Gold(47)

There, he’d given her more of his ugly words. “No one wants you, bitch. I just thought it would be easy to get you flat on your back. But you’re disgusting anyway. Even worse naked. Who would want you?”

“I’m telling my father,” she’d said.

He’d replied that if she did, she’d better consider whether her father could take on his whole clan and whether she and her sisters would be okay without him.

Then he’d left, and she’d sunk to her knees, fighting not to internalize his ugly words but knowing there was nothing to go against them.

No boy had ever shown interest in her. So many of them had bullied her. Called her fat. Made her life hell. And if she believed one again, wasn’t it going to just turn out the same?

Ella pulled herself out of those memories and realized why Dante’s words of love had hurt her so much. Because love was something she’d told herself not to believe in again.

“I had a plan for us,” Cliff said.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve wanted you for my mate since I saw you in grade school. You were one of the only curvy girls in town.” He clicked his tongue. “But I had to make sure no one else set their eyes on you. So I made sure my shifter friends bullied you. Made sure they spread it around that anyone who didn’t was going to get it. It was too easy.”

“You don’t even want me,” she said. “You called me ugly. You said you couldn’t stand to look at me. You—”

“I was just trying to make sure you never showed yourself to another man. Never tried to date again. But that didn’t work when you showed up with that male whore. That’s right. I know you hired him. I looked for dating services in your area and found his face on a website really quick.”

She gaped at him in shock.

“That’s right. I know where you live. I’ve been keeping tabs. And when my brother started dating your sister, I knew that’s when it was all going to be happening. Tomorrow, I’m gonna make it a double wedding.”

“You’re insane,” she said. “Tomorrow, my sister is getting married, and I’ll be there with my date, Dante.”

“No, you won’t,” he said. “Because if you show up at the wedding with that pretty boy, I don’t care how good he is at fighting with his fists. The boys and I are going to use claws.”

“My dad isn’t going to let you do this either.”

“Well, it’s him and your family against the rest of my clan. And you know my brother isn’t a shifter.”

She sighed. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

He stepped in closer, almost breathing down her neck. She thought of Dante, up in the bedroom, confused. “If you care at all about what happens to that pretty boy, you’ll get him gone.” He looked over at the car where his cronies sat waiting. “Because I’m going to go home tonight and get some rest. And then tomorrow, I’m gonna get ready for my wedding.”

“As if my sister is just going to go along with it,” she said.

“You’d be surprised what people will go along with when there are a dozen mountain lions prowling around.”

She glared. “You can’t do this. I don’t want you.”

“Yeah, but see, I want you,” he said. “Bad enough to kill that pretty boy. Take him in the woods and gut him where no one can find him.”

She swallowed, thinking about Dante. How he would fight for her. How he would die for her. He was so strong, so impervious. She’d never seen the shifters in town as abusive. Growing up, the adults had been polite and the youngsters no ruder than others. She loved her dad, how strong and protective he was.

But even he and Dante combined stood no chance.

She’d just have to send Dante home and hope to make an escape.

“And don’t even think about running,” he said. “If you do, I’ll come find you.”

“This is criminal,” she said. “You’re pure evil.”

“I don’t care,” he said. “You have the night to get rid of him. Then I’ll be the one to take care of it.”

The door behind her opened, and she saw Dante standing there, glaring out at them.

“Get away from her,” he said, launching himself forward as Cliff stumbled back. He turned to Ella. “You weren’t supposed to be around him. Get inside.”

“Tell him what’s going on between us, Ella. Tell him we’re in love.”

She glared at Cliff as he laughed drunkenly and then stumbled away.

Dante stood behind her, his anger palpable.

“It’s not what it looks like,” she said. But then she looked up into his beautiful golden eyes, thinking of everything they’d shared together, and felt her heart crack in half at the thought of anything happening to him.