Chapter 2

Sloane's POV

I didn't move. "What kind of news?"

Her smile stretched wider. "I found you a husband! Isn't that exciting?"

The words made my stomach drop. A husband? She can't be serious.

"A husband?" The words barely squeezed out.

"Gordon Miller from Pine Pack. He's a Beta, can you believe it? A Beta wants to marry you!" Victoria clapped her hands like she'd just announced I won the lottery. "Sure, he's sixty-five and recently widowed. But he's a "sitting" beta! And his pack is way bigger than ours!"

She shot Martin a pointed look after saying that, but Martin just sat there pretending he didn't hear her. So she gave a disdainful huff and kept gushing at me.

"Best part?" She was practically glowing. "2000 silver coins bride price! 2000! For someone with your... situation."

She's talking about me like I'm a cow at auction.

All the blood drained from my face. "You're selling me."

"Selling?" Victoria's laugh was sharp as glass. "Don't be dramatic, dear. I'm helping you. Think you'll find better? Look at yourself, Sloane. That face isn't exactly winning admirers."

The familiar slap about my birthmark made me flinch, but rage was bubbling up inside me. "I'm not marrying anyone. I'm finishing school and becoming a doctor."

"Doctor?" Scarlett snorted from her corner. "Who'd trust their life to someone who looks like a monster?"

I've heard these words a thousand times.

"You'll do what you're told." Victoria's sweet mask dropped. "Gordon expects to meet you next week. Wedding's in a month. Everything's arranged."

"Arranged?" My voice climbed. "You mean you already took his money?"

Victoria's silence said everything.

"Dad." My voice went deadly quiet. "Did you know about this marriage plan?"

His shoulders sagged. "The debts, Sloane. I owe Barrett's son 1500 silver coins. If I don't pay..."

Course. Always comes back to his gambling.

"So you're trading my life for your debts?"

"I'm sorry." He couldn't look at me. "Never meant for it to get this bad. But Barrett's getting impatient, and you know what happens when people can't pay the Barrett family."

"Deposit's already spent on Martin's debts." Victoria announced smugly. "So you'll marry Gordon Miller, or find 2000 silver coins to repay him. Your choice."

2000 silver coins. I don't even have two in my pocket.

"What if I refuse?"

Victoria's smile turned nasty. "Then Martin's creditors come calling. Wouldn't want your foster father getting hurt, would you?"

Scarlett giggled. "This is perfect! I was getting so tired of looking at that ugly face every years. Finally, some peace in this house."

My hands started shaking. Years of taking their crap, years of being treated like dirt, years of keeping my mouth shut, it all came rushing back.

"No."

Victoria blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I said no." I straightened my shoulders. "I won't marry him."

"You don't have a choice!" Victoria shrieked.

"Yes, I do. I'm twenty-one. I make my own decisions."

Victoria's face turned an ugly red. "With what money? Think you can just waltz away and leave us with this debt? You ungrateful little freak!" The word burned through me. My chest felt tight, like I couldn't get enough air.

I turned and ran to my room, slamming the door behind me and turning the lock with shaking hands. My back hit the door and I slid down to the floor, knees drawn up to my chest.

What have I done? What the hell have I done?

My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. The room felt like it was spinning. 2000 silver coins. The number kept echoing in my head.

I crawled over to the small dresser where I kept Emily's locket. I could almost hear her voice. This locket was the only thing Emily had left behind that was entirely mine.

"Sloane, you're mama's most beautiful baby. You're stronger than you know, sweetheart. Stronger than all of them."

But I don't feel strong right now, Emily. I feel scared. So scared.

I pressed the locket against my chest and let myself cry and that shook my whole body.

That night, sleep was impossible. When dawn broke, I felt hollow but strangely calm. I'd made my choice.

Victoria was already in the kitchen when I walked in, her face set like stone.

"Hope you've come to your senses," she said without looking up from her coffee.

"I have." I poured myself a cup with steady hands. "My decision's final. I won't marry Gordon."

Her cup slammed down so hard coffee splashed everywhere. "You stupid girl! Do you have any idea what you're throwing away? A chance to be respectable! To have a family!"

"I'll work extra jobs to earn the money," I said quietly. "More shifts at the clinic, tutoring, whatever it takes. But I'm finishing school."

"Work?" Victoria's laugh was vicious. "Who's going to hire you? Look at yourself! That face would scare customers away!"

There it is again.

"If that's how you feel," I said, standing up slowly, "then maybe it's time I left."

Her expression went through surprise, anger, then something that looked like pure hatred.

"Fine." Her voice was ice cold. "Leave. But don't come crawling back when reality hits. Pack your things and get out."

Get out. The words should terrify me, but instead, I felt... free.

Twenty minutes later, I walked out of that house with my bag over my shoulder and Emily's locket around my neck. I didn't look back.

I need to find Gaia.

She worked at the tattoo shop downtown, the only person in this entire pack who'd ever treated me like I mattered. In high school, she'd been the only one to sit with me at lunch, the only one who called my birthmark "interesting" instead of "hideous."

The tattoo shop was tucked between a bakery and hardware store. Rock music played inside as I pushed open the door, and the familiar smell of ink and antiseptic hit me.

Gaia looked up from her work station where she was cleaning equipment. The moment she saw my face, she knew something was wrong.

"Sloane? What happened?"

That's when everything crashed down on me. Standing there in the safety of the tattoo shop, with my one real friend looking at me with genuine concern, all the emotions I'd been holding back came flooding out.

My throat closed up. Don't cry.

But I was already crying.

"Hey, hey." Gaia immediately flipped the sign to 'Closed' and pulled me into a hug. "It's okay. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out."

I told her everything through my tears, the arranged marriage, the bride price, my decision to leave. My voice shook the whole time.

"That bitch!" Gaia exploded when I finished. "I knew Victoria was horrible, but this is pure evil!"

Such a relief to have someone on my side.

"I don't know what I'm doing," I whispered. "I don't have anywhere to go."

"Yes, you do." Gaia grabbed my hands. "You're staying with me and my parents."

I shook my head. "I can't impose like that."

"Impose?" Gaia frowned. "Sloane, you're my best friend."

"Because..." I wiped my eyes, trying to find the right words. "Because I need to do this myself."

Gaia studied my face for a long moment. "You sure about this? It's going to be hard."

"I'm sure." My voice was steadier now.

Gaia nodded slowly. "Okay. I get it." She squeezed my hands. "But you're not doing this completely alone. Come on, let's find you a place of your own."