Aleric "Alpha?" Ian’s voice was sharper now, a jagged edge of confusion cutting through the haze. The girl in the pink dress was practically crawling onto me, her scent a cloying, artificial stench that made my stomach churn. She tried to slide a hand up my arm, her fingers trailing over my skin like insects. "Who... who is she?" I asked. My voice sounded foreign, a hollow rattle in my chest as I fought the urge to put my fist through the pink-painted mask she called a face. "Oh, her?" She smiled, a predatory baring of teeth that made her look more like a ghoul than a girl. "Don't bother yourself with that, Alpha. She’s just a nobody." I didn't just remove her hands; I shrugged her off with a force that sent her stumbling. I moved toward the girl on the floor, the world around me

