From Bait to Queen: The Rejected Mate's Destiny

Hayley POV:

I didn't die. But Brennen's plan required one last performance. "You must go back," he'd said. "Play the victim so the death looks real."

Dragged back to the penthouse by guards who found me "unconscious," I stood in the foyer two days later, arm in a sling, smelling of burnt flesh and antiseptic.

"You're alive," Karina said from the velvet sofa, filing her nails. "How disappointing."

She walked over, heels clicking on marble. "Dean and I decided the guest room is too drafty. I'm moving into the Master Suite."

My heart stopped. The Master Suite was the only place that smelled entirely of Dean-my only sanctuary to soothe the rejected bond.

"No," I said. "That's where I sleep. I need the scent to heal."

"You're a glorified pet, Hayley. Get your things out. You're sleeping in the servant's quarters in the basement."

"I won't," I said, defiant.

Karina's eyes flashed. She threw herself backward into a side table. A vase shattered.

"Ah!" she screamed. "Hayley! Stop!"

The elevator pinged. Dean stormed out, aura flaring. "What is happening?"

"She pushed me!" Karina sobbed. "I asked her to help with my bags, and she attacked me!"

"I didn't!" I cried. "Dean, use your senses! You know I wouldn't hurt anyone!"

Dean looked at us. His pupils were dilated, his expression vaguely confused, as if fighting through a fog. He sniffed the air, but then shook his head, the hardness returning to his eyes. He chose her. Again.

"Kneel."

The Alpha Command slammed into me, a biological imperative crushing my will. My knees hit the marble with a crack.

"You attacked my future Luna," Dean loomed over me. "Take her to the Quiet Room."

"Dean, please," I begged through the mind-link. It has silver in the ventilation. It will kill me.

Then maybe you'll learn to behave, his voice echoed, cold and distant.

Guards dragged me to the windowless concrete cell. The door slammed. Then came the hiss.

Fine, glittering silver dust drifted from the vents. It touched my skin like microscopic embers. I curled into a ball, screaming silently as the dust settled into my unhealed wounds. It felt like an acid bath.

Hours later, the door opened.

"Get up," Dean ordered. He hauled me up, ignoring my flinch. "Clean yourself up. We have the Charity Auction tonight. You will smile, and you will show everyone how benevolent I am. Do not embarrass me."