46. The Other Guy

Aline left for Syracuse without a goodbye from me.

I knew I couldn't see her again without groveling and I refused to do that to myself. After all, a man has to preserve some dignity.

I haven't spoken to anyone since Lance’s wedding and it's been a couple of weeks. So, now it’s February, and I am still so pissed I can't see straight.

In the weeks since the wedding, I didn’t hang out with my pack brothers or hit the clubs with friends from work. Instead, I torture myself with my new, self-imposed daily task of overseeing the actions of this man, Aline’s imprint. The guy I’m convinced will not only take away the woman I love, but who also wishes to rape our land.

So, maybe I'm being a touch too melodramatic. But I am miserable, and therefore, I'm entitled to my feelings. I kick the dirt at my feet. Through slit eyes, I take measure of Stefan and decide he is my my unofficial love rival. On looks alone, he could claim Aline as his own. He could do so just as soon