The Claw's Penalty: She Survived to Rule Them All

an ann

rriage to Alpha Kaden, I agreed to

husband coddle his mistress, Britta

n't let me leav

Kaden used his Alpha Command to force me

to frame me, Kaden pistol-whipped me and let a

rip" left by his father

when Brittaney fake

ed in my ribs and ordered "The Quar

silver burned my skin, he ro

I was the fam

ime, cutting me down and handin

mate bond didn't just break

he had broke

shattering the bond, he

ed not as his wife, but as

cage to beg for a forgive

pte

Harlo

just cold; it was predatory, sucking the h

annulment,"

vy, like a guilloti

he high seat, her face a mask of rigid tradition. She wasn't looking at me with hatred, b

id, my voice trembling but audible. "I can't play Ka

rlow. Your father died for my son. We gave you a home. We gave

neck. "Look. Five years, and I'm still blank. Every full moon, my blood boils, my heat hits, an

then away. A shadow of discomfort passed

g her usual bite. "If you leave without the Alpha's rejection, you commit tr

Penalty,"

of her chair. "It is the price of breaking a blood oa

shiftless Omega, it w

his cold blue eyes looking through me. I t

t," I wh

lieved that I hadn't begged. "Sunset. The en

eeded air. I headed for the garde

ceholder, Brittan

ice was gravel

d. The scent of synthetic vanilla and desperati

marked her. My wolf is dormant around her.

bond didn't snap loudly. I

ll kick her out,

nothing. Just a sl

run, blind

r

od hound, all muscle and

I whispered,

. Its jaws clamp

king at its snout. Pain se

er! H

g heavily. He kicked the hound in the

ood pooling in the wh

me. He looked pa

eady flowing. "Oh god, Kaden! She

I gasped, black spots

my blood, but he suppressed the instinct. His face hard

at m

eased him," Bri

ne

My bones locked. I collapsed onto the gravel,