Chapter 1

Florence POV: The Unification Ball 

The closer Jason gets, the smaller the smile on my face becomes.

He isn't looking at me.

I frown, confused. 

Why isn't he looking my way? His gaze is fixed straight ahead, distant and cold. I raise my hand, casting a glance around to see if anyone notices my hesitation, and give him a small, encouraging wave.

Finally, he looks my way. 

I brace myself for the secret wink we always share. Instead, his lips twitch in a polite, empty curve. He merely smiles at me the way he would to a stranger who admires him from a distance. 

I know that smile. Many women admire Jason everywhere he goes because he's handsome, wealthy, and destined for greatness. But I am not just many women. 

I am his fated mate. 

We both know it. We’ve felt the pull for a year.

Then, he looks away.

His gaze bypasses me and he stares at Irene, who is standing on the opposite side of the hall beside our stepmom, Penny.

Why is he looking at Irene like that?

The hall is held in a suspenseful, breathless quiet. The music has faded into a low hum as everyone waits for him to claim his fated mate. They are all waiting for him to walk over to me, Florence Patton.

But he keeps moving toward the wrong side of the room.

Cold panic needles at my throat. I lean forward slightly and whisper: 

"Hey. Jason, what are you doing? I'm here."

He doesn't even seem to hear me. He slows his pace and looks around the hall, as if pretending he missed his way and is suddenly lost. 

This must be the prank.

This is the ridiculous plan he joked about last night when we secretly met on the roof of The Alcove, the old cinema building two blocks away. He had laughed, pulling me against his chest, promising he’d make the pack sweat for a second before claiming me.

Beside me, my younger brother, Shawn, nudges me. He whispers, "What is he doing?"

"I don't know," I whisper back, my eyes following Jason’s every step.

"Look at him, Florence. I don't think he even sees you," Shawn says, his grip tightening on my arm. "Why the hell is he looking at Irene like that?"

He's right. Jason is looking at Irene weirdly. It isn't a joke. He is staring at her lustfully, his eyes dark and dilated, drinking in the sight of my stepsister in her black gown.

I look from Jason to Irene, and then back to Jason's face again. My heart begins to take a slow dive and fracture. Second by second, the fractures spread as an irrational, desperate thought comes creeping in: Jason is about to prank me further. He has to be.

But this wasn't the plan. We joked about him pretending to walk to the wrong corner, not . . . not staring at my stepsister like he can't wait to jump her bones. I don't like this prank.

I clear my throat to loosen the tightness. 

I try again, raising my voice, desperate to break whatever spell he’s under. I whisper loudly into the crowd of lined-up people, my voice carrying over the quiet murmurs: "Jason! Hey! I'm here!"

But Jason is turning completely away from me now. He isn't playing. He faces the far side of the crowd where Irene stands. A slow, triumphant smile spreads on Irene's face.

Jason opens his arms wide, grins and announces, "There you are . . ."

All the muscles in my body tenses. What is going on?

"What's wrong with your boyfriend, Florence?” says Todd, my youngest brother. “Looks like one screw has gone loose from too much face-sucking with you."

"Shut up, you two," Tony, the oldest of my brothers, hisses. 

All eyes are fixed on Jason.

I am frozen in place, sweat breaking out along my hairline while my throat feels is burning up. Across the aisle, Irene starts moving. She steps out of the crowd, also opening her arms wide as if preparing for a grand, cinematic embrace.

Beside her, Penny, our stepmom, who conspicuously refused to stand with us on our side of the hall, is smiling too. There is a knowing, malicious look in her slate gray eyes. She isn't looking at Jason, and she isn't looking at her own daughter.

She is looking straight at me.

What did she do? Is this her idea?

"Jason!" I call out, unable to stop myself. 

Jason hears me. He turns around and looks at me. He blinks and a brief flash of recognition appears in his eyes. But it’s gone also in a flash. 

"Hey, there. Hi," he calls back. 

I take half a step forward, my hands trembling. "I'm . . . I'm here, Jason."

He frowns slightly, his expression utterly blank. "What?"

Irene is standing directly in front of him now. The cloud of confusion on Jason's face vanishes the moment he looks back down at her. He turns his back to me completely, reaching out to pull Irene into a tight, crushing hug.

The crowd lets out a collective, low hmmm, followed by a spattering of applauses.

He leans down and plants a deep, wet kiss on Irene's lips.

My mouth opens in a gasp. Several pack elders and neighbors cast surprised, pitying glances at me. They have questions written all over their faces, just like I do.

"Florence," Shawn whispers. "He just kissed Irene."

"He didn't just kiss her," Todd mutters, staring in disgusted awe. "He swallowed her lips."

"Shut up, boys," Tony snaps, his own face has gone pale.

I am shaking, my knees suddenly going weak. I wrap my arms around myself just to keep from falling apart. 

Tony asks me, "What's going on, Florence? Did you two break up and you told nobody?"

"We didn't break up," I choke, shaking my head. "I don't know what's going on."

My throat is so tight I can barely swallow. I try to force a smile to reassure my brothers, to maintain some semblance of pride, but none of them are smiling back. They look at me like I'm a ghost.

"I'm sure this will clear up," I lie, my voice trembling as I look back at the couple in the center of the hall. "It's a prank. You know Jason does that. He plays a lot. He’s just . . . he’s just teasing."

But no one believes me. The eyes of most of the pack are drifting toward me now with secondhand embarrassment.

The orchestra begins to play a slow, sweeping melody. Jason takes Irene by the waist. He leads her to the center of the dancefloor in a slow, intimate sway. By tomorrow, the alpha passing ceremony will be complete, and he will lead this pack. And Irene will be beside him.

"Come on," a voice says from behind us. My dad steps up, his hand resting firmly on Tony's shoulder, a happy smile on his face. 

“Dad what's going on?” Tony asks him. 

"Nothing is happening that shouldn't be. We need to get the celebration started back home," dad says. He looks at me. "Baby, are you alright?"

I frown, my lips trembling and on the verge of blubbering. 

My dad too? He isn't going to fight this? He's just going to let them take everything?