Chapter 6

One year after Cain and Ivy bonded.

He was nothing like the broken man he'd been before. Not only had the Thorne Pack come back, it was stronger than ever.

Every day she could hear Ivy's laughter.

Every day she saw Ivy's happy posts.

She couldn't stand it. The resentment ate at her.

She couldn't accept that someone who had once been less than her could, because of one man, rise above her.

Live better than her.

If Ivy could do it, why couldn't she?

She acted. She approached Cain without any hesitation.

But the man was hard to crack.

She had to find something that would work.

So she took over Ivy's identity as his savior.

Sure enough, Cain went from refusing to wavering to certain.

They ended up together.

With that thought, Serena lifted her chin again and spoke with defiance.

"So I lied. What of it? Our feelings for each other over these years are real. I gave him three pups. That's real too."

"Cain, stop fighting this. You never loved Ivy. The one you love is me."

Then I laughed.

It was sudden, and it confused everyone standing there.

Especially Serena. She pointed at me with venom in her eyes and raised her voice.

"What are you so pleased about?"

"You're still his Luna, fine — but I've given him three pups. No matter what happens, I'll always get a piece of it."

I looked up slowly and met her cold, furious gaze.

"Is that right? But what if your pups... aren't his?"

Those words blew the room apart.

My mother stared at me, shaken. "Ivy, is that true?"

My father burst out laughing and clapped his hands. "Ha! Cain cheats and his side piece turned around and gave him three pups that aren't even his! That's what he deserves!"

"You're lying! My pups are Cain's."

"Ivy, you've lost your own pup and now you're making up stories to tear mine down?"

I watched Serena's hands shaking faintly with fear.

And I laughed.

"Really? Guess we'll see if Cain believes you this time."

I nodded toward the man whose expression had already gone dark as stone.

"No! Cain, all three pups are yours. I haven't been with anyone else since we started. I swear."

Serena scrambled up from the floor, grabbed the front of his shirt, and begged.

Cain pushed her off and started to speak when his assistant came through the door, hurrying, leaning in close to his ear.

Something shifted visibly in Cain's face.

The tendons on his hands rose.

He sent the assistant away, then opened his bag and drew out a document.

Before Serena could finish her next sentence, he grabbed her by the hair and held the report in front of her face.

"Tell me. Whose are they?"

Serena was forced to look up. Her eyes caught the words on the report: "No biological paternity relationship."

All the color drained from her face.

She shook as she tried to argue.

"This is fake. I haven't been with anyone else. They're yours."

Serena sobbed and begged.

But Cain had nothing left for her — not a scrap of trust.

He shoved her aside, then tilted his chin at the guards behind him.

Then he turned away.

"It's your fault! You did this, Ivy!"

"The report is fake! Cain, believe me!"

Her screams cut off as the guards dragged Serena away like a piece of trash.

Then Cain walked into the room.

He reached my bed and dropped to his knees.

He raised his hand and hit himself across the face, hard.

"Mom. Dad. Ivy. I was wrong. Serena tricked me. Please forgive me."

The door closed, shutting out the stares and whispers from outside.

Dead quiet in the room.

No one responded. So he hit himself again and again.

Until his cheek went red and the corner of his mouth bled.

I looked up and laughed, cold and hateful.

"Go ahead, Cain. Hit yourself harder."

"Hit yourself to death. Pay for what you did to my pup."

I was holding back tears, laughing through the wreckage.

"If I'd known the person I was risking my life to save was like this, I would have left you on that hill to die."

"Cain Thorne. I'll say this one last time."

"You killed my pup. I will never forgive you. Not in this lifetime."

He looked up at me, not believing what he heard.

"Ivy, it was my fault. Tell me what you need me to do..."

The rest of the words wouldn't come. His voice cracked into nothing.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault. I should have recognized you."

"I..."

His eyes were red. He held onto the sleeve of my shirt and couldn't say anything else.

I listened to him choke on his words.

Listened to him apologize.

And suddenly I thought about the time he confessed his feelings to me and got down on one knee.

He was the one who loved me deeply.

He was also the one who betrayed me.

I couldn't figure out how many faces he had.

It didn't matter anymore.

I looked down at him. Then at my own hands.

I felt sick.

It had come to this. My pup was gone. I was in pieces.

And he was here saying he'd been wrong about someone, come to fix things.

Pathetic.

I got out of bed, picked up the knife from the fruit plate, and held it against his neck.

"Get out. Looking at you makes me sick."

The blade broke his skin.