Filed To Story: Secret with Betas Daughter: Skylar Story Series
“I’m here Little One, just keep walking. As soon as he’s out of sight I’ll get you.
“Why can’t the brand take pain too? He didn’t hurt me really, but I don’t like being accused of cheating or leading people on. I would never do that to someone. I can’t even feel affection for him and I still didn’t go after any other guys even when he stopped giving me information.
“Pain lets us know we’re still alive. It lets us know that something is wrong. We cannot take pain away, but we can work through it. You’re almost to me. Let’s go for a run.”
“Okay.”
I sniffle back my tears and take a deep breath. I will work through this like I work through everything else that has frustrated me over the years. I will let my wolf out, let her take control and protect me until I can get my head on straight again.
I don’t talk to Osiston, Nickolas or even Mina about what happened. Someone wanted a result and they got it. I don’t know if Sam and the guys were trying to get under my skin, or if they were trying to push Tyler away or maybe thought he would be jealous and fight for me, but I was used, and I dont appreciate it at all.
I leave my phone on airplane mode most days. I use it only for music when I workout…alone. If anyone needs to talk to me they can mindlink me. I know I’m being followed, I can always feel a presence near me, but I don’t ask who it is or acknowledge them.
I have switched from sharing a room with Mina to staying in one of the other guest rooms with my door locked if I am home. I still go to classes, I just make sure that I am surrounded by other people so Tyler, Mike and Mina can’t sit nexttome. *
I shift and run almost every night with Osiston hot on my tail. He says nothing just lets me go and keeps me from doing anything to jeopardize our mission.
Three weeks after my disastrous birthday, Mina comes into my room. She picked the lock and tried and failed to make a joke of being proud of herself. I was sitting on my bed doing homework, like the good old days.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would go down like that.
“SO you were in on the set-up? It’s good to know my friends have my back. What was the end game there? Cause I still haven’t figured it out.
“You weren’t getting anywhere with him, so when Xander brought your present we thought we could use it to make him jealous and spark a reaction.
“Well, you were right. His reaction was to call me a two timing wh*re and all of you ruined the memory of a gift that should be special to me. Do the guys know that their gift and I were used to bait Tyler?
She looks down at her hands, clasping and unclasping them.
“That’s what I thought. And who’s ‘we’ exactly?
“Alyssa and I.”
She whispers.
“So you didn’t get the idea from Xander or Nickolas or
Osiston? Did Xander explain the significance of the necklace?
“No.”
She’s still whispering.
“Well, let me enlighten you. What I told Tyler was true. I hate my birthday because my dad hates my birthday. My dad hates me because on the day of my birth I killed his mate.
Until last year my birthday was never celebrated, ever. It wasn’t allowed. You know about the bullying, what you don’t know is that until the beginning of my freshman year my bullies included my father, my brother and rest of the future leaders of my pack. My basic existence was not even recognized by any of my peers. Not even by my brother.
Until my freshman year I had no real friends, also something that was not allowed. It was safer for people to steer clear of me. The only people who remotely gave a sh*t about me were Luna Ava, in secret, my nanny, who was beaten in front of me if my father thought she overindulged me by being too kind, and then our housekeeper who took over after my nanny was fired. The only reason I have friends now is because of Sierra.
The minute she stepped foot in my pack Sam was attracted to her and decided being nice to me would get him in her good graces. That’s how they figured out I was being harmed by more than just my father and to what extent my father mistreated me. So for the first time in my life my birthday was celebrated last year and it was beautiful.
The guys got me these bracelets,”
I held up my arm, “and clearly kept the theme of the combined color coded gift this year with their necklace and you decided to use it for your own selfish gains.”
I look from her to my open door. “You can come in, lingering at the door mouth breathing isn’t doing you any favors.”
~
Both Osiston and Nickolas walk in, looking not too pleased.
“Is that why Tyler came by asking to see you looking like he was in a cage fight?”
Nickolas asked. “And we are not mouth breathers.
I couldn’t suppress a small smile at the idea I hit him hard enough to leave a mark. I just nodded.

New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.