Chapter 8
Kara
"That charity case your mother keeps around." Crystal waves a dismissive hand. "What's her name again? Carrot?"
My face burns. Carrot. They're still calling me that.
"Where is she?" Asher's voice is sharp. Dangerous.
Crystal blinks, surprised by his tone. "Oh, around here somewhere. Probably hiding." She laughs. "The girl has no work ethic. I've been chasing her all evening—"
"That's enough."
The command in Asher's voice makes Crystal's mouth snap shut. Her eyes go wide.
Holy shit.
I've never heard him use that voice before. Not with adults. It's cold. Absolute. The kind of voice that doesn't expect disobedience.
An Alpha voice.
"Kara works harder than anyone in this house," Cole says quietly. His tone is softer than Asher's, but no less firm. "And her name is Kara. Not Carrot. Not charity case. Kara."
My heart does something weird in my chest. A painful squeeze.
Why are they defending me?
Crystal's face flushes red. "I—I didn't mean—"
"Where is she?" Blake demands. His eyes are scanning the room now, searching.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
I press myself closer to the ice sculpture, trying to make myself smaller. Invisible.
Please don't find me. Please—
"She's probably in the kitchen," Crystal says quickly, desperate to change the subject. "Or her room. I sent her to wrap party favors hours ago—"
Rage explodes in my chest, white-hot and blinding.
I grit my teeth and crawl out, my knees protesting. My hands are shaking. My vision is blurry at the edges.
Stay calm. Don't give them the satisfaction.
The moment I stand, everything stops.
The room goes silent.
Three pairs of pale blue eyes lock onto me.
And I watch as their faces change.
Asher's mouth falls open. His gaze drags from my face down to my legs—slowly, deliberately, like he's memorizing every inch—and then back up. His pupils dilate. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows hard.
Why is he looking at me like that?
Blake stares at me like I've just materialized out of thin air. His tongue darts out, wetting his lower lip. "Holy shit," he breathes.
Cole's eyes go wide. He tilts his head, and a slow, wicked smile spreads across his face—the kind of smile that makes my stomach flip. "Well, well, well..."
What the fuck is happening?
My heart is pounding. My palms are sweating. My wolf—dormant, sleeping—stirs inside me, confused and restless.
Why are they looking at me like that? Like I'm... like I'm...
I can't finish the thought.
Lillian's voice is shrill. "Asher, what are you—"
"Quiet." Asher's voice is flat. Cold. He doesn't even glance at her.
Holy shit. He just shut her down.
Jade tugs on Blake's arm. "Babe, are you seriously—"
"Let go." Blake shakes her off without looking away from me. His eyes are burning. Hungry.
Oh God. Oh fuck.
Nina's eyes narrow. "Cole, I don't appreciate—"
"Not now." Cole waves her off dismissively, like she's a fly buzzing around his head.
The three women exchange furious glances. Lillian's face is red. Jade looks like she wants to punch someone. Nina's nostrils flare with barely suppressed rage.
They're pissed. They're really, really pissed.
And part of me—the dark, spiteful part—feels a flicker of satisfaction.
Good. Let them feel what it's like to be invisible.
Asher steps forward. "Crystal, you're dismissed."
Crystal blinks. "But I—"
"Now." His voice drops into that Alpha tone—low, commanding, laced with power that makes the air itself feel heavier.
Crystal's face goes pale. She nods stiffly and scurries out, but not before shooting me a venomous glare.
Run, bitch. Run.
Lillian crosses her arms. "Asher, what is going on?"
Asher finally looks at her. His expression is unreadable. "You should go home."
"What?"
"All of you," Blake adds, his eyes still fixed on me. "We'll see you tomorrow."
They're kicking them out. They're kicking out their girlfriends. For me?
My brain can't process it.
Jade's jaw drops. "Are you kidding me right now?"
"Leave." Cole's voice is gentle, but there's steel underneath. "Please."
Nina's nostrils flare. "Fine. But don't think this is over." She sweeps out, Jade and Lillian trailing behind her, their heels clicking furiously against the marble floor.
The door slams shut.
And then it's just the four of us.
Me. And them.
Run, my instincts scream. Run now. Get out. GO.
But I can't move.
My legs are frozen. My breath is coming in short, shallow gasps.
Asher takes a step closer. Then another. Blake and Cole flank him on either side, forming a wall of muscle and predatory intent.
Oh fuck. Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.
I back up instinctively. My spine hits the edge of the kitchen island.
Trapped.
Shit.
Asher stops a foot away from me. His eyes—those cold, pale blue eyes—are burning now. Hungry. Intense.
"Kara." His voice is low. Rough. It sends a shiver down my spine—half fear, half something I don't want to name. "Explain."
Explain what? Why I exist? Why I'm not dead yet?
My throat is dry. "Explain... what?"
"Why you're late." His gaze rakes over me again, slower this time. Lingering. "Why you're dressed like this."
Like what? Like a person? Like someone who matters?
"I—I wasn't late," I stammer. My voice sounds weak. Small. I hate it. "Crystal made me work under the table, that's why you didn't see me. And before that, I was at school. Dr. Harrison gave me extra problems, and—"
Blake interrupts. His voice is harsh, almost angry. "I'm asking why you're wearing that." He gestures at my outfit, his hand trembling slightly. "Who are you dressed up for?"
What?
My heart pounds. What is happening? Why does he care?
"Tomorrow's my birthday," I say carefully. Each word feels dangerous. "I just... wanted to try something different."
I wanted to feel pretty. For once. Just once.
Asher's jaw tightens. "Different." He leans in, and I catch a faint scent—cold, woody, with a hint of smoke. It makes my wolf stir inside me, restless and confused. "Do you have a boyfriend, Kara?"
What the actual fuck?
"No," I whisper.
"Good." Blake's voice is a growl. "Because if some asshole at school is sniffing around you—"
"Blake," Asher warns.
But Blake ignores him. "I'll break his fucking legs."
What. The. Fuck.
Cole steps closer, his expression softer but no less intense. "Tomorrow, you'll shift for the first time. Your wolf will tell you who your mate is." His voice drops. "Do you know already? Is that why you're dressed up?"
Oh, God.
My pulse is racing. My palms are sweating. My thoughts are spinning out of control.
They're acting insane. They've never acted like this. Never. Why? Why now? What changed?
And then it hits me.
The clothes. The makeup. The hair.
They're looking at me because I look different. Because for once, I don't look like trash.
The realization makes something ugly twist in my stomach. Anger. Disgust.
So that's all it takes? A skirt and some lipstick?
I force myself to meet Asher's gaze. "You told me I'm too fat to get a boyfriend. Remember?" My voice shakes with barely suppressed fury. "You said no one would ever want me."
Asher flinches like I just punched him.
Blake's face goes white.
Cole looks like I just slapped him.
Good. Feel that. Feel what your words did to me.
"As for a mate?" I laugh bitterly. The sound is ugly. Broken. "I don't want one."
The silence that follows is deafening.
Asher's hands curl into fists. "What did you just say?"
"I said I don't want a mate." My voice is stronger now, fueled by years of rage. Years of pain. Years of being nothing. "Because he'll treat me the way you treated me. He'll call me names. He'll make me feel worthless. I've had enough of that to last a lifetime." My vision blurs with unshed tears, but I refuse to let them fall. Don't cry. Don't you dare fucking cry. "If my mate is anything like you three? I'd rather be alone forever."
Blake's face crumples. "Kara—"
"No." I shake my head. "I'm done. I'm done."