MasukAndrea pressed her palms flat against the cold door, her breath uneven, her chest rising and falling far too quickly for the small space she was trapped in.She had heard the retreating steps clearly, the soft click of heels fading down the corridor, Ethan’s low murmur as he spoke close to Lena’s ear.Andrea swallowed hard, her heart pounding violently against her ribs.“Unbelievable,” she whispered hoarsely. “Absolutely unbelievable.”She turned away from the door and scanned the room again, though she had already memorized every corner. Andrea dragged a shaky hand through her hair and paced the room. Her heels clicked sharply against the floor, the sound echoing too loudly in the enclosed space.She turned her head slightly, her breath catching as muffled voices filtered through the thick walls. The sound was distant, but unmistakable cheers, laughter and joy because of another mate declaration.Andrea’s chest tightened painfully.“So it’s still going on,” she murmured.The ceremon
The whispers came first. It moved through the grand ballroom like smoke. What had once been a room brimming with excitement was now broken by speculation, curiosity, and barely restrained judgment.Aiden barely heard any of it.He stood where he had been moments ago, rooted to the polished marble floor as if his feet had turned to stone. The ceremonial sash still lay across his chest, unbearably heavy now, its golden thread mocking him with every breath he took.His world felt wrong, as though someone had reached into his chest and rearranged things without permission.Lucas was the first to move.He stepped in front of Aiden without hesitation, his broad shoulders acting as a barrier between him and the stares, the whispers, the wolves who were pretending not to watch while watching anyway.“Alright,” Lucas said sharply, voice firm. “That’s enough.”Liam followed immediately, positioning himself on Aiden’s other side. “Give him space,” he snapped at no one in particular. “Show som
The wood was cold against Lena’s back.She hadn’t realized how tightly she was breathing until her chest began to ache, each inhale shallow, each exhale sharp with restrained fury. The door behind her was thick and on the other side of it, Andrea was trapped.Ethan stood beside her, one shoulder pressed against the same door, his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was carefully blank, but the tension in his jaw betrayed him.“This wouldn’t have happened,” Lena snapped quietly, her voice shaking with suppressed rage, “if you had done your job properly.”Ethan turned his head slightly, eyes narrowing. “My job?”“Yes,” she hissed. “You were supposed to make sure no one followed me. Andrea had no business being in that room.”Ethan let out a slow breath through his nose. “I was busy holding off Lily and Maya.”Lena froze. “What?”“They saw you,” he continued evenly. “They saw you take Chloe inside. They tried to get in but I stopped them.”Lena’s eyes widened for just a fract
The music softened until it became little more than a whisper, like it was no longer a melody meant to inspire dancing, but a low, reverent hum that lingered beneath the breath of the grand ballroom.Lily’s hands were cold despite the warmth of the room, fingers twisting together so tightly her knuckles ached. Her pulse thundered in her ears as her gaze remained locked on Aiden, standing near the center of the hall.He looked radiant. There was a quiet strength in the way he held himself, shoulders squared, spine straight. His expression was open, earnest, hopeful, too hopeful and that was what made the tight knot in Lily’s chest hurt even more.Beside her, Maya shifted anxiously, smoothing her dress for the third time in under a minute. Her shoulders were tense, her jaw tight, eyes flicking restlessly between Aiden and Chloe, who stood only a few steps away from him.Chloe’s posture was composed, but Lily could see the truth beneath it even from across the room. Her smile was sma
After Lena had allowed Chloe to leave, the room felt too small for the anger boiling inside her.She paced in tight circles, her heels clicking sharply against the wooden floor, every step fueled by irritation and barely contained fury. Her hands trembled at her sides, nails digging into her palms as she shot a venomous glare at Andrea, who stood near the far wall, her arms crossed, her eyes blazing with disbelief and disgust.“This was none of your concern,” Lena snapped, her voice low but vicious. “All of this. I told Ethan to make sure no one followed me.”Andrea let out a sharp laugh, the sound bitter and humorless. “Oh, don’t flatter yourself. He wasn’t observant because he’s arrogant, just like you. You both think you’re untouchable.”Lena stopped pacing and turned on her fully. “Watch your mouth.”Andrea straightened, refusing to shrink under Lena’s glare. “Or what? You’ll threaten me again? You’re getting predictable, Lena.”Lena’s eyes flashed. “You had no right to come
The laughter around them felt too loud, too careless, like it belonged to a different world entirely.Aiden stood with Lucas, Liam, Graham, Lily, and Maya near the edge of the hall, his posture relaxed on the outside but rigid beneath the surface. His fingers curled and uncurled at his side as his eyes kept drifting toward the corridor leading deeper into the building. Every few seconds, his jaw tightened just a little more.“She should have been back by now,” he muttered, mostly to himself.Lily felt her stomach drop.She exchanged a quick look with Maya, the kind of look that carried a hundred unspoken thoughts. Maya leaned closer to Lily and whispered.“He knows something’s wrong.”Lily swallowed. “I know.”They both looked at Aiden again. He was pretending to listen as Liam spoke animatedly about something that had happened earlier, nodding in the right places, but his attention was not there. His wolf was restless. They could see it in the tension of his shoulders, the faint







