Chapter 3

3:00 AM.

The villa was finally quiet.

Everyone was passed out in their rooms.

Liam lay beside me, fast asleep, snoring softly.

I stared at the ceiling, waiting in the darkness.

Then, I heard voices.

Not with my ears, but deep in my mind, echoing at the edge of my consciousness.

I thought it was a dream at first, but the voices grew clearer.

It was Liam, Chad, Jade, and several others from the pack. They were talking in a private mind link.

"She bought it. We're safe," Jade's voice laughed with relief.

"I told you she was easy to fool," Chad chimed in. "You should've seen her face. Like a total idiot."

"Alright, let's drop it," Liam said. "That was too close tonight. Be careful from now on."

"But with her mate bond blocked, what could she possibly find out anyway?" Liam added, sounding incredibly smug.

I lay frozen, barely breathing.

They forgot to block me from this link.

Or rather, they thought I was asleep and couldn't hear anything since my mate bond was suppressed.

I didn't even know you could suppress a mate bond.

"By the way, how much of that suppressant do you have left?" Chad asked.

"Enough for six months," Liam replied. "Once she's completely used to the foggy connection, I could mark someone else right in front of her, and she wouldn't even feel it."

They laughed.

My hands clenched the sheets.

So that was it.

There was nothing wrong with my mate bond. He had poisoned it.

"What are you going to do about the Hunt Festival tomorrow?" Jade asked. "With so many packs there, if she makes a scene..."

"She won't," Liam said confidently. "She has no proof, and she doesn't have the guts. Her Alpha King father doesn't care about her. She has nothing without me."

"True," Chad agreed. "Even her job at the agency—she only got that director position because of you. If she's smart, she'll keep her mouth shut and play the good Luna."

"Exactly," Jade purred. "Once she's fully trained, we can keep having our fun."

I wanted to laugh.

My job? I pulled endless all-nighters and launched three major campaigns to secure that director position. Liam had done nothing but forward my resume once. Yet in their minds, all my hard work was just his charity.

They kept talking, planning tomorrow, scheduling their next hookup, laughing at how they'd keep deceiving me.

I lay there, recording every single word in my mind.

I didn't cry. Tears are too cheap for this level of rage.

I closed my eyes and waited for dawn.

Since you think I'm a fool, and since you think I'm easy to handle.

Since you love putting on a show in your little mind link.

I'm going to play a game so big, it'll ruin you.

I'll show you what happens when you push a quiet person too far.