Page 46 of Nightmare Island

“Let’s break it down, then, shall we?” My voice is trembling now, but with rage rather than uncertainty. “You nudged me down the stairs. And you knew exactly what you were doing. What I can’t figure out is why. What did I do to you, Eve? I’d been here five minutes.”

She lifts her chin, defiance replacing the nervousness. “You really don’t get it, do you? You waltz in here, and suddenly, you’re all he sees. Do you have any idea what it’s like?—”

“To be replaced?” The laugh that escapes me is bitter. “Bestie, I’ve been unwanted my entire life. My own mother couldn’t wait to trade me away. At least you had something to lose.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Then explain why you thought murder was the answer.”

She takes a step forward, then another. “You don’t understand what it’s like here. What it means to be an Omega, to finally find someone who sees you, really sees you, and then?—”

“Ladies.” Ghost’s voice makes us both jump as he approaches, towering over us. My heart slams against my ribs. “Everything all right here?”

Time seems to slow down. I look at Eve, really look at her—the fear she’s trying to hide, the desperation in her eyes, the tremble in her arms. She tried to kill me. The words are right there on my tongue—words that would seal her fate. Ghost doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who forgives betrayal. I’ve seen the darkness in him.

My throat feels tight.

She’s staring at me with a tight smile, as if pleading with me.

Images flash through my mind of being naive, scared, and traded away like I meant nothing. The helplessness. The rage. But also the promise I made to myself—that I wouldn’t become the monsters who hurt me.

The words shift and die in my throat.

Ghost makes a clearing sound since no one has responded to him.

“Just Omega talk,” I say finally, forcing a smile. “You know how it is.”

His eyes narrow behind the mask, that penetrating gaze shifting between us. “If you’re sure?”

Every instinct screams to tell him the truth. My wolf prowls beneath my skin, wanting justice, wanting blood. The heat that’s been building in me flares higher in his presence, making it hard to think. But I suspect Ghost might kill her or at least hurt her gravely, and I didn’t want that on my conscience. He’d do it without hesitation, and another Omega would disappear, and everyone would look the other way because that’s just how things work in our world.

I refuse to be part of that cycle.

“Totally sure,” I affirm, meeting his gaze steadily. “We’re good here.”

He glances at Eve, who’s nodding. “Nothing to worry about.”

He leaves, but reluctantly, his suspicion obvious in every line of his body. The silence stretches between Eve and me until he’s out of earshot.

She leans in closer. “Why didn’t you tell him? What do you want from me?” she demands finally, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Because I’m not a fucking monster,” I snap. “And contrary to popular belief, I don’t actually want you dead. I know you’reinvolved with him… or were… or whatever. I never planned to come here and disrupt that.”

I could have told her there’s nothing between Ghost and me, but the words stick in my throat. It’s impossible to ignore the possessive way he is around me.

“Listen carefully,” I continue, keeping my voice low. My wolf is still restless, wanting retribution, but I push her down. “If you ever try anything like that again, if you so much as look at me wrong, I will tell him everything. And we both know how that will end. I’m giving you one more chance than you gave me to do better.”

Eve’s face pales. “You don’t understand?—”

“I get it; you’re hurt. You’re angry. Welcome to the club. But trying to kill me was your choice. Using my ignorance of this place against me was your choice. Remember that.”

She stares at me for a long moment, something shifting in her expression. “You really mean it, don’t you? About not telling him?”

“Yeah, well, don’t make me regret it.” I run a hand through my hair, suddenly exhausted. “Look, I’ve had enough people in my life decide I was disposable. I’m not going to do that to someone else, even if they probably deserve it.”

She stares at me for another long moment before turning away, her dress catching the last rays of sunlight as she disappears around the other side of the bonfire. I stay there, letting the cool evening air calm my racing pulse. My hands are shaking—from anger, from adrenaline, from this damn heat under my skin that won’t go away.

A wolf howls in the distance, and several others answer. The sound echoes through my bones, and my wolf wants to answer too. It’s getting harder to ignore these new instincts, these changes in my body. Everything feels heightened lately—smellsare stronger, sounds are clearer, and my emotions… well, they’re a mess.

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