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Prologue
Alexa
Life is full of choices—the good, the not so good, and the bad. All of them we learn from and manage to carry on with our lives as if they were barely a thought, andsomewe can’t seem to ever fully recover from. Choices can lead to events that cause you to question why you’re suffering through it. Why do bad things happen? You’re a good person, or at least you hope beyond a shadow of a doubt you are.
They say you learn from those experiences, that you grow from them, and with time, you can forget all about them. I can certainly attest to at least some of that.
Once upon a time—and no, this isn’t some sort of modern fairy tale—I was a cheerful young girl on the verge of womanhood. My life was happy, filled with friends, family, and all with a bright future ahead of me. I was cheer captain and president of the homecoming and prom committees. Most of all, I wasn’t anything like the typical snob most thought I would be due to what I chose to do in high school. I made sure I was kind to everyone. I wasn’t above anyone.
I had lots of fun hanging out and partying with friends. I was and still feel pretty. My parents have always been great. Filled with love, they cherished and doted on me since I’m their only child.
Then one night, I made one of those bad choices that changed everything in my life and left me scarred.
I met Grant Cole.
Tall, built like a superhero, and covered in tattoos that gave him the morally gray look, he was the embodiment of a bad boy. I fell for him instantly.
Talk about the worst decision of my young life. No, I’m not exaggerating this fact. Itwasthe worst decision of my life to ever allow that man near me.
I discovered terrible secrets about Grant over the three short months I was forced to becomehis.
He was sweet, attentive, and everything a girl could want in a boyfriend for the first month of our relationship. It didn’t feel forced at all. He defied every misconception of his looks until I discovered the truth behind his well-constructed facade.
He was a werewolf. A real one. Not a hotTrue Bloodversion type who shifted into a wolf, but an actual, from your nightmares kind of monster. It was at the end of our first month when the full moon came, and I was forced then and the three months after to watch him change and then sit perfectly still as he snarled in my weeping face and scratched me with his long, sharp claws, leaving horrible marks all over my body. He was cruel and twisted, making me endure watching him inflict pain on random animals, and his friends were just as bad.
I wasn’t meant to be with Grant, though. I could feel it deep within my soul, and the strong woman my parents raised me to be was disgusted by how weak he had made me. Because of him, I was stripped down bare and left vulnerable. Nothing like I was before Grant came into my life.
My virginity … taken.
My sense of self and inner voice … gone.
My independence … stripped away.
He stole everything from me, and worst of all, he might be learning about something else if we don’t act quickly.
I’ve hidden my once vibrant self away in the halls of my high school, concealing the torture I have lived in for just the past three months. I have withdrawn from my parents, who know what I’m going through but have no clue what to do in order to help. My friends seemed to have given up on me.
He’s a monster and could easily overpower law enforcement. I’m terrified of being taken from my family or, worse, being forced to watch him end their lives because of their love for me.
I had big plans with my friends after graduation that included spending a month in Europe. Instead, I’m biding my time for Grant to leave, which he does often enough to handle his shady dealings, and then my father will smuggle me away.
The moment Grant is gone, we will make our move, and there’ll be nothing he can do to change it. We have an entire fabricated story that will make it look like I ran away.
I will vanish from my home. Only my parents will know the truth of everything, and hopefully, I can regain who I once was when I’m far enough away not to feel like Grant’s breathing down my neck.
I need to accept that I may never return to my home again and that my one bad choice has redefined my path in life.
My suitcase closes with a resounding snap, closing away my past and paving the way for my future, which I hope will be safe for me and my loved ones. Running a nervous hand down my belly, I take one final glance at my childhood bedroom.
The ticket stubs in a frame. The posters on the walls. The collage of pictures of my friends surrounding me.
All of it will be left behind in order to make it look like I ran away. My car will vanish and be sold off at least one state away to corroborate the story.
I keep repeating the petting of my stomach to help soothe my nerves, I turn to the door and find my mom waiting for me. “Let’s go.”
Chapter One
Miles
