Three Months Later I never minded winter before. My wolf loved to run in the snow . But since losing Ava and the damage to my body, the cold makes my bones ache and the pain in my fingers almost unbearable.
In prison, they ripped out my fingernails and broke my bones. The doctors reset my fingers, but with no actual surgery the damage to the nerves and joints was permanent. And without my wolf, I canât regenerate.
My fingers always throb now. Thereâs nothing to be done for it, so I try to think of other things, to keep my mind off the pain.
I shove my tools back into my locker and zip my coat.
There are only a handful of employees working at this hour and most of them flit around pretending to work.
This sanitation center is in neutral territory, not controlled by any pack. The lowest of wolves from the four reigning packs in the area can still find work here. There are other rogues, humans that donât realize what we are, and poor wolves that arenât wanted elsewhere.
It isnât bad, I suppose. The work is hard and the hours are long. But itâs a legitimate job, and it pays the bills.
âDid you hear? Sean Stevens got engaged to Lily Atkinson!â
I stop dead in my tracks.
Itâs one of my coworkers, sitting behind the reception desk with her feet up and watching entertainment news.
Sean Stevens.
My Alphaâ¦
Sean, whose cold eyes still haunt me even after all these years.
âSo⦠heâs moving on and marrying Lily?â
Bile rises in my throat.
Itâs because of Lily that my life went to trash.
She always wanted to be Luna, and hated me because I didnât come from a wealthy family like she does. And also because⦠she wanted Sean for herself.
Wolves are known to be ruthless, but Lily is more ruthless than most.
I should knowâ¦
She killed my grandfather.
Lilyâs smiling face on the tv screen mocks me. Her long hair is swept back. Her face glowing flawlessly.
And sheâs looking up at Sean like heâs the only man in the world.
My stomach pitches when I think of all Iâve lostâall theyâve taken from me.
I open the door outside into the cold night, my breath fogging up the air.
I had been that girl.
Gorgeous clothes. Fancy cars. A life of luxury. The envy of she-wolves throughout the region.
Lily Atkinson was living my life.
Now, Iâm a no-name who cleans streets for a living.
I shove my hands into my pockets and start the long walk home. The studio apartment I rent is three miles away. Itâs still in the neutral zone within the city, so Iâm lucky that I donât have to commute from far. Iâve thought about moving far away and petitioning another pack for clemency.
I could be a servant or maybe put my degrees to use somehow. But such a move would take money.
And thatâs if the new pack wanted to risk Seanâs wrath. Because Iâve discovered since getting out of prison that Sean had made it his personal mission to keep me in the gutter.
Before the accident, Iâd gone to school and graduated at the top of my class. I was an attorney!
But my education and title meant nothing now, as a convicted felon. Even human companies had been warned against me.
Iâll sweep the streets and pick up trash along the side of the road and save what money I can. Then, when I have enough, Iâll leave this place. Forever.
I donât mind the work. Itâs honest. With my wolf gone, my senses arenât as acute, so the stink doesnât bother me much. And the night shift I work is quiet, so I donât have to interact with anyone if I don't want to.
I tug my coat tighter and keep walking.
The businesses in this area closed hours ago, making the streets eerily quiet.
Headlights flash as a car speeds past me in the opposite direction. The engine slows. I cast a quick glance over my shoulder and watch the car pull a U-turn. Thereâs no cause for a car to be creeping along around here,especially not a luxury SUV like this one.
A trickle of dread rolls down my spine.
I keep walking, but every instinct I have tells me to run.