The pack's thunderous claps and howls of approval echoed through the halls of the mansion, ringing in my ears like a death knell. He, not me. Finally, he's going to mate with the one he loves, but not the one he was promised to. His gaze met mine, a lone teardrop escaping the corner of my eye. His own widened, realizing his divinely ordained mate was present for this travesty, and I had been watching all along.

I couldn’t endure another second of this hell. Forcing myself to smile, I stood up and ran out of the hall in agony. My wolf’s defenses were down. She was curled up and whimpering, but there was nothing I could do to numb the pain. Not this time.

“Adassah!” I heard him call my name, but I couldn’t stop. Too late. A forceful, substantial mass crashed into me, throwing me backward. I hit the cement wall hard, the back of my head smacking the corner of a mount that held a giant brass wolf. Blood ran down my scalp into my eyes. Darkness threatened to take us. My last sight was my handsome Alpha and his lying mouth telling me he was sorry. Too late, as his apologies meant nothing to me, and all his lies will die with me.