Chapter 2 Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Ashley’s POV
The sobs finally slowed, but the fire in my chest only grew hotter. I stood up from the cold floor in the dark hallway. My torn dress hung off one shoulder like a broken flag. I pushed open the door to my father’s room.
The air inside smelled of leather and the faint pine soap he always used. Moonlight came through the window and fell across the shelf beside his bed. There sat the small silver container that held my late mother’s ashes. It was smooth and cool when I picked it up. I clutched it tight against my heart and sank onto the edge of the bed.
“Mom,” I whispered, “why did you have to go so soon?”
Tears poured down my face again. I rocked back and forth with the urn pressed close, feeling the weight of everything I had lost. Dad could not even look at me now. My mate threw me away in front of the whole pack like I was dirty laundry.
They all laughed.
They all saw me as nothing. My wolf paced inside me, snarling and snapping at the air. She wanted blood. She wanted revenge. I hugged the urn harder, imagining my mother’s gentle voice telling me to be strong. But strength was not enough anymore. The good girl died tonight on that bedroom floor. From now on I would be the storm.
I would take what they denied me. I would seduce the one man who could ruin them all. Alpha Kaden.
My father’s ruthless best friend. The alpha whose name made warriors lower their eyes. He was older, powerful, and forbidden. The thought of his hands on me sent a dark thrill through the pain.
I would make him crave me until he forgot every rule. I would make Liam regret every cruel word. I would make the pack choke on their laughter.
A soft knock pulled me from the haze. The door opened and Sarah stepped in. Her face looked sorry, but her eyes held that same pity from earlier. She sat beside me and put an arm around my shoulders.
“Ashley, I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “What Liam did was cruel. The whole pack is talking, but I’m here for you. You don’t have to be alone.”
I leaned into her for a moment, letting the warmth of her hug fight the cold emptiness. “Thanks, Sarah. It hurts so much. He called me useless in front of everyone. My own father wouldn’t even speak for me.”
Sarah nodded and pulled out her phone. She swiped the screen a few times. “Look, you should see this. It’s trending everywhere online. The videos from the room are blowing up. Everyone is sharing clips and memes. You need to know what they’re saying so you can be ready.”
“No,” I said sharply, turning my face away. “I don’t want to see it. Don’t show me.”
She sighed and put the phone down. “Okay, I won’t push. But I have to leave soon. My shift at the bar starts in twenty minutes. I need to get there or the manager will be angry. Will you be okay here alone?”
The thought of staying in this house with the laughter still echoing in my ears made my stomach twist. “Please, Sarah, let me come with you. I can’t stay here. I need to get out. Just for a little while.”
She hesitated, biting her lip. “If you really want to, then fine. But you have to promise to stay calm. No scenes. Just sit and breathe. Come on.”
I followed her out of the house. The night air felt cool on my skin, but inside I burned. We walked the short path to the pack bar at the edge of the territory.
The place was dim with low-hanging lights and wooden tables full of wolves unwinding after the failed ceremony. Music played softly in the background. Smells of beer and fried meat hung thick. A few heads turned when we walked in, but I kept my eyes down.
Sarah led me to the long bar and pointed at an empty stool. “Sit here. I’ll be right behind the counter serving. Try to relax.”
I slid onto the stool. The wood felt sticky under my legs. Sarah poured me a small glass of vodka. “Here, start with this. It will help numb the edge.”
I took the glass and swallowed the first gulp. The liquid burned down my throat like fire, but it felt good. It matched the fire already inside me. “More,” I said, pushing the glass forward. “Give me something stronger.”
Sarah frowned while pouring drinks for other wolves. “Only water or diluted for you, Ashley. You’ve had enough pain tonight.”
But her colleague James leaned over from the other end of the bar. He was a tall wolf with sharp eyes and a smile that never reached them.
He had heard the whole story from the whispers earlier. I could see it in the way he looked at me. Like fresh meat. He poured a taller glass of something dark and slid it to me without Sarah seeing.
“Here, sweetheart,” he said low. “This will hit harder. You deserve it after what that bastard did.”
I drank it fast. The burn spread through my chest and belly. It felt freeing. I asked for another. James kept giving me the strong stuff every time Sarah turned to serve customers at the tables.
He leaned close once while pouring. “I heard what happened. Delta Liam is a fool. A pretty virgin like you wasted on him. I would love to taste that untouched blood myself. Show you what a real wolf can do.”
His words should have scared me, but the alcohol made everything fuzzy and warm. I drank more. The room started to tilt. My head ached like someone hammered nails into my skull. I pulled out my phone and called my father. Once. Twice. Three times. Four. He did not pick up. Each ring felt like another slap. He really had turned his back on me.
I could not sit anymore. The ache in my head mixed with something worse. A deep throbbing heat between my legs. My body felt alive in the worst way. Tonight I was supposed to mate under the full moon.
Supposed to feel Liam claim me and fill me and make the bond complete. Instead I sat here empty and aching. My nipples pressed hard against the torn dress. Wetness slicked my thighs.
The wolf inside me whined and paced, begging for touch. Strong hands. Rough hands. Any hands to ease the fire. The need made me dizzy and angry at the same time. No one was here for me. Not my mate. Not my father. Just this horrible empty hunger.
I slid off the stool and stumbled toward the door. Fresh air. I needed fresh air and a cab to take me somewhere far from this night. The bar door swung open and cool wind hit my face. The world spun harder. I leaned against the wall outside trying to steady myself.
Then James appeared beside me. He had left the bar without Sarah noticing. A small scooter bike waited at the curb. His eyes gleamed under the street light.
“You look rough,” he said with a grin. “Let me take you home on my bike. It’s faster than waiting for a cab. Come on.”
Before I could answer, his hands moved quick. One slid up my side and cupped my breast through the thin fabric of my bra. His fingers squeezed. The touch sent sparks through the drunken heat, but it felt wrong. Dirty.
“Wait,” I mumbled, trying to push him away.
He laughed softly and reached for the key to kick-start the machine.
“How dare you.”
The voice cut through the night like thunder. Deep and baritone and full of command. It froze everything.
James and I both looked up fast. My vision blurred, but I saw him. Tall. Broad shoulders filling the darkness. Alpha Kaden stood there under the moonlight. His jaw tight. Eyes burning with fury. Power rolled off him in waves.
James went pale. His hands dropped from me. “Alpha Kaden,” he stammered, voice shaking. “I was just helping her home. She’s very drunk. I swear.”
Drunk Ashley felt a silly smile spread across my face. The world tilted, but I pointed straight at the powerful alpha. “Daddy? Daddy?”
Before I could say the third word, I vomited on his trousers right on his crotch.
