Chapter 2

Patrick closed the door after he said so. He threw out the handkerchief he had just used before he closed the door. It fell in front of Gloria, soaking in the rain. Gloria picked it up and gripped it in her hand. The car started and drove into Alpha's villa at the Black Thorn Pack. Then, the iron gates of the villa shut in front of Gloria. Gloria's face drained of color as she stared at the shuttered gates. Gloria was in agony since her mate had just rejected her. The remaining Alpha aura still lingered, suffocating her. Patrick was her mate. However, she could feel the hatred from his aura and he would prefer Gloria to die instead of Gabrielle. Gloria's wolf screamed in her head, "We need Patrick. Go beg him, and let go of your pride. Damn you, Gloria, go beg for his forgiveness!" After a while, Gloria looked up again. She walked toward the square, determined. She stood in the middle of the square, ignoring the cold rain. She pressed her lips together stubbornly. As Alpha's daughter from the Silver Spring Pack, Gloria had her pride. "I don't need his forgiveness, I did nothing wrong," Gloria said to her wolf, ignoring her curses. Gabrielle was her friend. Gloria only wanted a few minutes to explain everything to Patrick. Gloria's shirt was shattered and could barely cover her body. She folded her arms across her breast, still keeping her back straight. She would always hold her head high, for she was the daughter of Alpha. Gloria stood in the square stubbornly, only for a chance to explain herself. She was innocent, and she wouldn't take the blame. But, would she get the chance? Would anyone believe what she had to say? The rain grew heavier and continued through the night. It kept raining till the next morning. Gloria stood there. The rain had soaked her clothes, and she had been standing there all night. The square was deadly still. Someone showed up, after all. Damon walked out of Patrick's villa under a black umbrella, his hair brown. The shuttered gates let out a creaking sound and opened slowly. Gloria heard the sound and tried to raise her head. She looked at Damon standing in front of the iron gates and forced a smile. "Miss Carter, Alpha Patrick asked you to leave the Black Thorn Pack." Damon had his hair combed meticulously, so, even on a rainy day, it still looked neat, just like those carefully trimmed trees in Patrick's garden. Damon threw a piece of clothing at Gloria. Gloria trembled to put on the clothes with her soaked hand. Her lips looked pale. Her voice was hoarse but firm. "I want to see him." Damon repeated Patrick's words without even looking up. "Miss Carter, Alpha Patrick said that your presence had ruined the view here. And he didn't want you to ruin his mood too." Gloria had never shown a trace of fear after the incident. But she found it hard to go on like this anymore. Her trembling shoulders gave her out. Gloria closed her eyes, letting the rain wash her tears away. Gloria opened her eyes again as Damon gazed at her with a poker face. She raised her head and said, "Damon, believe me or not, I did not pay those rogues to hurt Gabrielle, and I will not take the blame." Gloria articulated each word, though exhausted. She might have lowered her head for a moment, but she was a proud woman. Damon frowned, as he finally responded with something other than disdain. He looked at Gloria resentfully and said, "Gabrielle is my younger sister. She had always been a sweet girl. She had never been to a pub and never gone alone into the Shadow Forest. But then, she was found raped and killed on the other side of the forest, where the rogues lingered. "Miss Carter, we checked Gabrielle's phone. Before the incident, she called you and sent you a message. It said, 'I have arrived. Where are you, Gloria?' " Damon's eyes were filled with hatred as he glared at Gloria. He continued, "Miss Carter, you murdered someone and that person was my sister! She is dead, and yet you are here trying to get away from it! You've been badgering Alpha Patrick. But he preferred Gabrielle, not you. You were jealous of Gabrielle and therefore wanted her to disappear. You make me sick!" Gloria was speechless. Gabrielle was Damon's younger sister and Patrick's girlfriend. As for Gloria, she was Patrick's mate who had never been acknowledged. Gabrielle was dead, and Patrick hated Gloria to his very core. "Miss Carter, you should leave," Damon said. "By the way, Alpha Patrick asked me to pass a word to you." Gloria turned to Damon. "Alpha Patrick said, 'It should have been you.'" Gloria's body shook uncontrollably, and a sharp pain shot through her heart. Damon turned around and put on a cold smile. His rigid face looked indifferent and cruel. He hated Gloria because she killed Gabrielle. Gloria shuddered inwardly as she staggered to her feet. Her legs were numb, so she fell back to the ground. She laughed at herself while Patrick's words echoed in her head. "It should have been you." Indeed, that was something Patrick would say. Gloria smiled bitterly. "Gabrielle, you were dead and I became a murderer." Patrick was a tall and slender man. Dressed in a black nightgown, he was standing on the second floor of the villa. He stood barefoot in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching Gloria in the rain with frozen eyes. "Alpha Patrick, I've passed your words to Miss Carter." Damon returned to the villa after driving Gloria away. He stood quietly in the doorway of the bedroom.