CHAPTER 10: THE ALPHA’S MARK
“Your father wants to see you, honey.”
Jane’s voice was sugar-laced poison. The endearment rang false, like a lie dipped in honey. Catleya looked up from her book, closing it with a soft but resolute snap. She met Jane’s eyes and found what she always expected—nothing.
No warmth. No maternal light. Just the same cold indifference that had chilled her to the bone since the day Jane walked into their lives, wearing her mother’s crown like it was hers to take.
She still wears her skin like a stranger, Catleya thought bitterly. Still pretending she belongs here.
“What does he want with me?” she asked, her voice more guarded than curious.
Am I in trouble?
Her mind raced. She couldn’t think of anything she’d done wrong, yet unease coiled in her stomach like a
