frank!” I scream, my voice echoing through the club.
Added to the library
He looks.
With a single, menacing growl, he shoves through the crowd.
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he other wolves scatter like leaves in a storm.
“One would think you’re her personal guard dog,” I sneer, wiping the spilled liquor from my collarbone.
“Apologies. I was…distracted,” he says.
I can smell Stephnie’s sickly – sweet cherry blossom scent on him.
His Adam’s apple bobs, and he takes a hasty step back.
“You’ve had too much to drink, Miss Stella.”
“Don’t worry. Once I’m married off, you can play hero to Stephnie all you want-”
My words are cut off by a sudden explosion
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of screams from theesttage. A group of burly werewolf guards wheelimaa massive metal cart stacked high withhgdaassccanisters filled with blue – glowing fire..
The air crackles with electricity, and the scent of ozone fills my nostrilss. “Welcome to the main event!” the host shoutss.
“The Inferno Challenge! Any bravessoul who can make it through this wall of fire without shifting wins a hundred thousand dollar
—
prize!” The crowd erupts into a frenzy off howls and cheers.
I wrinkle my nose in disgust.
This is exactly the kind of barbaric spectaclée that makes me ashamed of my species.
I turn to leave, but a sudden creaking sound stops me in my tracks. The metal cart
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groans under the weight of the canisters, and then, with a deafening crash, it collapses.
The glass shatters, releasing a wave of blue fire that spreads through the club like wildfire.
The heat is intense, searing my skin and singeing the hair on my arms. The air fills with the screams of the panicked crowd, and the stench of burning flesh and fur is overwhelming.
Through the chaos, I see Frank’s reaction.
In a blur of motion, he rips off his suit jacket and wraps it around Stephnie, shielding her from the flying shards of glass and the searing heat.
I can see his claws extended, his eyes
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glowing with a fierce protectiveness that I’ve never seen directed at me.
I’m not so lucky.
A burning beam falls from the ceiling, hitting me square in the shoulder.
I cry out in pain, my knees buckling under the impact.
Blood trickles down my back, and I can feel my skin blistering from the heat.
Through the haze of pain, I see another beam hurtling towards Stephnie. Without thinking, I lunge forward, using the last of my strength to push her out of the way.
The beam hits me instead, knocking me to the ground.
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When I wake up in the hospital, the first thing I smell is the sterile scent of antiseptic and the underlying tang of wolfsbane – laced painkillers.
I turn my head, and the sight that greets me makes my heart stop. Stephnie is curled in Frank’s arms, sobbing softly.
“It’s all my fault… I shouldn’t have come here…”
But as she looks up and sees me watching, a cruel smirk flashes across her face, gone in an instant.
Frank strokes her hair, his eyes soft, his voice a tender murmur.
“It’s not your fault, love. I’d do it all over again. A thousand times over.”
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“Why?” Stephnie looks up at him, her eyes. wide and innocent. His gaze is a blazing inferno as he looks down at her, and his next words are a stake through my heart.
“Because from the moment I laid eyes on you, my wolf …”
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