The hallway was dark, the faint glow of the moon barely illuminating the edge of the rug beneath Vanora's feet. She shouldn't have been there. She wasn't supposed to overhear anything. But Ace's voice froze her in place, coiling a cold fist around her chest and forcing her to press herself against the door.
"Everything I did, I did for the pack," Ace growled. "It's not my fault the Alpha couldn't see past his own nose and walked right into my trap."
Her breath hitched. He said…what?!
"I'm not asking if what you did was righteous, Ace," a quieter, sadder voice replied. Asher. "I'm asking how you face Vanora every day. I can't do this anymore. I can't keep standing by, knowing I'm Beta to the man who killed her family."
"She will never know," Ace snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut.
"The truth has a way of seeping out."
"Then she'll suck it up, just like you did!" A loud thud shook the doorframe as Ace's fist slammed the table. "We both know your feelings for Nora run deeper than friendship, Asher. Discard them. She's going to be my Luna soon. You're my best friend. I don't want to hurt you."
Over my dead body.
Vanora bit her lip to keep the sobs in, hating the tears that slid silently down her cheeks.
In her arms, the résumé she'd painstakingly prepared for a secretarial job was crushed against her chest, the paper damp and crumpled.
Two hours ago, she'd been practicing how to tell Ace she was ready to leave the packhouse and live independently. Now, she knew she wouldn't leave unless she escaped.
Two years ago, the Shadow Pack had raided their pack. She'd watched it all from inside a wardrobe Ace had hidden her in just an hour before the attack.
She'd seen the Alpha tear her father apart, his claws ripping flesh like paper. She'd held her breath until the world went dark, waking to find that even her mother, Caspian, and Aria were gone.
Ace and Asher had saved her then. She thought they were her family.
But now? Now, she didn't know who she hated more—the Devil Alpha who'd taken everything or the brother they'd plucked from an orphanage, loved like blood, and trusted enough to make an official.
Guess that wasn't enough.
Vanora backed away from the door, careful not to make a sound, and crept to her room. Her hands trembled as she slipped under the pink covers, forcing her breathing to even out.
Seconds stretched into minutes before the door creaked open.
"Vanora?" Ace's voice was calm, almost gentle. The floorboards groaned as he stepped closer. "Asleep already, little bunny?"
She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to stay still, but she couldn't stop the tears that slid from the corners of her eyes.
"She spent all day working on a résumé," Asher's voice came softly from behind him. She could feel his presence by the bedside, his gaze lingering. "She's tired. I'll tell her you left at sunrise."
"I wonder when she'll stop trying to leave me." Ace's thumb brushed over her bottom lip. Her skin crawled as he leaned in, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth. She could taste the salt of her tears on his lips. "We'll be all right, I promise," he murmured.
No, you'll be fine. Vanora clutched her résumé tightly under the blankets. But I'll die in this house like a war prize on your beck and call.
"Goodnight, little sister," he whispered.
Was he mocking her?
From the small slit in her lashes, Vanora watched the door close behind him.
And then she waited. And waited.
"If you're leaving, you need to move now," a voice said softly.
She gasped, sitting up to see Asher by her wardrobe, quietly filling a bag with her clothes.
"How did you—"
"Please." He smiled faintly. "I'd sense you from a thousand miles away."
He zipped up the bag and knelt before her. "Once the truck stops, take the first bus to another pack—somewhere far enough that he'll never find you. Cover your face. Change your name. Most importantly, stay alive, squirrel."
Tears blurred her vision as she climbed down from the bed. "Come with me, Asher. Please. I know Father would've wanted you to."
He searched her eyes hopefully, then shook his head with a small, sad smile. "I'm needed here, Vanora. Someone has to stop Ace from running this pack into the ground with his reckless decisions."
"But—"
He ruffled her hair roughly, drawing a scowl from her. "What were you about to say, huh? Trouble?" He pulled her into a tight hug, his voice soft against her ear. "We'll meet again. I promise. But only if you run, Vanora. Run as fast as you can."
Her wolf, Iskra, stirred in agreement, urging her forward and outside.
Minutes later, she found herself bundled in the back of a truck loaded with crates of silver ammunition and half-finished experiments that smelled of lead. Her heart felt heavy, her mind racing.
If Ace ever caught her…
"He won't," Iskra snapped stubbornly.
"Do not open this one for anything!" Asher's voice barked orders outside the truck. "Just deliver it."
"Yes, Beta," the soldiers echoed.
Vanora straightened her shoulders, steeling herself for what lay ahead.
But bravery wasn't enough to quench the dread rising in her chest.
And her fears were right, for that was the beginning of her descent into darkness.
***
My first book here. I truly hope you enjoy it, Ha ha. Don't forget to leave me a comment too. Muahhh