Chapter 3

I watched him hurry out the door, and my heart felt like it stopped.

From outside Serena's pitiful voice drifted in.

"Why did you take so long? A man just whistled at me! I'm so scared."

Damon soothed her gently.

"I'll go break his head in a minute, alright? Come here. I'll hold you. No one will dare look at you."

A tear slid down my cheek. I covered my mouth and choked back the sound.

I was picking up my things from the floor, about to leave, when a hand wrapped around my wrist.

"Hey, pretty. Come play with me."

The stink of alcohol hit me. I tried to pull my hand back. He was using force.

When I didn't answer he yanked me against his chest, locked his arms around me, and set his chin on my shoulder. His hot breath on my neck made me shudder.

"I've got your naked photos. Don't act all precious with me."

I froze. Tears welled up and fell without permission. My pictures — they were already circulating?

Damon. Do you hate me that much?

The man didn't give me time to think. His lips dropped to my ear.

"Let me have a good time tonight, and I'll let you go."

I lifted my foot and stomped his instep as hard as I could. He grunted and I tore free.

I couldn't get the door open. The man came after me, cursing, and I bolted into the bathroom.

The thin door wasn't going to hold.

My hands shook as I pulled out my phone and called Damon. He picked up, and my voice cracked.

"Damon, there's a freak who locked me in a room. Hurry, come save me!"

"Ha. Anya, stop struggling. Damon's not going to answer your calls. He just went to shower. He said he finally got rid of you, so he wants to give me an unforgettable night."

Every word from Serena hit like a knife.

"Bitch! You hit me? Get out here!"

The man had already smashed a hole in the door with a chair. His shouting filled my ears.

I tried to say something else, and the line went dead.

I opened the text thread and kept sending Damon messages. When I saw his reply, something in me died.

I pulled the razor out of my bag, wiped the tears off my face, and raised it high, ready to fight to the end.

"Anya! Anya!"

Then there was shouting outside, and I heard the man howl and start begging.

The bathroom door flew open. Ezra stormed in, eyes red, a silver blade in his hand. It made me almost cry.

He pulled me up off the floor, checked me over twice to make sure I wasn't hurt, and only then lowered the blade.

"It's okay, Anya. It's okay."

I threw myself into his arms and sobbed.

It turned out that after I told Mentor I'd come overseas, Ezra and the others had already booked flights to surprise me.

When they got here they asked around and found out I had been working at the Wolf's Den. When they couldn't find me right away, they realized I was in trouble.

They pushed past the guards and charged in, and they got to me just in time.

An old coworker from the Wolf's Den rolled her eyes and sneered.

"Your naked pictures are all over the place. Still acting like some pure little thing?"

"Shameless. Pah!"

Ezra's hand clenched into a fist and he started forward, but I stopped him.

They walked me out, and I came face to face with Mentor. His eyes were heavy with pain.

"Anya, what have you been doing? Who let you work in a place like this? Come. We're leaving. Right now. You're never coming back."

Tears fell in heavy drops. Mentor pulled me in and we cried together.

That night I went back to the little home Damon and I had built. We had put this place together piece by piece. Now —

I opened the suitcase. I laid the two figurines on the bed. I took the ring off my finger.

I sent Damon one message.

【Damon, never again.】

Damon had muted my messages long ago.

When I sent him that last message before boarding, he was at the Sterling Pack Retreat with Serena.

Damon was splashing water on his face in the bathroom. All he could see was the look of disappointment on Anya's face.

A thought pushed up through him — ask her. Ask her what really happened. Did she really only care about money?

He reached for his phone, but Serena stopped him.

Serena took his hand and pressed it to her chest. Her lips parted. She looked at him, expectant.

Damon pulled his hand back, cold-faced, and picked up the phone she had tossed aside.

When he saw the thread with Anya, he opened it eagerly.

What was waiting for him was the message that I had already left.

He scrolled up. He saw the missed call and the message I had sent.

"You answered the phone for me?"

He looked up at Serena. She pouted.

"I — I just saw you were busy, so I picked up for you."

"And Anya said something about not wanting you anymore. And I heard a man's voice in the background. I honestly wondered if she did it on purpose."