Chapter 4

Early the next morning, Marcus shook me awake with excitement.

"Get up, sleepyhead. We're going to Aria's welcome celebration."

I'd forgotten that today was the party.

The last thing I wanted was to see Garrett and Aria together, but I couldn't refuse without explaining why.

The party was being held in the pack's grand ceremonial hall.

As we approached, I could hear laughter and music spilling out into the morning air.

The decorations were lavish and elegant beyond anything I'd ever seen.

Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting rainbow light across tables laden with delicacies.

Silk banners in silver and blue - Aria's colors - draped every surface.

Studying every detail, I finally understood how obvious love really was when someone truly cared.

Garrett could be thoughtful and caring when he wanted to be.

He could plan elaborate surprises and remember every small preference.

He could spend months organizing the perfect celebration.

He just never wanted to be that way for me.

Every casual flower he'd brought me, every hastily planned dinner, every forgotten anniversary - they all took on new meaning.

I'd been grateful for scraps while he was planning feasts for someone else.

The crowd's excited chatter drew my scattered attention back to the present.

"She's here!" someone called out.

I watched a beautiful she-wolf enter the hall, her arm linked through Garrett's.

So this was Aria.

She moved with fluid grace, her silver dress catching the light with every step.

Her dark hair was styled in elaborate braids woven with tiny crystals.

She looked like she belonged in this elegant setting, like she was born for this kind of attention.

I'd actually met Aria when I was small, though she clearly didn't remember me.

Back then, I'd been a wild, troublesome pup who couldn't sit still or mind my manners.

Marcus would look at me with exasperation after every social gathering.

"Sage, you need to act like a proper she-wolf," he'd say with a tired sigh.

"Your brother has a friend who's the perfect example - graceful, confident, and beautiful."

He'd used every flowery word in his vocabulary to describe her.

"She never speaks out of turn or draws unwanted attention. She knows exactly how to behave in every situation."

The comparison had stung even then.

Marcus had even secretly taken me to see Aria once at a pack gathering.

"See how she carries herself? How everyone respects her?"

Though it was just a glimpse, she'd been breathtaking even as a teenager.

No wonder Garrett could never forget her.

No wonder I could never measure up.

As I grew older, Marcus became busier trying to provide for us both after our parents' deaths.

I gradually became Garrett's little shadow, following him everywhere and hanging on his every word.

Even then, though he was kind to me, he would suddenly abandon me for mysterious reasons.

"Sorry, Sage, something urgent came up."

"I'll make it up to you next time."

"You understand, right?"

Now that everything connected, I finally understood.

Even as a child, I'd been the one Garrett left behind for Aria.

I'd always been second choice.

"Marcus, who's this young she-wolf? Your mate?"

Aria's voice was melodious as honey as she approached us.

She smiled warmly, but I caught something calculating in her eyes as they swept over me.

That's when I noticed how similarly we were dressed.

The same style of dress, the same color palette, even similar jewelry.

Had Garrett been styling me to look like her?

The thought made me feel sick.

Garrett's expression darkened the moment he spotted me in the crowd.

His jaw tightened and his hands clenched at his sides.

"Sage, what are you doing here?"

The hostility in his voice was barely contained.

"I brought her, obviously. Why, aren't we welcome?"

Marcus spoke lightly, oblivious to the tension crackling between Garrett and me.

He was completely unaware that his friend had been secretly involved with me for three years.

Or that I'd been labeled a "crazy pursuer" behind his back.

I smiled with contempt, letting Garrett see exactly what I thought of him now.

The mask was finally off.

Garrett's eyes flashed with panic as he realized I might expose our secret.

He grabbed my arm roughly and started pulling me toward the garden.

"Excuse us for a moment."

"Sage, I don't care why you came here," his voice was sharp with anger as soon as we were alone. "But I'm warning you - don't ruin my mating ceremony with Aria."

His grip on my arm was tight enough to bruise.

"I told you I don't love you. I thought I made that clear."

The casual cruelty in his voice was breathtaking.

I took a deep breath and met his gaze with steady eyes.

"Perfect, because I don't love you anymore either, Garrett."

Each word was deliberate and clear.

"I wish you both happiness. You deserve each other."

For a moment, shock flickered across his features.

Then his expression twisted into something ugly.

"You don't love me anymore? Impossible!"

His laugh was harsh and mocking.

"Haven't you been obsessed with me since we were pups? Following me around like a lost dog?"

Garrett stared at me with pure malice, his eyes cruel and dismissive.

"Stop lying, Sage. We both know you can't let me go."