Chapter 9
The next morning, I made my way to the financial office, my stomach tied in knots. The campus was quieter than usual since we were still on break. the fog hanging over the walkways giving everything a cold, muted feeling. Inside the office, the air was thick with the smell of stale coffee and paper, but it did nothing to calm my nerves.
The woman behind the desk barely looked up as I approached. “Can I help you?” she asked, voice flat.
“I’m Renee Caldwell. I received a notice about my tuition balance?”
I gave her my student ID. She typed it up, her eyes flicking over the screen.
“Yes, it looks like there was a block on your account. Unfortunately, the payment didn’t process as expected.”
I forced myself to stay calm. “How long do I have to fix this?”
She tapped a few more keys, then looked at me with something between sympathy and indifference. “We can hold off on any late fees for a week,
but after that, you’ll need to make arrangements for payment, or we’ll have to withdraw you from the program.”
A week. That wasn’t much time. My fingers tightened around the strap of my purse. “I’ll figure something out.”
Please do. You can contact us with your payment information by then.”
I nodded, leaving the office with my thoughts already running a mile a minute, but I already knew where I was heading: the office’s bank of computers. I couldn’t afford to chance taking any longer than a week, couldn’t chance being removed from my program when I was literally a semester away from graduating.
That meant I would have to apply for a loan. It took a little while to do so between comparing rates and figuring out the best type to get. The high- interest rates were unsettling, and the thought of being indebt until I turned 25 irritated me, but at least I could defer the interest until after graduation. After finishing the paperwork and getting it over to the financial aid office, I called my bank.
A little while later, a customer service representative answered.
“How can I assist you today?” she asked, her tone robotic.
“I need to lift the freeze on my account. I’m Renee Caldwell, and the account was locked recently.”
The representative clicked a few keys. “It looks like the lock was placed by your pack alpha, Philip Caldwell. Since you’re under twenty–five, only he can authorize the removal.”
“That’s fucking insane. He’s not even on the account.”
“It’s the law ma’am… the Alpha’s Authority Ordinances?”
I scoffed, remembering the political maelstrom… though I wondered now if Dominic had voted for or against the policy.
“I’ll figure something out, thank you.”
I hung up before I lost my temper and gathered my things to leave the financial aid office. There was nothing more I could do here for now. I needed to get to the library to do some research on the path forward.
I stepped out of the financial office, my head spinning with the weight of everything that was slipping out of my control. I barely made it two steps before I heard his voice.
“Renee!”
I froze, my heart lurching in my chest. Of course, it had to be Tyler. He came rushing toward me, a strained look on his face, his posture stiff as though he was trying to mask his anger with feigned concern.
“Renee, please–can we talk? 1—”
I didn’t give him the satisfaction. I turned on my heel and kept walking, my steps quickening as I tried to block him out. It didn’t work. Tyler grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop.
“Why are you ignoring me?” he demanded, his voice rising in volume. “What’s your fucking problem, huh? Are you really going to pretend nothing’s wrong?”
I glared up at him.
“You know exactly why I’m ignoring you, and what the problem is.” I yanked my arm free. “Stay away from me Tyler.”
But Tyler didn’t, grabbing my arm again and yanking the Philip used to when I was younger, pulling me to face him, his eyes wild now.
1/3
504 PM
Chapter 9
“Who is he, Renee? Who’s the guy you’re cheating on me with? Is that it? I know you’re seeing someone else.”
I felt my skin flush with irritation. The crowd that had gathered around us was growing, eyes locked onto the two of us like we were some kind of spectacle. I snarled, yanking my arm out of his grip, and got in his face.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve accusing me!” I took a deep breath, making sure everyone in the crowd could hear me loud and clear. “You’re the one who showed up to our Confirmation Ceremony with someone used underwear in your breast pocket like a favor.”
The crowd went quiet for a split second, and I saw the color drain from Tyler’s face. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
“And don’t think for a second I buy it’s from your bachelor’s party days ago. I’m not stupid! A stripper doesn’t wear expensive, limited–edition underwear, drenched in perfume!” I continued, my tone dripping with sarcasm. “Not one that Vivian would wear.”
1 scoffed. “Even if there was a stripper who made enough, she wouldn’t be more than two sizes smaller than me.”
His jaw clenched, eyes darting around as people murmured and speculated. The strippers of all the kinds of clubs Tyler would be seen at as ganima of Brightclaw, employed women more voluptuous than me. No one would believe he went anywhere else for his bachelor party, especially since there were photos of it all over social media.
“So, I added with a knowing smirk. Tell me, Tyler, are you going to pretend you don’t know exactly why I’m ignoring you? Should I spell it out any more clearly for you?”
For our awaiting audience?
He swallowed hard, and for the first time in ages, Tyler looked like he was the one who was caught off guard. He didn’t speak. He knew that I knew.
Good, the bastard.
“Let, Me. Go,”
He hesitated, tightening his grip for a moment before releasing me. I glared at him.
“I had hoped you’d have at least the sense to back off after the dressing down you got,” I said, the bitterness in my words sharper than I intended. “But here we are.”
He glared at that. “We wouldn’t be here if–”
“You,” I said, my chest aching with barely restrained rage.
I could see his expression from that night in the cabin, the effortless, unbothered, unaffected way he had moved in, thrown me over and hadn’t even waited long enough to see me hit the water before turning back inside.
I snarled, the rumbled of it rattling my whole chest. He jerked back, eyes widened with shock, but not guilt. He must have seen the depth of my hatred for him.
“Here’s the deal, Tyler: if you don’t want this to get bigger than it already is–if you don’t want the entire world to know what I know–then I suggest you leave me the hell alone.”
Tyler opened his mouth to argue, but I didn’t give him the chance. I turned on my heel, striding away from him, leaving him standing in the
middle of the crowd.
I didn’t look back.
As I walked down the corridor, the adrenaline from my confrontation with Tyler still coursing through my veins, I spotted them. Dominic stood at the far end of the hall, his back to me as he conversed with none other than Tyler’s father, the man who had always made it clear how little he thought of me. The older man’s eyes locked onto me the second I walked into view, and his glare could have burned a hole through me if I had thin enough skin.
I didn’t, but as I took in the sight of Dominic standing beside him, something in my chest tightened. Tyler’s family had been part of the Brightclaw Pack, ever loyal vassals to Dominic’s family since Brightclaw was first established.
They had Dominic’s loyalty in a way that I never could.
I glared back at him, returning it with every bit of fury I felt. He seemed surprised as I bared my teeth at him before turning away. As much as Dominic had interceded for me so far, I could not count on his help. For now, it was an issue of consent, but it would take no time for Tyler to convince Dominic it was just something else. He’d be back to championing how reliable and whatever Tyler was soon enough.
And he likely always would until I had proof that couldn’t be denied or explained away to show him. I swallowed hard. I knew the evidence was out there but the bath to get, and get it in front of Dominic, was something I still had to chart.
As I reached the exit of the corridor, I glanced over my shoulder one last time, seeing Dominic just as he started to turn enough to see his face. For a moment, our eyes locked. My heart jolted, but I glanced at Tyler’s father again before leaving without a word.
