Chapter 3

When the crowd's noise died down a little, I glanced over at Kate.

She was leaning against Cole, content and glowing, soaking up the congratulations flowing in from every side.

I walked over too, my voice even.

"Congratulations."

But the moment I moved toward her, Cole stepped instinctively in front of Kate.

That reflex — that shielding of her from me — landed like a blow.

What had I ever done to make Cole this defensive, this convinced that the next thing I'd do was hurt her?

A bitter smile crossed my face.

"Relax, Cole. I mean it."

A mess of emotions moved through Cole's eyes.

I could see both impulses at war in him: the urge to apologize for what had just happened with Kate, and the instinct to keep his guard up in case I did something reckless.

But right now, all I wanted was to hold on to the last shred of dignity between us.

To say a proper goodbye to this damn love.

I reached for a fresh glass from the tray beside me. I hadn't even opened my mouth yet when I felt a hard shove from behind and stumbled forward.

The champagne flew from my hand and hit the floor. Kate screamed.

Cole threw himself in front of her and turned on me with hatred in his eyes.

Without asking a single question, he picked up a glass and drenched me with it.

"Wendy! Why would you do that to Kate?"

"She hasn't done anything wrong!"

"Maybe it's time you took a hard look at yourself and that jealousy of yours."

Kate was buried in Cole's arms, crying in great heaving sobs, looking like she had suffered some tremendous injustice.

"Wendy... what did I do to deserve this?"

"Why are you trying to ruin my ceremony?"

Before she could finish, the color drained from her face and she went limp.

Cole shook her, cursing me in a steady torrent.

"Wendy! I told you she was fragile!"

"If anything happens to her, we're done — you and me, finished."

"And your pack will never see a single piece of hide from ours again."

"I never thought you'd turn out to be this jealous."

Cole walked out without a backward glance, Kate in his arms.

Just before they disappeared, Kate opened her eyes.

The second her gaze met mine, her lips moved in a small, deliberate smirk.

It looked like: “You little bitch. Cole is mine.”

Then came the voices of Cole's pack members, closing in around me.

"We always knew the Alpha had some obsessed admirer."

"Has to be her. Deliberately trying to ruin their happiness."

"Look at her. Like Cole would ever leave sweet Kate for someone like that. You vicious witch!"

"Get out of our pack."

I pulled myself upright and looked around at all of them.

Three chances, Cole. You'd used every single one.

I had been willing to keep things civil. Since he'd chosen otherwise, he and his entire pack could answer for it together.

I sent a pack-wide message:

[All resource exchanges with Cole's pack are hereby suspended. Any pack that accepts resources from Cole's pack will be considered an enemy of Blood Moon Pack.]

Blood Moon Pack had never been short of resources. I had accepted Cole's exchanges only to make him believe our relationship stood on equal ground.

I hadn't wanted him to feel inferior.

Since he no longer needed that from me, I had every confidence he could manage his little remote pack just fine on his own.