Chapter 30: Chapter 30

A bell rings announcing that it’s time for the guests to move into another room for dinner.

Like a flock of sheep, they migrate.

Mia and Maria’s eyes glitter. They hang back to watch like this is the greatest show they've ever seen.

It’s just us in the room. There’s a huge koi pond in the corner, where glass doors are open to a solarium. The trickling of water is the only sound aside from murmurs of conversation as the other guests move from this cocktail area to another part of the club for their main meal.

I ignore Greg.

It’s my only play.

I have to think that he isn’t foolish enough to try something here.

Not with so many humans assembled.

I walk the few feet over to Mia and hand the paperwork over to her, saying, "This is the document you asked for."

Mia smiles. After taking the document, she says, “Grace, sorry you had to make the trip. But since you were obviously working this weekend anyway, isn’t it nice that you got off the streets and into this place for a little while?”

She bats her eyes innocently.

Oh yes, she’s done me quite the favor. And I’m so lucky to see how other people live while I’m busy cleaning up garbage.

“Enjoy your party,” I tell them.

I turn around, my eyes on the door, when Greg grabs hold of my arm.

“Why are you in such a hurry? This is our reunion. Let's catch up."

After saying that, he grabs a glass of red wine that someone had left behind on one of the tables and he shoves it again my lips.

It’s a miracle the glass doesn’t shatter in my face.

”Come on, drink up. Back then, you were convicted of driving under the influence. Don't tell me that you can't drink!"

I refuse to open my mouth, and I wrench my body to the side, trying to break his grip on me.

The motion makes Greg stumble and the wine splashes in both our faces and all over his pristine white shirt.

He backhands me. ”Ugh! Do you think you're still Sean's girlfriend? You're an ex-con and a sanitation worker. You have nobody!”

He means I’m a rogue.

I gulp the fear rising in my throat. The terror that makes me want to scream.

Because I’m nowhere near as strong as this male, and in our world…rogues are fair game for anybody.

“You don't know what's good for you!” As Greg shouts, he grabs another drink and throws it in my face.

The cold wine soaks me.

What chills me more are the looks from my other classmates. Mia and Maria are excited by what they see. The few stragglers at the edge of the ballroom, they shake their heads and cringe, but no one calls Greg to stop.

No one tries to help me.

Maria laughs openly.

Mia smiles, saying, "Grace, apologize to Greg. He may forgive you."

"Apologize?" I find the very idea ridiculous. What’s more… this wolf won’t care about an “I’m sorry.”

He’s an old world wolf.

An eye for an eye.

He bled for me. Now he wants his pound of flesh.

I make a rush for the door, but he catches me by the back of my overalls and drags me back.

"Grace, do you think that you're still Sean's girlfriend? Even if I raped you right here, no one would stand up for you!”

Greg throws me and I go flying into the ground. From the way he hurled me, the fabric of my shirt tears open.

“What’s wrong with her skin?” Maria asks.

“Probably from the accident,” Mia replies, watching as I’m assaulted.

I know what they see.

My skin is unnaturally pale. It hasn’t been exposed to any sunlight during my three years of imprisonment. And the scars… they aren’t from the car accident, but from the beatings and abuses I endured while imprisoned.

Some of the scars are hideous.

Greg’s eyes widen maliciously as he sees them.

He knows the significance.

I cannot heal.

Whatever he does to me…I’ll bear those marks for the rest of my life.

I struggle to stand up, and though I push to my knees, my hand remains anchored to the ground. What the—

Maria’s stepping on her right hand with her high heels. The high heel is piercing through my skin and raking over a tendon.

“Stop!” I scream.

“Grace,” she says dramatically. “Why are you in such a hurry to leave?”

Greg walks to her side and smiles at her encouragingly. Maria laps it up.

She has no idea he’s just using her. He’s a wolf who has no use for humans.

Maria twists her foot harder.

The pain in my hand reminds me of my prison days when my fingers had been broken inch by agonizing inch.

Back then, I had been unable to defend herself. But I would still fight.

I’d fight to the last breath in my body.

I swipe Maria’s leg behind the knee and she goes down, arms flailing.

I scramble up and run for the door.

I need to get out into the main corridor, where people and employees are.

Greg might assault her here, with minimum witnesses, but he couldn’t pull that shit with so many humans around.

Before I reach the door, I’m caught and dragged back against a hard body.

“Come now,” he whispers. “You know I love the chase.”

I turn my head and catch the flicker of gold in his eyes.

Even his teeth are elongating.

His hand twists mercilessly in my hair.

“You’re slow, now, huh? And weak.”

It’s true.

“Stop! Leave me alone!”

But the doors to the room remain closed and no one comes to help me despite how I scream.

Greg twists the hand he holds in my hair.

We all wait as I scream again for help. After several seconds…nothing.

"Are you surprised, Grace? Don't you know that my family is one of the shareholders of this club... eh?”

It is a pack-held property.

But that doesn’t mean his behavior would be condoned.

I glance at the humans. “You trust them?”

He shrugs as if he doesn’t care. He really believes himself untouchable both in our world and theirs.

His smile is cruel and I fight to escape.

“Little girl,” he whispers so only I can hear. “…I’m going to make you bleed.”

A moment later, I hear a familiar voice saying, "Greg, what are you doing?”