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"Why, it’s not your fault?"

"I just don’t"

Please, please, please, please

He took a hold of her shoulders and shook her gently, his expression darkening "You better not be asha to feel ashaest person I know I’oddess She felt tears choke her throat again Why did he have to be so perfect?

"Please don’t tell," she persisted

Ryder sighed, shaking his head "I won’t But it’s not so you can hide easily, Jaeden And no one will care The pack is just happy to be getting you back"

"Still"

He held a hand up in surrender, sently "I promise, I won’t tell" Relief flooded her, and then immediately dissipated when his expression sobered, and he said, "But Caia already knows everything She could see your torture through Ethan’s eyes"

The blood drained fro had been an issue after Marita and her ‘operatives’ had worked out a plan of defense against Du Bois and his gang of rebels And it wasn’t because her body had still been pu so well in classes at the Center; it wasn’t because she was juiced with excitement over how efficient and deter the MacLachlan attack; it wasn’t because she was nervous about her next day of classes ahead

It was because of the beautiful redhead who had disappeared into Lucien’s rooht she had tossed and turned, straining to hear any sounds fro what she would do if she did Finally, she had used the telecom system by her bed to contact Noble and ask him if it was possible for her to have private use of the woodland sio for a run

Of course it wasn’t a proble in what she knew to be fake, fresh, woody air and yet exhilarating in it anyway, Caia willed her body just this once to change like it used to She re Lucien and the others that her body slipped into wolf likethe day they were scheduled for their first pack run together since it had happened, Caia felt her anger build irrationally Lucien had been so kind as she explained the situation, and she had been so scared he would look on her as less of a lykan because of it No one in the pack had sneered at her, or condemned her, and she kneas all because of hi so bombshell back to his room? A bombshell he most obviously had a sexual past with, she rippled with fury, her eyes glaring at a large tree in front of her

Rose had clung to his arrowl ripped out of Caia’s chest, and she felt white heat building from her toes upwards

No, no, no, no, no! she cried But too late, she was stu back blinded Afraid of what she would see her eyes peeled open slowly, and she grie pile of ash in front of her She had destroyed the tree She was really going to have to work on that

Although most of her pent up frustration had expelled froony that Lucien had been in love with someone; and that he loved another woman and couldn’t be with her because of her Did he resent her? Please, Artee be slow Let my bones crack and myher clothes at her feet And then she pushed the change All too quickly she was a wolf, her hard paws sinking into the dirt No cracking, no aching, no tearing

Caia pelted straight into the heart of the woodland, the added feeling of i her speed She hated that she felt this way, hated the rage that gripped a hold of her heart until she was almost blind with the pain This hat itso intense it was as supernatural as the world she lived in Jealousy, she was beginning to realize, was like a cancer It ate at your very being

She ran around the arena until her anger subsided to a thrueable Once she had changed back, and had her jeans and t-shirt on, she turned around to squint at the pile of ash With a flick of her wrist the tree re-materialized

"Good as new," she whispered

If only she could do that for herself

Glamour was easy for her, and Caia could tell Mordecai was beco worried that she was bored

"There really is no challenge in it for you is there?" He sighed, watching as she glamoured an apple to look like a banana

She shook her head "Nope"

Usually, she would have been apologetic, but in truth she was bored, and that s Like Lucien and his lover

Mordecai rubbed his bristly cheek in thought "Weeeeelllll we could try the o back to naturalyou to pick things up so quickly Marion did warn-"

"Martial arts sound good Do I get to kick sohed "Yeah Mine"

She chuckled, not really seeing Mordecai as the Jackie Chan type This should be funny, she ru as she lay prone on a ently down at her "Looks like we found so that doesn’t coular would beher to her feet "Well, that would be unsportsme into the floor?"

"It’s called Judo"