Chapter 1
The moment that slap landed, the world went eerily silent.
Alpha Kael Creed’s hand sliced through the air like a blade. And then a sharp crack echoed through
the room.
My head snapped to the side. A metallic taste flooded my mouth, and a ringing noise exploded in my ears like a swarm of bees trapped in my skull.
I stumbled, catching myself on the edge of the desk, my fingers trembling.
My left cheek went numb before it began to burn–hot, sharp, humiliating.
When I looked up, Kael’s hand was still hanging midair, his knuckles bone–white with tension.
My mate. My fiancé. And now the man who’d just struck me in front of everyone–to defend his
precious Beta–Riley.
For a brief second, Kael’s expression faltered. A flicker of guilt. But it vanished, swallowed by rage
and impatience.
“Talia, can you stop making a scene for once?”
Someone snorted. A few others chuckled under their breath. No one stepped in.
Riley stood beside him, chestnut curls catching the light like strands of honey. Her red lips curled
into a lazy, mocking smile.
“Kael, don’t be so harsh. Look–you’ve scared your little mate. Poor thing’s about to cry.”
Kael’s jaw tightened, his eyes still smoldering, but he reined in his tone, voice sharp yet measured. “Talia, this is Ashveil Pack, not Silverclaw. Try to remember where you are.”
The room buzzed with murmurs and half–stifled laughter.
I touched the corner of my mouth. It came away wet, though I couldn’t tell if it was blood or tears.
Eighteen years of knowing this man. I’d seen every side of his temper–but I never knew a slap
could sting this bad.
Humiliation, rage, and heartbreak twisted together like barbed wire in my chest.
I dug my nails into my palms, swallowing the scream lodged in my throat.
Chapter 1
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Kael started to say something else, but I didn’t care anymore.
I turned on my heel, grabbed my bag, and shoved the glass doors open.
Behind me, someone let out a sharp whistle. “Look at her run. She waddles like a damn penguin!”
I had no idea where I was going–I just knew I couldn’t stay here.
I couldn’t stand one more minute in Ashveil Pack. Not with those eyes on me. Not with that
handprint burning on my face.
Sure, Kael never had much patience with me. But he’d never hit me before.
This wasn’t just a slap. It was the first time in my life someone had ever struck me.
. Not even when my world first fell apart at six years old.
Back then, Silverclaw Pack was attacked, and my parents moved us into the Ashveil Pack for safety.
That’s when I first saw Kael.
He was sitting in the yard, playing with a toy truck. Sunlight streamed down, stretching his shadow
long across the ground until it brushed the tips of my shoes.
We grew up next door to each other.
My mom used to say we were like two saplings growing side by side. Only… Kael grew faster.
Stronger.
When we were in grade school, a boy named Tommy stuck a wad of chewed–up gum in my ponytail.
The class burst into laughter.
The teacher tried to smooth it over. “He just likes you, sweetheart. Boys tease girls they like. Don’t
| cry.”
Those words stung worse than the gum.
After school, I cried all the way home.
Kael’s father, David Creed, heard what happened. He called out to his son, who was doing homework on the floor.
“Kael. Tomorrow. Go have a word with Tommy in second grade.”
D
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D
The next day, Kael stormed into my classroom and kicked the back door open.
He moved like a wild little beast, charging Tommy with his tiny fists clenched. He slammed a fist on the boy’s desk.
“Listen up,” he growled, grabbing Tommy by the collar–still speaking in that soft, childish voice. “Talia’s my little sister. If you ever mess with her again, I’ll end you.”
Before leaving, he patted my head.
And from that moment on, I became Kael’s shadow.
Chapter 1
