Chapter 23

　　Patricia

　　June is crushing my throat, and my eyesight momentarily darkens while my palms are pressing against her arms. Dior is fighting the entire Summerburst pack in the background, meaning no one can save me from the smirking woman before me.

　　There is a menacing laugh, and then June bends closer, leering at me as if she has already won. "You're weak, Patricia. A rogue can't defeat someone like me."

　　I absorb June's features, gaze deeply into her eyes. She is beautiful, but her lips are cruel.

　　And she is strong.

　　How do I beat her?

　　I'm not as powerful as her.

　　Then again, I've never let that stop me before. I never bowed down to my alpha regardless of Dior's authority, and I'm not about to let that change. I listen to no one—I'm a fighter who creates her path, and I will not surrender.

　　I breathe in and out, letting fear overwhelm me yet not destroy me. Because being brave means being afraid but not allowing ourselves to be controlled by it.