Chapter 4
Seeing that I was silent.
Omega Carly tilted her head slightly, her eyes glinting with curiosity as she studied my face.
“I’ve wanted to say this since the first time we met–don’t you think we look very much alike, Nancy?”
Her words struck like a slap, but it was her triumphant smirk that delivered the final blow.
My wolf stirred uncomfortably, her instincts sharpening with anger.
I couldn’t breathe under the weight of her gaze. Humiliation burned through me, and
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before I could form a response, I turned on my heel and fled.
Back in the private room, my colleagues‘ warmth began to thaw my icy blood. They laughed, clinking glasses and reminiscing about the past.
For a moment, I thought I could push aside the sting of Omega Carly’s words.
But then the door swung open.
Alpha Esmond stood in the doorway, his presence sucking the air out of the room. His eyes scanned the two full tables of people before they locked on me.
“Nancy,” he said, his voice cold and commanding. “Step outside. Now!”
Confused, I excused myself and followed
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him into the corridor.
Before I could ask what was wrong, his hand flew across my cheek. The sound of the slap echoed in the hallway.
For a moment, everything stopped.
It was the first time he had ever hit me.
I stared at him in shock, my cheek burning, but his expression showed no guilt. Only fury.
“Why did you push Carly?” he demanded, his voice cutting. “You knew she had a twisted ankle! I told you I’d explain everything later, but you just had to escalate things, didn’t you?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, Omega Carly appeared at the end of
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the hall, limping dramatically. Her shirt was rumpled and stained with water and dirt, a picture of victimhood.
Alpha Esmond’s anger flickered into something softer as he brushed past me to cradle her.
“I told you I’d bring her over to apologize to you. Why did you come out here?” he asked her gently.
Though his words were reproachful, his voice was tender, protective.
Omega Carly’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she shook her head. “It’s not a big deal. She didn’t mean it.”
Her tone was saintly, as if she were doing me a favor by minimizing my supposed crime.
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“If Alpha Kendrick finds out you hit Nancy Carly added carefully, “it might hurt the bond between you two.”
At the mention of my brother, Alpha Esmond’s expression faltered, a brief flicker of discomfort crossing his face. But then he straightened, his resolve hardening again.
“Her brother entrusted her to me,” he said firmly, “and it’s my responsibility to correct her when she’s wrong.”
I laughed bitterly, the sound harsh even to my own ears. “Wrong? What exactly did I do wrong? Even in court, people are given a chance to defend themselves. But not me, right? You’ve already made up your mind.”
Esmond clenched his fists, his eyes. narrowing.
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“You knew there were no cameras in the restroom,” he accused, “so you thought you could act without consequence”
I felt the weight of the injustice like a stone in my chest.
“If there are no cameras,” I said evenly, though my voice trembled with restrained anger, “then how can you be so sure it was me?”
His jaw tightened. “Why would Carly lie? She’s not that kind of person.”
“And I am?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
His silence was louder than any words.
Seven years. Seven years of standing by his side, believing that I’ll end up being his mate.
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Yet here I was, my character questioned, my loyalty dismissed–all because Carly’s word outweighed mine.
One accusation from her was all it took to
condemn me.
It was blatant favoritism, a glaring display in of partiality. And I, in the end, was nothing more than a stand–in, a replacement with nothing to offer.
“Enough,” I said, my voice hollow. “There’s nothing more to say.”
Turning on my heel, I ignored his sharp command to stop. My cheek still stung from his slap, a painful reminder of how far we’d fallen.
I couldn’t go back to the private room. My colleagues didn’t deserve to have their
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farewell soured by my humiliation.
Instead, I went to the front desk, paid the bill, and sent them a quick message:
“Something urgent came up, so I had to leave. Enjoy the meal and drinks–it’s on me!”
As I stepped into the cool night air, my wolf growled softly, her voice echoing in the back of my mind.
“He doesn’t deserve us.”
For once, I couldn’t agree more.
