#Chapter Seventeen: The Run

Clara’s face twisted in disgust as she tried to argue, "But Alpha Elijah, she’s wolfless and had a child out of wedlock with some nameless wolf. She’s a disgrace!” I felt the heat rise in my chest, the humiliation threatening to boil over. How could she still look at me like that after everything I had endured? Elijah’s voice sliced through the air before I could react. “As a woman,” Elijah’s tone was icy, sending chills through the bus, “you’re using century-old prejudices to degrade another? It seems someone has forgotten their manners. How unfortunate, James, that your wife is such a disgrace." I didn’t have to look at Clara to know her smug expression had melted into one of shock. My father’s discomfort was almost palpable as he stumbled over his words, trying to apologize to Elijah. It was awkward, forced, and utterly insincere. I had been around him long enough to know when he meant what he said—and this time, he didn’t. Clara lowered her head in submission and muttere