JAYDEN
The burning scales on Lauren’s skin grew larger by the second, and her piercing screams cut through the air, unbearable to hear. “Go get Vanessa,” I ordered one of the girls, who dashed out immediately.
“Help me, please,” Lauren begged, tears streaming down her face as she looked up at me. “I promise I won’t poke my finger at her again. I’ll be good. No— I’ll leave this place for good.”
Part of me wanted to end her then and there, especially after she had pushed Catriona down. But seeing her like this—helpless, broken—was unsettling.
The door burst open and Vanessa, Pamela, and Alaia hurried in.
“What happened to her?” they asked together, noses wrinkled at the sharp, suffocating smell radiating from Lauren.
“She turned like this just moments after attacking Catriona,” I expl
