Maddie's lips slowly stretched wider, her smile twisting into something eerie and unsettling as she looked down at Ember's unconscious form. There was no trace of hesitation in her eyes, only satisfaction and long-nurtured bitterness finally finding release.
She clicked her tongue softly, shaking her head as if disappointed rather than triumphant. "This is what you get," she muttered, her voice laced with venom. "You humiliated me, made me mate with those idiots, and made me look like nothing in front of everyone. Now you will pay it back the same way."
She bent down and grabbed Ember's wrist, her grip forceful and careless. Ember's body dragged against the forest floor as Maddie pulled her forward, leaves and dirt clinging to her clothes and hair. Maddie did not slow down even when Ember's head knocked against a tree root, her expression remaining cold and determined.
