The Claw's Penalty: She Survived to Rule Them All

POV: Harlow Love

The bleeding wouldn't stop. I pressed my hand against the jagged tear in my jeans, the warm, sticky fluid seeping between my fingers.

"Kaden, I need a doctor," I gritted out. "The bite is deep."

Kaden's eyes lingered on the blood. For a second, his hand twitched toward me-a reflex. But Brittaney stepped between us, breaking his line of sight.

"Look at Buster limping!" she wailed. "She's vicious, Kaden."

Kaden blinked, the moment of concern gone. He needed to be right. He needed to be the Alpha who controlled everything.

"You are pathetic," he spat. "Jealous of a dog."

"I am your wife."

"In name only. Buster is worth ten of you. Apologize."

The world spun. "No."

"Apologize!"

The Command crushed me into the gravel. My forehead hit the stones. I bit my tongue to keep from speaking.

Kaden stared at my trembling form. He looked unsettled by my defiance. He wasn't used to the furniture fighting back.

"Fine," he sneered. "If you want to act like an animal, stay outside like one."

"Alpha," a guard hesitated, eyeing the blood pool. "The temperature is dropping. She's injured."

"Did I stutter?"

They dragged me to the courtyard. The snow was already falling.

I curled into a ball. The cold actually helped numb the fire in my leg, but the shivering started soon after. My Omega constitution was weak, but survival instinct is a powerful thing. I didn't die. I just froze, piece by piece.