This room stirred up memories of Alpha’s son. The night after he’d had me, he’d brought me to his suite, a place that radiated luxury and privilege. Yet, even when I foolishly thought we had a future, I hadn’t felt like I fit in there.

The memory still stung, sharper than I wanted to admit. Not because I harbored any lingering feelings for Asshole—that part of me had died the moment he’d slipped that ring onto her finger. No, the pain was rooted in something deeper. In the way ...