Someone barked at me as I struggled. I looked up and saw several armed men pointing their guns at me. Every barrel was aimed at my heart or my head. I sucked in a sharp breath.
Hunters!
Before fear could fully set in, my gaze drifted past the hunters to a figure skulking behind them. Frank was slinking toward the church exit.
"Frank!" The sight of him made my blood boil. I nearly leaped up but was forced back by those gun barrels. I clenched my teeth as hurt and rage churned inside me, hot and cold at once. "Why?!"
When I had spotted him, Frank reluctantly stepped out from the crowd.
He looked at me with disgust. "You monster. You took everything that should have been mine. I just wanted to take it back!"
"What?" I didn't understand.
"The Goldens," he spat out his own parents' names without an ounce of affection, only resentment. "They had me, their own son, but left everything to you, an outsider!"
"Can you imagine how I felt? I finally came back to Tara, only to find my home and my parents' inheritance in your hands. They didn't leave me a single penny! They deserve to rot in hell!"
"How can you curse your own parents like that?" I demanded, trembling with anger.
"They don't deserve to be my parents!" Frank roared. He kicked a nearby church pew so hard it crashed over. "All I did was gamble a little money, and they threw me out! I was chased by debt collectors like a dog, but they wouldn't lift a finger to help me pay! Why should I suffer out there while they lived peacefully at home? And then they died and still wouldn't give me my inheritance!"
The hunters were unfazed by his tantrum. Watching his unhinged display, I felt nothing but disappointment and revulsion.
So that was the truth.
No wonder the Goldens had mentioned having a son but never spoke of him during my time with them.
"You disgusting coward. You have no right to speak of the Goldens!" I said furiously. "They were the kindest people. They took in a stranger like me and saved my life. If you hadn't been beyond redemption and had refused to change, they never would have given up on their own son!"
"Shut up! What does a monster like you know?!" Frank exploded. "You're not even human, just a beast wearing human skin! You talk a good game, but you just fooled my parents. Do you think they would've taken you in if they'd known you were a werewolf?"
The words sliced into my heart like a knife, bringing a bleeding pain.
"So you never loved me. The proposal was all a lie too," I said quietly.
Frank sneered. "Took you long enough to figure it out. If you'd been an ordinary woman, I wouldn't have minded actually marrying you. You're young enough, pretty enough, and you could've made me money. But you're a werewolf. I'm not marrying a monster!"
Monster.Beast.I ground my teeth.
"If you're so scared of what I am, why didn't you just run?" I snapped. "You convinced me to stay. You sold me to hunters for money! You traitor!"
"She's got you there, Miss Werewolf." Another voice cut in. A middle-aged man with three claw scars across his left cheek walked into the church. He was tall and commanding, andevery hunter straightened when they saw him. "Running from werewolves is useless. The only way to eliminate the threat is to strike first. Mr. Golden is a smart man who understands this, which is why he came to us and made the right choice."
"Who are you?" I watched him warily.
"My name doesn’t matter to a werewolf. You can call me by my codename—Falcon. I'm the leader of this operation." The man crouched before me and used a gloved hand to lift my chin. "The Luna of Vernal. You're prettier than I imagined. And more… naive!"
"Let go of me!" I tried to pull away in disgust, but the shackles restricted my movement.
"Don't waste your energy." Falcon stood up. "Those restraints are specially made—just for monsters like you. They're coated with enough silver and wolfsbane that if you struggle and break the skin, the poison will kill you instantly. Even an Alpha would have trouble escaping those, let alone a powerless Omega."
He was right. Despair crept in, but I didn't let it show. "If you know I'm just an Omega, then you know my pelt and blood aren't worth much on the black market. You've caught me. Why not just kill me?" Doubt and worry slipped through. "What do you want?"
"Smart girl." Falcon grinned. "I'll tell you. It's simple. We want the Vernal Alpha dead."
My heart stopped. "You'll never succeed!"
Falcon nodded approvingly. "True. Elias Vernal is a powerful werewolf. Even though we've sent an invitation demanding hecome alone, we probably can't subdue him easily. But"—his tone shifted—"with you here, everything changes."
