Abby


    I''m still standing in the hallway, breathless and reeling from what | just heard. | feel as though | somehow managed to be in just


    the wrong ce at the wrong time, and | nearly paid the price for it.


    Or perhaps it was the right ce at the right time, because now I''m standing here with potentially valuable information that might


    not only help me win the case against this Alpha, but it may also save lives, if | heard those two strangers correctly.


    Either way, | need to send this video to Officer Martinez, and | need to send it quickly. If it''s true that the lives of children are


    hanging in the bnce, and that those children may be killed this week, then | need to do everything | can to prevent that.


    With shaking hands, | pull my phone back out and begin typing out an email to Officer Martinez with the video attached. The


    email is short and sweet:


    “Officer Martinez,” it reads, “I just overheard this conversation at a party. You might want to take a look. It sounds very serious.”


    But then, just as I''m about to hit send, | hear the soft creaking of the floorboards behind me. Startled, | nce over my shoulder


    expecting to see that the couple from before have returned. My instincts kick in, and my mind automatically begins searching for


    an escape, or even a weapon. Hell, I''ll shift if | need to.


    But then | rx, if only ever so slightly. It''s not the couple; it''s Gianna who is standing there in the middle of the hallway, her


    brows furrowed in a frown.


    Panic courses through me as | quickly hit send and put my phone away. | guess she didn''t run away from the party like | thought


    she did.


    “Oh, hey, Gianna,” | say, trying to sound casual despite the anxiety gnawing at my insides. “Do you need something?”


    | almost cringe at my own words. Gianna was the one who created this mess tonight, and | should be yelling at her to leave. But |


    don''t. | can’t bring myself to stoop to her level, no matter how angry she makes me. | won''t let her win in that regard.


    Gianna’s expression is mostly unreadable with a hint of hatred, just as it always is. Her mask still obscures the upper half of her


    face, and the shadows of the dimly lit hallway just add to her creepy appearance.


    “Is it true?” she growls. “You and Karl?"


    | shift ufortably in my spot, my eyes flickering back toward the party where Karl, who''s standing a short distance away from


    the bar, is engrossed in a conversation with someone else. | take a deep breath before answering Gianna.


    “Yes,” | admit reluctantly, remembering my agreement with Karl. “Karl and | are together again.”


    Gianna is silent for several long moments. | can see her jaw clenching and unclenching in the dim light, her hands curled up into


    fists at her sides. She finally scoffs, her disbelief evident in the curl of her lip.


    “Well, that won''tst long,” she retorts dismissively, her words cutting through the air like a knife.


    | watch incredulously as she walks away, her shoulder mming into mine as she brushes past without another word. The force


    of the impact steals my breath away, nearly leaving me gasping for air. | suppose | shouldn''t have expected any less from


    Gianna, but it still blows me away.


    It seems as though, despite the fact that she’s got Karl''s brother in a trance, she’s still angry over me and Karl.


    At the same time, though, | can’t help but wonder if she’s somehow involved in the mysterious n | overheard earlier. Could


    she be connected to the strange couple and the Alpha they were discussing? It''s a troubling thought, and it only adds to my


    growing list of concerns.


    But right now, there''s nothing more | can do. Officer Martinez has the video, and that''s all that matters.


    | just hope that she can do something before those kids get hurt.


    Hourster, after the party hase to an end, | make my way back to my room, feeling emotionally drained. The events of the


    night have left me in a state of turmoil, and | can’t shake the unease that has settled deep inside of me.


    As | ascend the staircase, | hear footsteps behind me. I turn, my heart skipping a beat as | see Karl approaching. We stop on the


    stairs, standing close together in the dimly lit hallway.


    “Abby,” Karl begins, his voice soft and tinged with sincerity. “I had a good night, despite everything. | can’t stop thinking about the


    time we spent in the woods.”


    My gaze meets his, and I''m momentarily transported back to that secret rendezvous of ours. The very thought of it makes my


    cheeks flush red.


    But the memory is tainted by the events of tonight, and | can’t push aside my feelings of anger and betrayal.


    Before | can say anything, Karl takes a step forward and reaches for me, his fingers brushing against my cheek. “Would you like


    to spend the night together?” he murmurs, his voice low and husky in my ear.


    His offer is tempting, and his touch sends a shiver down my spine. | shudder a bit at the thought of being under the covers with


    him tonight, and | almost say yes.


    But | can''t let go of my anger. Not yet.


    With a sigh, | swat his hand away, my


    gesture a little rougher than | actually


    intended. Karly | sayamuoice”


    tie) J With frustration, “I''m tired,


    and | don''t feel up to being with you


    right now, not after what you did.”


    Please read the original content at


    NovelDrama.Org.


    Karl''s brow furrows, his expression a


    mix of confusion and hurt. “I thought


    we worked it HN fe\ Say hid


    Vise Bided wit disappointment. ‘|


    thought we came to an agreement.


    That we came to an...


    understanding.” Please read the


    original content at NovelDrama.Org.


    | take a step back, creating a little


    more distance between us. “ :


    well, ''m still ang\ Galt, my voice


    oe Sen “What you did,


    Karl, it wasn''t fair. It was thoughtless,


    and it hurt me.” Please read the


    original content at NovelDrama.Org.


    His face seems to fall, and | can see the regret in his eyes. “Abby, | didn’t mean to hurt you,” he says, his voice earnest. “I


    thought | was doing what was best for both of us.”


    | shake my head, my eyes brimming with tears. “But it wasn''t your decision to make,” | whisper, my voice barely audible. “And it


    wasn''t fair to keep me in the dark.”


    Karl''s shoulders slump, and he takes another step back, giving me the space | need. | watch as he looks down at the ground, his


    features filled with remorse.


    “I''m sorry, Abby,” he says. “I never meant to hurt you. | just thought—"


    “Goodnight, Karl,” | whisper.


    Karl pauses, looking a bit shocked. But then the shock is reced with a mask of eptance, and he nods, shoving his hands


    into his pockets. “Goodnight, Abby. | hope you enjoyed the party.”


    With that, | turn and continue up the stairs, my dress trailing behind me. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, and | blink them


    away as | make my way to my room.


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