CELESTE
I didn’t know what to do. Knox’s protectiveness was disorienting. He was supposed to reject me. I was grateful that he hadn’t rejected me, but terrified, too. Plus, I wasn’t planning ever to feel gratitude toward a man like him.
“You useless child!” My father shouted as soon as we were alone, his face twisted, spittle flying as he advanced on me. “Do you see what you’ve done? Do you know what kind of shame you’ve brought on me today?”
I looked up slowly.
“You’ve humiliated me before an Alpha!” he spat, slamming his fist on the table. “You useless, cursed thing! I should have left you to die the day you crawled back into my pack!”
His words stung, but I had long run out of tears for him.
“You dare sit there after what just happened?” he continued, pointing at me like I was fil
