Page 80 of Broken-Hearted

I’d love to shove the window open and fling myself out of it, but Eric’s stare is like a laser trained at the center of my back. I have a feeling the second I touch the wood, he’ll be on me.

I shouldn’t have gone down to the kitchen before. All it did was make them suspicious.

Behind me, a door swings open, and in the window’s reflection I see Adrian stepping into my room.

“Ah, good. She’s dressed,” Adrian says. “Any problems?”

“None, alpha,” Eric responds curtly. “I believe she’s excited to get this mating ceremony underway.”

What a fucking prick.

I’m staring into the forest, desperately working out how I can escape my fate when a figure steps from the forest. A familiar one.

My heart leaps.

“What is it Clara?” Adrian demands.

I twist away from the window—from Nathan—and meet Adrian’s suspicious gaze. “Nothing.”

He gives me a long look, then stalks toward me.

I hold my breath as he nudges me to one side and peers outside.

He looks out of the window as I do the same. No one is there. But I saw Nathan, and he wanted me to see him. Now he’s back to hiding from view. Why? Is there a plan? Should I try to escape? What?

“We’re leaving for the ceremony now,” Adrian says, frowning at the dark forest.

He’s still wearing his black trousers and button-down, and I have an idea. “Aren’t you going to change into white so we can match?”

And maybe while you’re dressing, I can be escaping?

Adrian looks at me. “You’re fighting me. You said you would not, but you are being difficult.”

“No, I’m—” I choke, fingers scrabbling as I try to break his grip on my neck.

He pins me to the window, his hand tight around my throat and his eyes are… empty.

I suspected he might be mad. Maybe he’s just plain cruel. Either way, I’m in big, big trouble.

“You are fighting me, Clara,” he says blandly.

I shake my head as I grab his wrists, trying to break his grip. “No,” I gasp. “I’m?—”

His grip around my throat loosens slightly as he lowers his head and speaks into my ear. “You are not the only omega in this world. I can replace you, or I can return to the pack that hid you and wipe every single one of them out.”

“I won’t fight you anymore,” I whisper.

“Good.” He releases me so suddenly that I nearly fall, lightheaded from the air rushing to my head.

“How did you know what I was?” I massage my throat.

I don’t care how he knew. Any time he’s talking is time we’re not going through with this ceremony, and maybe it’ll give Nathan time to set whatever plan he has in motion.

“I knew at once,” Adrian says proudly. “The one before didn’t last long.”

The one before?

Shit. Just when I don’t think things could get any worse, they do.

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