Chapter 2

Maria~

I made my way back to my group, weaving through the mass of gyrating bodies, but honestly? My heart wasn’t in it anymore.

I no longer wanted to be here.

I wasn’t drunk, not even tipsy in the slightest, but I felt… weirdly sick. Hollow. Like I'd just given up something vital, and it didn't make any sense.

The man at the bar was still in my head. I didn’t even get his name—and as much as it pained me to admit, I might never see him again.

The thought stung. But despite wanting to see him once more, I couldn't turn back. I shouldn't even be entertaining the idea when I was getting married tomorrow. We'd barely had a proper conversation, even—so why should I be feeling like I was making a mistake?

My wolf was pacing in the back of my mind, too—agitated, like she knew something I didn’t. Like she hadn’t liked walking away either. I shook it off and kept walking.

No point getting stuck on someone new when my whole life with someone else was set right before me. I might have to tell someone what I was feeling, though. It felt too much to keep bottled in.

Chloe. She always knew what to say—granted, most of her advice came from TikTok captions, but right now? I'd take anything.

When I reached the group, I was flooded with more hugs from new arrivals, toasts and loud over-enthusiastic shouts of “congratulations!”—all now very overwhelming.

My smile had cracked ages ago, but I plastered on a new one. To show them that I was happy, or whatever else they expected me to be.

The music was louder now than before, and I felt the onset of a headache. I needed to go home.

Not to Jason—but to the apartment I shared with my sister before moving in with him. I just had to find her and tell her first. I turned to do just that, say a quick “I’m heading out, you good?” to Chloe before leaving, but she wasn’t there.

Frowning, I scanned the crowd.

Maybe she’d gone to the bar for another drink. Or perhaps the restroom?

“Where’s my sister?” I asked Brie, one of my girls.

“She was just here…” Brie murmured, frowning into her wine—her gaze unfocused, lipstick smudged and her blonde hair sticking to her cheeks. I reached out and tucked it behind her ear.

She beamed. “Thanks, Ri!”

Damnit, she was inebriated. Still sexy as hell though, but ‘Just here,’ to her right now might've been hours ago already.

“Maybe the bathroom?” Tara suggested. She looked… marginally better, I guess. Not totally wasted yet.

“Do you know when she left?” I asked.

She didn't.

I pulled out my phone and texted “where u at?” Then, waited.

Nothing.

Two minutes turned to ten, then twenty.

I tried calling. Once. Twice. Five times. The third time, it rang until voicemail picked up. By the fifth, it was switched off.

Dread set in. Was she okay?

“Maybe she left with someone,” Brie said. “The hunk at the bar you refused,” she giggled, and I saw red.

My eyes shot straight to the bar where he'd been, and truthfully… The man was gone.

My stomach sank. Hurt from nowhere flooded me.

So what if she left with him? I was getting married tomorrow, anyway. It’s none of my business.

“She didn't,” Tara, cut in. “I saw him go up alone a while ago. Honestly, I was this close to following him.” She joked, and I laughed—the sound breathy and false to my ears.

But I was stupidly relieved. Glad.

As if I had any right to be...

But something continued to prickle at me. I suddenly felt more uncomfortable than before. Even my wolf was restless and uneasy.

Was it the mention of that man with another woman that bothered her? Or was she just done with all this too?

“I think I’m gonna head home,” I said.

Brie made a face. “Already? It’s not even midnight!”

“I know. I just…” I waved a hand, already backing away. “If Chloe gets back, tell her I’ll see her at home.”

“Aiit, but text us when you get there!” Tara called after me.

I made my way outside and called for a ride. Waiting at home seemed the best. Talking about why thoughts of a total stranger in bed with another woman alarmed me, could wait.

~~~~~

When I got to the apartment entrance, I got a weird feeling. You know that creepy crawly sensation? Yeah.

My wolf shifted under my skin too—her ears twitching in my subconscious like she was picking up something I couldn’t hear.

I put in the passcode I knew by heart and the door clicked open. Inside, it was dark. Quiet. But not for long.

I heard it, then.

Moaning. Unmistakable wet sounds—the rhythmic kind that made your ears burn.

“Seriously?” I whispered under my breath, a surprised laugh escaping me.

Of course she'd ditched me for some dick. That was so Chloe, I couldn't believe I'd even worried for a minute.

“Ditch me and turn off your phone for this?” I muttered, kicking off my heels and tossing my clutch on the couch.

Whatever. I’d just… camp out here, I guess. Put in my AirPods and wait them out. Or something. Definitely minding my business.

Except… I didn’t.

Another sound reached me—louder this time. A stifled whimper. A gasp, and—okay, someone was really having fun.

Curiosity held me by the throat.

I followed the trail of discarded clothes—Chloe's gown, jeans, lacy underwear, and a masculine belt that looked… very expensive.

My brows lifted. Not bad. I should know—Jason had something similar.

Whoever this guy was, he was definitely loaded. And he had great taste.

As I approached, the sounds grew louder, wetter. I fully expected the bedroom door to be shut, but the sounds led me past it. To the bathroom.

And that door was cracked open just enough.

I knew I shouldn’t, but– an open door is literally a sign from above.

I peeked, unable to help it.

And lo and behold was my sister.

She was flushed and panting—her eyes were closed, her legs splayed wide on the sink and her arms were wrapped tightly around a man's neck.

Sweet Goddess…

Heat rose in my cheeks.

With every thrust, her back arched, plastering her hair to the mirror behind her.

She was beautiful. And… completely gone.

The guy's hips rolled into her—slow and deep—and her lips parted in a silent moan. Their coupling wasn't rushed. It was deliberate. Intimate.

And I could see everything.

Her bare thighs, his hands gripping them hard enough to bruise, the slide of his hips as he pushed into her over and over.

My breath hitched. I couldn't look away.

It was…arousing.

My breathing turned shallow, my body involuntarily reacting to their show of passion. I clenched my thighs together.

My wolf even purred—I swear to the moon. She purred at the scene before us!

The man’s back flexed as he moved—smooth muscle under golden skin. Powerful and familiar.

Too familiar…

I blinked—but then he groaned against her neck, feasting his hands with her thighs and it was a struggle not to whimper.

The angle was perfect. The sound of their moaning increased, edged with desperation—and my brain emptied. They were close.

Damn, okay. It was hot. But I shouldn’t be watching this. Shame washed over me and I knew it was time to go, but as I turned to leave—

He lifted his head. Just enough for his face to be reflected in the mirror.

And everything in me froze.

My heart slammed against my ribs so hard it hurt and my breath caught in my throat, nearly choking me.

All the blood in my body that was hot a second ago turned cold.

Because the man between her thighs—the one making my sister gasp and whimper like she was the only woman for him—was Jason.

My fiancé.

And our wedding was in less than twelve fucking hours!