It felt like forever before I heard footsteps, then the metal creak of the door.
“Karma—ahshit!” That was Phantom’s voice. His scent of gunmetal. It was like my senses were heightened, and it was a perfect pairing with ocean storm and desert eclipse.
Devastatinglygood.
Like the scents could wrap me up and make me forget how awful I was.
I shook the thought loose.
They’d come back.
Oh…
My prayers were rarely real, but right now I sent one up to the heavens. That they wouldn’t lose themselves, too.
Not Phantom or… or Sin. This was his pack, right? He would be able to offer me that bite.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
He couldn’t.
I heard Karma’s growl. It vibrated down to my bones, daring me to curl up closer, to accept his claim. His protection.
But I shouldn’t.
How cruel and wrong.
I dared a glance up, keeping my eyes mostly shut. The room was blurred through lashes, but I could see Phantom standing over the bed. Karma drew me closer, growling again.
For the first time in my life, I was being held the way I dreamed—and it was among the ashes of pure destruction.
He wascompletelygone.
I’ddone that.
I choked back tears.
They were right. The Sisters had been right.
First Luke Anderson, and now… now this beautiful alpha, who’d been cursed for offering me protection.
Ash had always muttered during lessons that ‘corruption’ was a stupid lie, and she knew so because they never told us exactly what it meant. But now I was seeing it—and itwasreal.
Karma was letting out a threatening growl tohis ownpackmate.
This was true evil.
I jumped at a cool touch on my arm and shifted to see Sin was climbing into the bed beside us both. Karma didn’t react like he had before, though he still drew me tighter. I watched as Sin nudged Karma’s chin with his knuckle, turning his palm and resting it on his packmate’s cheek.
Karma didn’t growl this time, and I thought maybe his grip on me might have loosened somewhat.
Was that a pack lead thing?
Sin shifted closer, hand winding beneath me. His touch was so safe. So cool. He drew me up, towel and blankets and all, forcing Karma to adjust.
I looked into Karma’s eyes properly again, voids of black.
Nothing left…