Chapter 23

The sound of Lucian's car engine filled the space between us with a comforting hum as I watched the glass-fronted spa retreat into the distance. "You okay?" Lucian asked, his eyes flicking between me and the road. I flexed my hand, the sting from the slaps already fading. "Better than okay," I replied honestly. "I feel... awake." Behind us, Darius was probably just starting to realize how much he'd missed. How much he'd allowed to happen right under his nose. Author's POV Darius stood rooted in place as he watched the security footage for the third time. The manager of the spa, Mirabelle West, waited patiently as the Alpha of Silver Creek Pack absorbed every detail of what had transpired. The footage was crystal clear: Selene and Lyra cornering Dorothy, their mouths twisted with cruel words that the surveillance audio captured perfectly. "You don't belong anywhere. You never did." "Just a blood bag with a pretty face." And then Dorothy—quiet, compliant Dorothy—had struck back. When the