Chapter 2 "Let's give her a hundred chances. If after that you still can't stand her, then... do as you wish. Sever the bond." At the time, I found it utterly absurd. He'd rather push me to the edge of collapse than say a single harsh word to Quinn. But now, his blind devotion to Quinn had become my way out. Watching them play-fight without a care in the world, I smiled bitterly, my voice ragged. "So this incident counts as one of the chances, too, right?" Damian seemed puzzled at first, but still nodded dismissively. "Sure, go ahead and count it. What's one out of a hundred? If that keeps you from being so petty, consider it done." But the truth was, there was only one left. As I stepped out of the pack hospital, the cloud of dust kicked up by a passing car snapped me back to reality. Quinn once said she didn't feel safe riding in cars driven by anyone but Damian. And from that day on, Damian didn't hesitate to "use" one of the chances just to make sure the front passenger seat would always belong to her. Even knowing how much she loved her twisted pranks, he still chose to believe her, again and again. Shivering, I pulled out my phone and called my father, the Alpha living overseas. "Dad, I'll be coming to stay with you very soon." His voice was full of excitement. "When, sweetheart?" "As soon as Damian uses up that last chance." As I spoke, I tapped out a note, logging Quinn's ninety-ninth prank. Before I knew it, I had taken a wrong turn. A pair of blinding high beams flashed across my vision. Dizzy and disoriented, I looked up to see Damian's car pulling up. "If I hadn't turned back to find you, you'd be completely lost by now. Who were you talking to that had so distracted?" Chapter 2 you 1.79% I calmly ended the call. "No one." "You're not with her?" I asked. My coldness since earlier had clearly gotten to him; his frustration was written all over his face. "You're still mad, aren't you? I already promised you a hundred chances. That was already my biggest compromise. What more do you want from me? I'm not just your mate, I'm your Alpha. You're supposed to obey me." "Bastard," my wolf muttered under her breath. I clenched my fists. He used those hundred chances to teach me endurance. When Quinn swapped my burn ointment with wolfbane-laced salve, I kept quiet. When she cost me my unborn pup after eight months of pregnancy, I couldn't even cry. I was beginning to understand. He was using me to please Quinn. To keep her entertained. Now that I no longer cried or caused a scene, he was irritated? I shook my head, worried he might take it the wrong way. I added gently. "It counts as a used chance, right? I'm not angry. Damian's breath caught slightly. Something bitter flickered behind his eyes before he roughly guided me into the car and slammed the door shut. But before we'd even left the outskirts of town, a sharp ringtone cut through the tense silence. He slammed on the brakes and answered the call from [Princess Quinn]. Her tearful voice came through the speaker. "Damian, I got hit by a car!" Instantly, the fury in his eyes vanished, replaced by full-blown panic and concern. "Send me your location! I'll be right there! Hang tight!" He turned to me, all patience gone. "Well, get out! What are you sitting there for?" "What?" I looked at him, stunned. We were in the middle of nowhere. It would take at least thirty minutes on foot to reach the pack house. I told him that clearly. But he latched onto a different point entirely. Chapter 2 1.79% "You're a she-wolf. Just shift and run, it'll only take you a few minutes. But Quinn's not like you. She's thirty minutes away; I need to get to her now. Out!" He dragged me from the car. The door slammed shut with a deafening thud. Without another word, Damian sped off, leaving nothing but dust and exhaust in his wake. He forgot, or perhaps he didn't care, that I had just lost our child. That my body and my wolf were still fragile, broken. He didn't see the gashes from the accident, nor the blood still trickling steadily down my legs. There was no signal. Every step sent waves of pain radiating through me. I dragged myself forward, step by heavy step, for what felt like an eternity, until the world tilted sharply, then went completely black as I collapsed onto the barren road. Chapter 2 1.79%