~Hazel's POV~
I wasn't ready for what I saw.
The door creaked open just slightly but enough to unveil the unholy sight that slammed against my chest like a hammer to glass. There he was. My mate. The Alpha. The man I had walked miles barefoot and escaped my father's mansion, tangled in sheets with my step-sister, Natasha, draped across him like she belonged.
And for a moment, I forgot why I came.
My breath caught so violently it hurt. My heart… it stung. Like a blade slid right between my ribs and twisted slowly. For a reason I didn't understand, I wanted to scream. Not because I was surprised—no. I knew who he was. I knew who she was. But the ache came anyway. That disgusting, hollow ache that curled around my lungs and squeezed.
Natasha's laugh snapped through the tension. Sharp. Poisoned. "And what are the ruins of the litter doing here?" she sneered, curling the sheet tighter around herself like she needed to protect something.
I didn't flinch.
