ChrisDespite everything—despite the search party, the dead Omega girl, the ball, the bachelorettes—I couldn’t seem to get Degas’s proposal out of my head. It kept swirling around in my mind like a dark storm cloud, taunting me relentlessly. It slipped into my dreams, left my head spinning, made me
AvaI swayed to the orchestral music, the man’s arms around my waist as we moved across the dance floor. He was being perfectly chivalrous—keeping an appropriate distance, making polite small talk about the decor and the musicians. He had introduced himself as Patrick, a member of Moonrise pack who
Chris grimaced slightly. “You know I don’t care about all that.”“Yes, well, I do,” I replied, averting my gaze. “So does the pack. And the Elders.”For a moment, Chris opened his mouth as though preparing to retort, but then shut it again. He sighed, pulling me fractionally closer until our bodies
AvaThe garden was mercifully quiet when I finally stumbled out into it, the only sounds being the gentle trickle of the stone fountain and the chirping of crickets in the distance. Sinking down onto the edge of the fountain, I buried my face in my hands, my shoulders shaking with silent sobs.How d
Ophelia let out a low groan. “Did Chris tell you this?” she hissed, rising. “I swear, I’ll ring that boy’s neck—”“No!” I whirled around and grabbed her arm, pulling her back toward me, refusing to let her go. “No, he didn’t say that. He would never.”“But Ava—”“I just need to think tonight, that’s
ChrisI hung my head at the bar and nursed my drink, feeling like a complete and utter fool. The hour had grown late and the ball around me had erupted into an all-out party, but I couldn’t seem to enjoy myself.How could I have even suggested such an absurd idea to Ava? She was right—it would have
Ava“—never happen,” the woman's hushed voice echoed down the hallway. “The Acting Luna doesn’t stand a chance with Alpha Chris. She’s too old for him anyway…”I felt my heart leap into my throat as I pressed myself against the corner. The voices down the hall, oblivious to my pain, continued.“Yes,
In my drunken, emotionally vulnerable state, I didn’t immediately pull away. Some distant part of me craved the comfort of being held, of being wanted. But just as Patrick’s lips brushed against mine, the image of Chris’s face flashed through my mind—and with it, a painful ache that reminded me how