This Dark Wolf (Soul Bitten Shifter #1) - Everly Frost Page 0,76
me, he grips her shoulders and murmurs something to her.
Shock passes through me.
He has disregarded me in favor of my attacker.
A quick check of Jace’s reaction reveals that he has also frozen, his shoulders suddenly tense. Jace’s gaze flicks to me and I can’t stand the apology in his eyes.
Fuck this. I can’t stay here in this room a second longer.
Taking a quick breath, trying to control the rising tide of hurt and anger inside me, I turn away from Tristan and Jace and stride toward the elevator, my fists still clenched.
The crowd parts immediately to let me through, every shifter backing away from me in a hurry, casting quick glances from me to Tristan.
I don’t look back, snarling at them as I pass by.
Now that the crowd moves out of the way, Iyana races toward me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and pulling me away from the watchful shifters. Danika holds the elevator door open for me, gesturing for us to hurry inside it. There’s no direct sunlight in this room or I imagine their roles would be reversed.
As soon as Iyana and I enter, Danika lets the doors close, thumps the button for the seventh floor, and throws her arms around me. Iyana follows, their arms tangling in a group hug that makes it hard for me to suppress my misery.
“Oh, sweetie,” Iyana says, stroking my hair as I drop my head to her shoulder. “That was seriously fucked-up pack bullshit.”
My eyes are burning with tears. The fight was bad enough, but Tristan consoling Bridget at the end has now sent a message to his pack that rips away my worth: They can attack me and he will side with them.
They are his pack and I am not.
I can beat them, knock them down, but I will never be one of them.
Danika rubs my back and I can’t stop my tears from flowing.
“Fuck mornings,” I say.
Chapter Twenty
The corridor is deserted as Iyana and Danika help me to their room. I’m a shivering, shaking mess by the time we reach it.
The aftermath of my fight with the women is worse than all of the times Dawson took his shit out on me, and I don’t understand why it’s affecting me so much right now. It’s not like I’m physically wounded.
My teeth chatter as Iyana pushes the door open to their room at the end of the corridor. “This is where they put us.”
It’s a corner room with windows on two sides—both covered with block-out blinds that Iyana has taped to the window frames around the edges to keep the sunlight out. Separate beds sit along each far wall, and a small bathroom is located off to the left. I remember Tristan saying that the seventh floor is for the single women, some of whom I’m assuming are currently upstairs—the ones I put on their butts.
Iyana firmly closes the door but mutters unhappily that there’s no lock.
I stumble inside the room while Danika keeps hold of me.
“Are you hurt, sweetie?” she asks, guiding me to the nearest bed and helping me sit. “We can get ice if you need it.”
I shake my head, pressing my lips together, unable to speak.
Iyana crosses to the bed and kneels in front of me, looking me over with alarm when I start to rock back and forth, curling over my knees.
“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” she asks.
“She must be in shock,” Danika says, leaning across the gap between beds to snatch the blanket off the other bed and wrap it around my shoulders, rubbing my back and holding me close. “She let her guard down and they attacked her. I’ve seen it happen. It’s worse than when you expect an attack.”
With my arms now wrapped up in the blanket, I can’t swipe at my tears, hating the continuing burn at the back of my eyes. I wasn’t prepared for someone to try to hurt me. Despite the conflict with Tristan, I thought I would be safe among his pack at least. Hell, last night I was eating cake.
All of my rage has evaporated and left me vulnerable. Having friends who care about me is only making it worse, giving me a safe place to fall apart.
Except that it’s not so safe after all.
Tristan’s presence suddenly floods my senses again. His footsteps thud in my hearing, rapid beats approaching along the corridor.
My heart lurches. Iyana’s head snaps up. At the same time, Danika’s arms clench tighter around me.