Chapter 26
It all hit me at once-the cold shoulder, the smug looks, Adam’s distance. The way Jenny had turned everything inside out without blinking. I was still standing there, frozen just past the doorway, when the last piece clicked
into place.
And then, just before I turned away, I saw it: a bra, red and expensive-looking, slung carelessly over the arm of
the chair. The same kind I’d seen before. Not mine.
Of course. Of course she’d do this.
My chest burned. I didn’t cry, I didn’t move. I just pulled out my phone, found her name, and hit call.
From behind the bedroom door, a ringtone went off.
“Seriously?” Adam’s voice, annoyed. “You’re gonna check that right now?”
Jenny’s reply was airy and amused. “It’s your mate. Want to answer it yourself?”
I could hear the smirk in her voice.
Adam gave a dry laugh. “‘Mate’? Come on. That was over ages ago. You know I only want you now, baby.”
Then, a pause. A breathy sound. A bed creaking.
“Focus on me,” Jenny murmured, her voice thick with fake sweetness. “She’s probably off journaling or sulking or whatever it is she does when she’s not hovering. You like this better, don’t you?” She let out a practiced
laugh. “I mean-just look at me. There’s no comparison. I don’t have to chase anyone. I don’t act shocked when
someone actually wants me.”
Adam gave a short, breathless laugh. “Oh god, yeah. You’re so fucking hot, baby. So much hotter than her. It’s
not even close.”
A giggle. Sheets rustling again. A low hum that made my skin crawl.
That was enough.
I hit record, shoved the door open, and stepped into the room.
Clothes were everywhere: her blouse on the floor, his jeans tossed carelessly onto a chair. The bedsheets were twisted, half-kicked off. Jenny was straddling Adam, her body draped over his, still moving, her rhythm slow
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and confident.
“You’re so into this,” she purred into his ear, exaggerated and breathy. “You love how I feel, don’t you?”
Adam groaned, low and eager. “God, yes. You’re so fucking hot.”
Jenny gave a theatrical moan. This was all a performance to her. “Mmm, say it again. Louder. I want the neighbors to know.”
“You’re hot as fuck,” Adam muttered, hands gripping her tighter. “You feel so good, baby.”
A high-pitched laugh, the creak of the bed. The show kept going.
That was enough.
Jenny twisted toward the door mid-movement, her face blanching. Adam’s grip loosened instantly, like he’d
been electrocuted.
“Smile,” I said, my voice flat.
Jenny scrambled away from him like she’d been doused in cold water, grabbing the nearest sheet and wrapping
it around her chest. Adam sat up too fast and nearly knocked over the bedside lamp.
“Amelia, I-
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“No. Don’t. Don’t you dare say a word.”
“We didn’t mean for it to happen like this,” Adam tried, his voice cracking.
“Oh, so you meant for it to happen differently? Maybe when I was out of town? Or would a text have made it
more civilized?”
Jenny pulled the sheet tighter around herself and rolled her eyes. “You’re being so dramatic.”
“You planned this,” I spat. “And this isn’t the first time, is it? The bra, the lies-you’ve been sneaking around for a while. You wanted me to walk in on it. You wanted to break me. And you call that friendship? Do you even want me as a friend anymore?”
“I wanted you to wake up. To realize you were never really part of this world.”
“You said we were friends. You dragged me to your birthday weekend, you made me sit through that dinner with your ex just to make him jealous, you made me serve drinks at your mate ball. Was that all fake too?”
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She didn’t answer.
I took a step closer, my fists clenched at my sides. “You used me. You made me feel like I finally had someone
who saw me. But all you saw was a toy. A sidekick. Something less.”
Jenny’s voice was ice. “You really want to talk about loyalty? What about the night I stayed up with you crying about not getting your wolf? When you begged me not to tell anyone because you were afraid you’d lose your
spot at the Academy?”
“I never forgot that,” I said. “But you clearly forgot everything I ever did for you.”
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