My finger scrolled across the screen. Photos appeared one by one.
Layla with... different men?
Someone's arm around her shoulder. Someone holding her hand.
And this one...
Who the fuck is this?
My wolf roared deep inside. Its rationality was consumed instantly by jealousy and rage.
What right did they have to touch her?
"The photos were deliberately shot from misleading angles," Evan spoke rapidly. "All mainstream media are reposting. The text is inflammatory. It exploded overnight. This is clearly an organized attack."
My breathing steadied slightly. Jealousy subsided, anger surged.
Someone was trying to destroy her.
"But these two..." Evan's voice dropped lower as he scrolled to the next photo.
Outside the banquet hall restroom. Me pinning Layla against the wall. Our faces were so close we looked ready to kiss. From this angle, with this lighting... it really did look like an affair.
"And this one."
Yesterday, outside the coffee shop. Me gripping her arm, tears in my eyes. She was crying too. That diary between us.
If these photos weren't secretly taken, weren't exposed with such malice, I might have actually praised the photographer's skill. They were hauntingly beautiful.
"Fuck." I cursed under my breath and kept reading.
The article text was damning.
"According to sources, Ella Ross has maintained ambiguous relationships with multiple married men..."
"Kayden Blackwood went so far as to acquire her partner company in pursuit of Ella Ross..."
"Allegedly, Kayden Blackwood already has a fiancée..."
I shot to my feet. The glass hit the floor, amber liquid and shards exploding everywhere.
"Comments." My voice was dangerously cold. "Show me the comments."
Evan hesitated, then scrolled to the comment section.
Vicious words flooded the screen:
"Ella Ross is a homewrecker? I used to follow her studio..."
"Shameless bitch, destroying marriages and acting so righteous!"
"Boycott Ella Ross! Get out of Baltimore!"
Comment after comment. Endless. Like locusts. Like snakes. Overwhelming.
My hand clenched the tablet. Cracks began spreading across the screen's edge.
"Alpha!" Evan looked at me with concern. "There's worse..."
