Inside, warm lighting bathed the interior of the bakery, casting a soft golden hue over rows of exquisite pastries and artisan bread. The scent of butter and fresh dough lingered thick in the air, curling from behind tall glass displays that fogged faintly from the heat. Overhead, a digital menu flickered above the polished marble counter.
The sweet, mouth-watering scent hit Valessia the instant she stepped through the glass entrance.
Heads turned. Even before anyone saw her face, her scentless presence exposed her wolfless nature, an anomaly in their world.
A wave of hushed murmurs rippled through the space the moment her face came into view. Disgust clouded their expressions, as if she wore a scarlet letter carved across her forehead. No one tried to mask it. The judgment hit like sleet on bare skin, cold, biting and merciless.
Valessia straightened her spine and ignored the murmurs. Today, she chose not to break.
