AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Of course it terrifies me, the thought of putting my heart and soul on the line again and being betrayed all over again. But doing this… it's unforgivable.
I shake my head, disgust and disbelief warring within me. "This isn't about power, Damien. It's about basic decency. We're better than this. At least, I thought we were."
"He's right," Asher mutters. "For fuck's sake, we already bit her."
Then, another realization hits me. That's why he didn't tell us until now. He knew we wouldn't go through with biting her if this was what he had planned. Whatever our families would have done in retaliation for calling off the ceremony pales in comparison to this. To inflicting such cruelty on an unsuspecting omega who's done nothing to any of us except exist.
Damien's face hardens, his eyes turning to flint. "We do what needs to be done," he says, his voice brooking no argument. "If you're not willing to do that much, maybe you never loved Daria in the first place."
His words hit me like a physical blow, knocking the air from my lungs. I stare at him, speechless, as he turns on his heel and stalks away.
"You fucking?—"
Cole lunges again, but this time, Asher is the one who holds him back, and I'm grateful. I don't have it in me.
We've always been a united front, the four of us against the world. But now? I don't know what we are. All I know is that the thought of hurting Evie, of seeing her suffer the way we did... it's tearing me apart.
And I don't know how to reconcile that with my loyalty to my pack.
CHAPTER 13
EVIE
My heart races as I sit at the dressing room vanity in the back of the meeting hall, staring at my reflection in the ornate mirror. I've changed into a more manageable gown—one I'll be going home in soon enough.
Once upon a time, I would have been thrilled at the prospect of an outfit change. Especially since this dress is my favorite shade of pastel pink, with little beaded flowers all along the fitted bodice. Now that it's actually happening, though, the dress feels unnaturally restrictive against my skin. Nothing at all like the second skin it approximated when I first tried it on. If nothing else, though, I'm glad to have a moment's reprieve from all the dancing and smiling an pretending like my world isn't crumbling around me.
The door clicks open and Vivienne glides in, her perfectly manicured hand resting on her hip. I brace myself for another lecture.
"Evangeline, dear, I think it's time we had a little talk." She perches on the edge of the chaise lounge, smoothing her designer skirt. "About tonight and what to expect..."
I hold up a hand, cutting her off. "I already know what's going to happen, Vivienne. I had health class, remember?"
Her perfectly shaped brows rise in surprise. "Oh. Well, then." She seems relieved to be spared the awkwardness of this particular motherly duty.
For once, her icy blue eyes hold a glimmer of something almost resembling warmth. "You don't need to be nervous, you know. The omega hardly has to do anything at all."
I press my glossed lips together to hide a smirk.That certainly explains a lot about your marriage, I think wryly. I may play the ditzy blonde when it's convenient, but I'm no fool. I see more than they realize and my father's marriage is no paradise.
"You simply present yourself to the alphas, just as they instructed in your preparatory classes," Vivienne continues breezily, as if discussing the weather and not the most pivotal moment of my life. "They'll take care of everything else to complete the mark."
My stomach clenches and I swallow hard against the sudden lump in my throat. "And... what if they don't?" I hate how small my voice sounds, how it betrays the fear I'm trying so hard to conceal.
Vivienne looks at me like I've suddenly sprouted a second head. "Of course they will," she scoffs, waving a dismissive hand. "Why wouldn't they? You're a Beaumont omega. Any pack would be lucky to have you."
Lucky. As if I'm some prize to be won rather than a person with dreams and desires of my own. I turn back to the mirror, fussing with an errant golden curl. "Right. Of course."
She stands, smoothing non-existent wrinkles from her dress. "Now, finish getting ready. And remember, chin up, shoulders back. You're a lady, not a hunchback."
With a final critical sweep of her eyes over my appearance, she turns on her stiletto heel and click-clacks out the door, leaving me alone with my spiraling thoughts.
I stare at my reflection—the angelic blonde curls that took the hairdresser two hours to finish, rosebud lips, and big blue eyes that have always been my greatest weapons. I look so… polished. You'd never know I was the human equivalent of an earthquake inside. And not in the giddy excitement way.
You can do this, Evie, I tell myself firmly.Smile, giggle, bat your lashes. Play the game you've been trained for since birth.
I square my shoulders, take a deep breath, and stand, the silk of my dress whispering around my legs. It's showtime. I paste on my most dazzling smile and step out to meet my fate.
My heels clicking on the marble floor beat out an ominous rhythm as I make my way toward the ballroom for the second half of the reception. The muted strains of classical music and the murmur of voices grow louder with each step.
