The wind slipped through the trees, cool and damp against Ryleigh’s skin, but she couldn’t feel anything except the tightness in her chest.
She wandered far beyond the garden wall, beyond the dining room and its heavy truths. Her legs had carried her without direction, her heart pounding, her breaths shallow and quick. She clutched her arms around herself, trying to slow her spiraling thoughts, but it was like trying to hold back a storm with shaking hands.
I’m the daughter of the former Beta.
My mother was human.
Callum is my half-brother.
The thoughts came like waves, crashing over and over, each one sharper than the last.
Her knees gave slightly, but she braced herself on the rough trunk of a tree, grounding herself in the bark. She closed her eyes, willing her breathing to slow.
