Chapter Two

The tablecloth moved.

Just slightly. Liora looked down.

Then she crouched. Slowly. And lifted the edge of the tablecloth.

"What the fuck?"

The woman under the table froze. Leoric knocked his chair back so hard it crashed into the couple behind them. Half the restaurant turned to look.

"Baby — wait. I can explain—"

"Explain." Liora straightened up. Her voice was very calm. That was the dangerous kind of calm, the kind that came right before something broke. "Explain what exactly, Leoric?"

The woman crawled out from under the table. She took her time about it. Smoothed her dress. Tossed her hair. Then looked Liora dead in the eye with a smile that could curdle milk.

"Surprised?"

Liora recognized her then. Elowen. Beautiful, polished, entitled Elowen — who had never once looked at Liora without that exact smile.

"He's my mate." Elowen stepped closer. "Mine. So why don't you take your broke little self and go?"

Liora Freya's voice was barely a whisper now. Don't make a scene. We need him. We need his energy or we..

"Mate?" Liora laughed. It came out sharp. "You want to talk about mates?"

Elowen tilted her head. "Wake up, sweetheart. You were never in his league." She glanced at Leoric like he was a trophy she'd already won. "I'm the heir of the strongest Alpha in the region. Future leader of the Darkfang Pack . I can give him everything." Her eyes slid back to Liora. Cold and dismissive. "What can you offer? You're just a worthless Omega."

The word landed like a slap.

Worthless.

Liora had heard it before. From Danny. From strangers at the club. From people who looked at her rank and decided they already knew her whole story. But hearing it from someone standing next to her mate Leoric, who said nothing, who just stood there with his hands in his pockets like he was waiting for this to be over

That was different.

Liora, please. Freya's voice cracked. Without a mate to recharge us we'll die. I'm not being dramatic. I mean it. We will actually die.

"I know," Liora said quietly.

Then don't do this. Whatever you're thinking — don't.

But her mouth was already opening. And the words were already coming. And she found, standing in the middle of that candlelit restaurant with her birthday gift still sitting on the table, that she did not want to stop them.

"Leoric Thunderfang."

He blinked. Something in her tone made him go still.

"Liora—"

"Stop." She held up one hand. Her voice didn't shake. She was proud of that. "Don't say my name right now."

Liora! Freya cried — then caught herself, old habit slipping through. Liora. Stop. Think about what you're doing. You'll regret this!

Leoric took a step toward her. "Baby, just listen—"

"I, Liora Fenrirson," she said clearly, loud enough that the whole restaurant heard, "reject you, Leoric Thunderfang, as my mate."

Silence....The kind that rings.

Somewhere behind her, a glass hit the floor.

Freya let out a sound inside her chest that wasn't quite a howl and wasn't quite a sob. Holy moon goddess. We're doomed, Liora. We are completely doomed.

Leoric stared at her. For the first time all night, he actually looked at her.

Elowen's smile had slipped.

Liora picked up the gift bag from the table. The one she'd wrapped herself that morning with the ribbon she'd tied three times to get it right. She set it back down. She didn't want it anymore.

"I won't regret it," she saito Fraya

And she walked out.