Daphne's POV
The vehicle glided through Willowbrook's entrance, and I pressed my face against the cool glass, watching our territory unfold beyond the window. Pack members crowded the pathways in unusual numbers for this time of evening. News traveled at lightning speed here. It always did.
Father cut the engine with unnecessary aggression. The quiet that settled over us seemed to pulse with unspoken accusations and bitter disappointment.
"Keep your damn head down while I clean up the disaster you created."
His voice sliced through me like broken glass. Each syllable calculated to wound. He refused to meet my eyes as he stepped out, the door slamming with enough force to rock the entire car on its wheels.
Mother shifted in the front seat, her fingers reaching toward me, but I was already in motion. I shoved my door open before her touch could land on my skin. The crisp evening air hit my exposed shoulders and I wished I could dissolve into the darkness.
