Fated to the Alpha Who Killed Me (by Sherry) novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Violet’s POV:

The drive to the riverside estate was a study in suffocating silence. I still couldn’t wrap my head around his sudden eagerness–accepting an invitation he would normally burn and willing to drive me personally to the party.

We pulled up to the venue, a sprawling estate bordering the river.

The moment we became visible, the low hum of conversation on the lawn faltered. Heads turned. Glasses were lowered. It was the entry of the Alpha and his Luna, the Frost Pack’s power couple.

We hadn’t taken five steps onto the grass before my inner circle intercepted us. Sienna Walsh was leading the charge, her eyes blazing with a ferocity that suggested she was seconds away from shifting right there in her stilettos. She had squared off with Daemon at the club, and the animosity was still radiating off her in

waves.

“Violet,” Sienna greeted me, though her glare was fixed entirely on my husband. “I didn’t think he would be gracing us with his presence.”

Daemon didn’t even blink. He looked at Sienna with the bored indifference of a lion regarding a yapping terrier, his blood–red eyes sweeping over her face before dismissing her entirely. Without a word of greeting or acknowledgment, he extricated his arm from mine.

“I see Lucian and Evan by the bar,” he said to me, his voice low and devoid of warmth. “Enjoy your friends.”

He turned his back on us and strode away toward the group of high–ranking males near the patio.

“Complete asshole,” Sienna hissed the moment he was out of earshot, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the protective huddle of our group. Jade Rivers and Lily Price closed ranks around us, their expressions a

mix of concern and indignation.

“Don’t let him fool you, Vi,” Sienna warned, her voice dropping to a serious whisper. “He’s playing games.

Don’t fall for that beautiful face again. It’s a trap.”

Her words triggered a sudden, dizzying pull of memory. I was seventeen again, standing on the edge of a

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Chapter 44

dusty training ring at the annual inter–pack gathering. Daemon had been twenty, shirtless and sweating after taking down three challengers in a row. He had looked up and smiled a rare, genuine expression that had felt like the sun breaking through a storm. In that moment, I had decided I would do anything, endure anything, just to be the one he smiled at.

“Violet?” Sienna’s voice snapped me back to the present.

“I know,” I said, taking a long sip of the champagne. The bubbles burned my throat. “I need you guys to keep me sane. Don’t let me slide back. Promise me.”

“We promise,” Lily said softly.

The somber mood was broken by the arrival of Connor Hayes. He jogged up to us, looking breathless and happy, immediately wrapping an arm around Lily’s waist and pressing a kiss to her temple. The sight of them–uncomplicated, openly affectionate, and safe–sent a pang of envy through me.

“You two are disgusting,” Sienna groaned, rolling her eyes, though there was no real heat in it. “Go find a

room.”

“We’re just happy,” Lily beamed, leaning into Connor. “You guys are just jealous because you’re too stubborn

to settle down.”

Sienna let out a sharp, derisive laugh. She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Please. I am never giving up my freedom for some possessive male who wants a housekeeper. I’d rather treat the dating pool like a hunting ground. I play with them until I get bored, and then I move on. Why buy the cow when you can just

enjoy the steak?”

Jade laughed, clinking her glass against Sienna’s. “Amen to that. Men are exhausting. Give me a good sparring partner over a mate any day.”

I smiled at their bravado, but my gaze drifted involuntarily across the lawn. Daemon was standing near the outdoor bar, surrounded by Evan, Lucian, and Felix. A woman in a shimmering silver dress had sidled up to him. She was touching his bicep, laughing too loudly, her body language screaming availability. I remembered her; she was one of the many flings he’d had during our first year of marriage, back when I

still cried myself to sleep over his scent on another woman.

I watched, waiting for the sting of jealousy, but it was dull, muted by exhaustion.

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Chapter 44

Daemon didn t even seem to know who she was. His face was a mask of boredom. He didn’t lean in; he didn’t flirt back. He simply took a step away, creating a physical boundary, and resumed his conversation with Evan as if the woman were made of glass.

“He’s ruthless,” Sienna noted, following my gaze. “He uses people and discards them like wrapper paper.”

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