Casey smirked, her eyes gleaming with malice. “I want to see you break. I want to see you howl in pain.”
I scoffed. “Too bad. You aren't worth the tears.”
As I moved to drag my boxes past her, Casey reached into her furs and tossed a few silver coins at my feet. They clattered against the stone floor.
“Use this for your fare, beggar,” she giggled.
I lost it. Before I could think, my hand moved—not with claws, but with a stinging, resounding slap that echoed through the room.
“How dare you?” I hissed.
Casey let out a piercing shriek, the sound of a wounded pup. In an instant, the door burst open. Malachi and Marc rushed in, their scents thick with alarm.
“What have you done, Rhea?” Malachi yelled, seeing Casey’s reddened cheek.
I didn't flinch. “What have I done? You hear her cry and you come running. Where were you when your son’s arrow was in my shoulder? Where were you when I collapsed in the dirt?”
“Evil woman!” Marc cried, shielding Casey. “She hurt her! She’s trying to kill Casey!”
“It is not her fault, Marc,” Casey sobbed, playing her part perfectly. “I came to beg her to stay for the sake of the pack... I offered her travel money, and she struck me.”
“Stop this madness, Casey! Stop playing the victim!” I snapped.
“No, you stop this, Rhea!” Malachi roared, his Alpha command vibrating in the small room. “I have been patient enough. I will take you back to the manor, but only if you kneel and apologize to Casey.”
I stared at him for a moment, then burst into a dark, mocking laughter. “Even if the Moon Goddess made you the last male on earth, Malachi, I would never run in your pack again.”
“What is that supposed to mean? You are mine!” Malachi thundered.
“For eight years you claimed you didn't want another heir. Yet the same day your son tries to kill me, I find out Casey is carrying your pup,” I stated.
Malachi cast a sharp, sideways look at Casey—a silent snarl asking why she had revealed the secret.
“We can speak of the pup later,” Malachi said, his voice dropping. “Just come home. We can resolve this within the pack.”
I scoffed. “In your dreams, Alpha.”
I turned my back and walked away. He kept yelling, his voice echoing down the hospital halls, commanding me to stop, but I ignored him until the doors swung shut behind me.
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