Page 9 of Cruel Alpha: Season One

My steps halt, and my gaze lifts to meet hers again. Her face is wrought with guilt, and she passes another nervous look toward my uncle.

“I was just informed of the details over dinner,” she admits. “When I brought you the invitation yesterday, I had no knowledge of any deal between Mitchel and Alpha Caspian. I swear it. I didn’t even realize they’d been in contact with one another,” she explains, adding one word to that statement that prevents me from softening my stance toward her. “But…”

My brow tenses. “There is no‘but’.There is no excuse for selling one person to another.”

“But don’t you see?” she pleads. “You’re of age to be mated to one of the quadrant’s eligible men, and who could possibly be a more eligible suitor than our alpha?”

She passes an incredulous look my way, and it grates my nerves that she thinks this makes it all better. Simply because they haven’t sold me to justanyman, but one who’s rich and powerful. But by my aunt and uncle being blinded by the alpha’s title, there’s so much more that they failed to take into consideration.

Like, love.

My wants; my needs.

For them, it all comes down to how many zeros will be on the check Alpha Caspian writes.

“Do you have any idea what his plans are for me?” I ask, studying them carefully, with hopes that their expressions will be more truthful than their words. “He wants to keep me barefoot and pregnant, bouncing around his house like his personal sex toy for the rest of my life. Not to mention his cruelty,” I add, remembering how he handled me tonight, invaded my personal space like my body was his to own.

More water pools in my eyes, and I’m spent. A phantom memory of my mother and father’s embrace is too much to bear, all because I’m pretty sure I’ll never experience love like that again ever in my life. I thought I’d found something similar in this home, but after meeting with Caspian, that illusion has forever been shattered.

“I have to get out of here.”

When I push past my aunt and uncle, I’m allowed to pass this time, but both scramble, stumbling over their words.

“Where are you going?” Aunt Geneva asks.

My head clears, and I force myself to remember the lies I know I need to tell. The ones that will keep both parties from figuring out that I’ve slipped through the cracks in their plan. For now, anyway.

“Alpha Caspian is demanding that I relocate to his residence, effective immediately. He’s already prepared a room for me.”

“So soon?”

I scoff at the hint of sadness in my aunt’s tone. “Isn’t this what you wanted? One less mouth to feed and all the money you could ever dream of having?”

There’s offense in her eyes, and her mouth hangs slack before responding. “You can’t believe that’s true. You’re family, Annalise, and we love you.”

I don’t justify anything she says with a response because actions speak louder than words.

“I have to go,” I repeat, but she’s not done pretending to care.

“Won’t he be sending a car for you? He couldn’t possibly expect you to walk all that way.”

Her eyes water, and I can’t stand to look at her anymore. Either of them.

“He offered to have me escorted, but I declined,” I say. “I explained that if I’m being forced out of my life, I’d at least like to have a say in how I walk away from it.”

The sting of hatred burns in my eyes when I glare at the two who have betrayed me, but anything I’ll face out therehasto be better than what I’ve faced in here. So, with that, I pull the front door to me and step out into the unknown.

This place is no longer my home, but I’m also convinced it never was.

4

Tsk-Tsk, Little Wolf

Annalise

It’shard enough to find the old lake house in broad daylight, so with only the aid of landmarks in the middle of the night, it’s practically impossible. I’m tempted to shift and let my wolf lead the way, but I’m not even certainthatwould work.

It’s been years since I’ve visited. The last time my parents took me, I was ten—long before my first shift, too young to remember much of anything, which means I’m screwed.

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